A quick glance at this trade catalog’s front cover suggests the manufacturer might be advertising a family car. Perhaps this family is on the way to an afternoon picnic or maybe a ride through the countryside in their Paterson Six. Sometimes images in a trade catalog provide a glimpse into how the item was advertised to the general public.
Category: History and Culture
This post was researched entirely from materials in the American Art/Portrait Gallery Library collection. Additionally, the images featured in this post are from exhibition pamphlets in James Van der more »
By 1800, most Northern States had, or were about to, pass legislation that made slavery illegal. Following the Revolution, freedom of blacks had been a cause with legal cases brought more »
Today in the 21st Century, some prefer to wear watches while others use their phones to keep track of time. Let’s take a trip into the past, via this trade catalog, to learn about a watch available at the turn of the 20th Century. One option for ladies was to disguise their watch with a decorative piece of jewelry.
This post was written by Angela Brooks, Fall 2019 intern in the Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex. What an honor and privilege to have been granted an Internship with the Smithsonian more »
Imagine holiday shopping in the early 20th Century. What types of gifts did people give? What was on a holiday wish list? Perhaps these Christmas advertisements from the early 1900s more »
While shelving, retrieving, or searching for trade catalogs, it is not unusual to come across one that makes you pause for a moment. This may be for various reasons including vibrant colors, unique illustrations, interesting subjects, age, or even its shape. This time an early 20th Century catalog caught my eye. Its colorful front cover brought back memories of snow days as a child, and the image was so inviting that I had to take a closer look.