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e live today in a sea of color images, printed and electronic,
and we find it hard to imagine a time when media in
Wcolor was considered a prized possession. Back in the late
19th century, most advertising was done in black-and-white newspaper
ads, but with the invention of chromolithography (color lithography),
it became practical to print ads in color for the first time.

COLORIZED TRADE CARDS INSTANT SUCCESS
Trade cards are some of the earliest examples of chromolithography
in America and were used as advertisements. Some of the notable
lithographic firms of the time were Currier and Ives and Louis Prang,
the inventor of the Christmas card.
A trade card, sometimes referred to as an “Advertising Trade Card”
or a “Victorian Trade Card,” is typically about the size and shape of a
baseball card with a pretty picture on the front side and an advertising
message on the reverse side (see fig. 1). Often, the merchant who gave
out the cards was stamped on the reverse side. In this instance, the
word “trade” refers to a tradesman rather than swapping or exchanging
back and forth. Think of them like a 19th century version of today’s
business card.

Figure 2: Chromolithograph. Collision! Figure 3: Chromolithograph. Standard
40 Miles An Hour! Clover Bitters TC. Herbal Remedies Dr. Kilmer Medicines
Joe Gourd Collection. TC. Ben Crane Collection.
pretty young woman, or a pet animal. They could be used by any
advertiser for any product or service. The advertised product name,
company name, and address could be over-printed on the image. The
advertising message would appear on the back of the card. Typically,
they were printed in like-themed sets of 2, 4, 6, 10, or more cards. One
set that I know of has a total of 48 cards in it.

Figure 1: Chromoxylograph (Color Wood Block Print). Natures Great Assistant.
English Female Bitters TC. Joe Gourd Collection.

TYPES OF TRADE CARDS
The cards come in basically two forms. The first is called a “stock
card” as in “in stock” or inventory (see fig. 2). They were cheap and
could be quickly printed. They often were printed with some type of
non-specific universal image like a playful child, a seasonal scene, a Figure 4: Chromolithograph. Malarial Shield Tonic Bitters TC.
Joe Gourd Collection.
22 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles