Scope and Contents
The collection consists of illustrated 19th century trade cards (small printed cards, bearing tradesmen’s advertisements and including an illustration); early 20th century advertising cards which were distributed by merchants or manufacturers to advertise or promote their business or product; and a small number of collecting cards. The colorful illustrations depict scenes of city and rural life; celebrities; animals; flowers; household products; and numerous other subjects. The cards reflect the social, economic, political, and cultural climate of the periods during which they were produced.
Dates
- circa 1870-1950
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright has not been transferred to Yale University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The American Trade Card Collection is part of the Arts of the Book Collection, which was formerly housed in Sterling Memorial Library, Room 177, until its transfer to the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library in 2008.
Arrangement
The cards are arranged alphabetically by subject of each card’s illustration, which often is unrelated to the product advertised. For example, a card advertising soap may have an illustration of a bouquet of flowers, and that card is filed under the category Plants--Flowers. Oversize cards are listed at the end of the following list. The cards are filed into fifteen card file boxes (numbered 1A through 4C), which are then housed in four larger boxes numbered Box 1 through Box 4.
Extent
14.5 Linear Feet (4 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The collection consists of illustrated 19th century trade cards (small printed cards, bearing tradesmen’s advertisements and including an illustration); early 20th century advertising cards which were distributed by merchants or manufacturers to advertise or promote their business or product; and a small number of collecting cards.
- Title
- Guide to the American Trade Card Collection
- Author
- Compiled by Susan Brady and Eva Wrightson
- Date
- July 2005
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library Special Collections Repository
Arts Library Special Collections
180 York Street
New Haven CT 06511
203-432-1712
haasalsc@yale.edu