Advertising with winter-themed trade cards

10 & 11 | CREATING DURING COVID 12 & 13 | ANDREW CRAIG 27 | BOOK REVIEWS

LARA CARLETON | ARCHIVES CLERK

Today, most advertisements light up our screens through television commercials and images on social media, peak our interest through quick segments on the radio, or catch our eyes through billboards and posters. Smaller and more personal advertisements, like pieces we can tangibly possess and collect, are a thing of the past.

In the late 19th century, North America saw the introduction of the trade card: a unique advertising strategy where companies would distribute small (similar to the size of a playing card) advertisements to support their businesses or to promote upcoming events. This technique was already well-established in parts of Europe dating back to the late 17th century, but was slow to cross the Atlantic.

Regional Collection, Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library. XR1 MS A149,

Boxed with XR1 MS A140.  CURLING PARTY, EVENT TRADE CARD, CIRCA 1880S

Regional Collection, Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library. XR1 MS A149, Boxed with XR1 MS A140.

 GUELPH WHOLESALE JOBBING HOUSE, CUSTOM COMPANY TRADE CARD, 1884

Take the Dominion Wire Mattress’ stock trade card, for example. The word “over” on the front of the card encourages patrons to flip it over and learn about their product on the back. This additional information is especially important when trade cards focus on their eye-catching appeal as opposed to the imagery’s relevance to

Boxed with XR1 MS A140.

The trade card collection Archival and Special Collections houses was assembled by Frederick H. G. Pole, a resident of Rockwood. The collection contains 189 trade cards, dating from 1880 to 1889, from various cities throughout southwestern Ontario, as well as some international examples. A majority of the cards featured in the collection are local, hailing from Guelph and Toronto.

Interest in trade cards began to decline once the popularity of postcards and baseball cards surged at the turn of the 20th century. Over time, these beloved trade cards evolved into the business cards we what’s being advertised. Though this trade card advertises a mattress, does its vibrant depiction of ice skaters — one resembling a musketeer — speak to the necessity of purchasing one? I suppose the argument could be made that ice skating is tiring thus creating the need, but let’s face it — the con-

Regional Collection, Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library. XR1 MS A149,

Trade cards quickly became a hot commodity as Victorians began to collect them because of their beautiful colours and sometimes cheeky humour. Their convenient size also made them easy to protect and share when kept in pockets, wallets, and purses.

There were two main types of trade cards: custom and stock. Custom trade cards were made with the intent of advertising for a specific company or product, like the Guelph Wholesale Jobbing House’s 1884 company trade card; whereas, stock trade cards were nonspecific and any company or product could be advertised by including their information on the card’s empty back.  DOMINION WIRE MATTRESS, STOCK PRODUCT TRADE CARD, FRONT & BACK, CIRCA 1886

nection’s a stretch. hand out today. However, one thing remains clear: these pieces of ephemera offer a glimpse of the business operations and cultural norms of the past — they are snapshots of time.

From all of us in Archival and Special Collections, Happy New Year!

Interested in learning more about our Regional Collection? Visit Archival & Special Collections at lib.uoguelph.ca.