Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: advance cards

A humorous "advance card" for the A. S. Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Company in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Salesmen from the company sent postcards like this in advance of their trips to let store owners know when they planned to visit. The salesman depicted here is wearing his motoring clothes—goggles, cap, and coat—as he steers his shoe-shaped automobile through the dusty streets. His "A. S. K. Shoe Co." case of sample shoes is safely stowed on the running board. The Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Company is no longer in business. Its former factory buildings in Middletown (below) and Elizabethtown , Pennsylvania, now contain apartments. For other salesmen postcards, see my album of Advance Cards . If He Gets No Puncture Our Mr. ________ will be at your store on or about ________. The Kreider Shoe Mfg, Co., Elizabethtown, Pa. Boys', youths', and little gents' McKay sewed and Goodyear welts. A. S. K. Shoe Co.

An amusing "advance card" that a traveling salesman could send to let customers know when to expect his visit. For other early twentieth-century advance cards, see I'll Be There Soon to Tell You How to Jinger Up Your Trade , Zing! Coming Round Your Way , and I Am Pushing on the Lines .

"Coming round your way to wish you many happy returns of your birthday. Mary A. Munden. Zing." Addressed on the other side to "Mr. Frank Draine, 1201 Poplar Street, City," and postmarked Wilmington, Del., Nov. 20, 1905.

"Hirschl & Bendheim, 419 N. 4th St., St. Louis, Mo., sole agents, 'Missouri Meerschaum,' cob pipes. Manufactured only by H. Tibbe & Son., M'f'g Co. No. 3. No. 7. Patent. Will call about August 31st. Solomon Hirschl." A postal card addressed on the other side to: "Messrs. H. Stern Jr. & Bro., Milwaukee, Wisc." Postmarked: "St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 23, 1893." Solomon Hirschl sent this to announce his sales call in advance of his trip from St. Louis to Milwaukee. This type of "advance card" was typical--see the Cigar History Museum's Salesmen’s Advance Cards for some other interesting examples. A Wikipedia search reveals that the Missouri Meerschaum Company (formerly H. Tibbe & Son) is still in business today and is the "world's oldest and largest manufacturer of corncob pipes."

Original caption: "I am pushing on the lines. Will show you a full line of samples about...." With written additions: "I am pushing on the lines. Will see you about next Saturday if plans pan out O.K. Shall I bring a trunk? Store's not open Sat., so if you come home, come to end of line, [or?] phone from square." A salesman normally would have used a postcard like this to notify potential customers when he'd arrive at their location to show them samples of his merchandise, but instead the sender of this card has altered the message to arrange a time to meet a friend or relative.

"Looking for an order." Although I don't know for certain, I suspect that this real photo postcard may have been created by a salesman for use in communicating with customers.

"I'll be there soon. And say, I've the best you've seen yet. Wait till I tell you--Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! How to jinger up your trade. Competition. Samples. A. C. No. 6. Copyright 1907. Published by K-Win, Chicago." Unused "advance card." Salesmen, or "commerical travelers" as they were called in the early twentieth century, sent postcards like this in advance of their trips in order to notify merchants when they expected to arrive in town. They traveled by train with heavy trunks or "sample cases" (like the one that the fellow here is riding on) containing their wares, and many hotels offered "sample rooms" where they could display their merchandise. By the way, I suspect that "jinger up" was intended to sound the same as "ginger up," so a salesman who sent a card like this was offering to liven up or spice up the recipient's business.