Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: advertising cards

An elaborate business card printed by David Bachman Landis of Pluck Art Printery (later known as Landis Art Print). The wavy, wiry vertical lines that Landis used to separate the "Special Attention" section on the left from the main "E. Oettel" portion of the card come from a set of "Capital Ornaments" dated 1891 that was available from the Barnhart Brothers & Spindler (BB&S) type foundry. Landis also used these separators in a number of other printed pieces. See, for instance, the following examples: -- Charles S. Frantz, Graduate Ophthalmic Optician, Watchmaker, and Jeweler, Lancaster, Pa. -- A. H. Herr, Mill Creek Dairy, Lancaster, Pa. -- J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries, Landisville, Pennsylvania, ca. 1890s BB&S also sold a set of "Brownies" characters that included the tiny owl in the upper left-hand corner. Typefaces: Duerer ("Fancy Bakery and Confectionery"), Pynson ("All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and"), Hansard ("Home Made Bread"), Dante ("No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa."). The unidentified typeface used here for "E. Oettel" appears to be the same as the one selected for "J. M. Trout" on the J. M. Trout, Fire Sand Quarries card. E. Oettel, Philadelphia Reliable Fancy Bakery and Confectionery. All kinds of Cakes, Pies, Creams, Water Ices, and Home Made Bread. No. 506 Manor Street, Lancaster, Pa. Special attention given to wedding and party orders. Stands at Eastern, Central, and Southern Markets.

A late nineteenth-century business card for Henry Swartz's dry goods store in York, Pennsylvania. The typeface used for "Henry Swartz" is Antique Extended . Thanks go to Florian Hardwig for the identification. Henry Swartz, Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Notions, Queensware, &c., &c., &c. No. 229 South George Street, York, Pa. Experience in the business and strict attention enables him to render general satisfaction. Country produce bought and sold. Dry Goods. Gazette, Pr.

Henry Weill (1860-1929) was a well-known horse dealer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This business card was printed for him by David Bachman Landis . For similar cards by Landis that feature text printed over a background illustration, see: -- Chas. O. Ursprung, Horse Collar Manufacturer, Lancaster, Pa. -- W. R. Cheney, Carriage Builder, Lancaster, Pa. -- William C. Myers, Practical Artesian Well Contractor, Salunga, Pa. Henry Weill, Dealer in Driving, Heavy Draft, and Fine Coach and Saddle Horses. Sale and Exchange Stables, 200 to 216 West Orange St., Lancaster, Pa. Presented by ________ Acclimated and western horses always on hand. Telephone connection.

John Matthes (1834-1894) was the proprietor of American House, a hotel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It's likely that this business card dates to around 1864, when Matthes ran a newspaper ad for American House. A later advertisement indicates that he was operating a wine and liquor store by 1873 (see below for the ads). American House Lebanon, Pa. Market Street, half-square south of Market House and one and a half squares from Court House. John Matthes, prop'r. The table is supplied with the best of edibles. The bar with the choicest of liquors. Extensive new stabling attached to the house. Handwritten name and year on the other side of the card : "Allen Longenecker, 1864." -------- Advertisement printed in the Lebanon Advertiser (Lebanon, Pa.), July 20, 1864, p. 4 : AMERICAN HOUSE, Market Street, Lebanon, JOHN MATTHES, Proprietor. The proprietor of this old established and popular HOTEL would respectfully inform the public that it will be conducted at all times to the comfort and convenience of its guests. It has been thoroughly refitted and renovated, and no pains will be spared to make the Table and the Bar, at all times, equal to any in the county. The STABLING and Yard are superior too, and more extensive, than any other in Lebanon. A new SHED is also in the course of erection, which will be completed in a short time. The patronage of the Farmers and the Traveling public generally is respectfully solicited. PLACE--West side of Market street, and half a square south from the Market House. JOHN MATTHES. Lebanon, April 6, 1864. -------- Advertisement in the Lebanon Daily News (Lebanon, Pa.), Jan. 9, 1873, p. 4: "John Matthes' Wholesale and Retail Wine & Liquor Store, No. 33 North 8th Street, Lebanon, Pa."

J. M. Trout Owner and operator of fire sand quarries. Also loam beds. Landisville, Penna. G. H. Thomas, western sales agt., Latrobe, Penna. Pluck Print. David Bachman Landis, who designed and printed this business card, wrote about J. M. (Jacob M.) Trout (1858-1935) and his father, Jacob S. Trout, in " Mineral Deposits and Works of the Hempfields ," an artilce that appeared in the Journal of the Lancaster County Historical Society , v. 8, no. 8 (June 3, 1904), p. 247: " . . . Jacob S. Trout discovered a valuable bed of silica or 'fire' sand, in 1870. Experiments with this sand demonstrated its superior value in the construction of furnaces and the manufacture of steel and iron. Mr. Trout shortly after opened a large trade for his sand, and regularly shipped from Landisville station many carloads of it to the great works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, at Steelton, and other steel and iron works in Central Pennsylvania. . . . Since the death of Jacob S. Trout, in the year 1893, his son, J. M. Trout (who resides in the village of Landisville at the present time) has taken up the silica sand business and has been shipping thousands of tons to different iron workers, as far West as Chicago, Ill., and East to Massachusetts." Compare the wiry borders in the design of this card with those used in the return address on an envelope for Charles S. Frantz, Graduate Ophthalmic Optician, Watchmaker, and Jeweler, Lancaster, Pa.

"Economize by using Putnam Dyes and Putnam Dry-Cleaner." Printed on the back of this die-cut advertising card: "Easter Greetings from Frank P. Allen, Shanks, W. Va." A royal rabbit wearing a crown sits on colorful Easter eggs to promote Putnam Dyes—used for clothes but not eggs, as far as I know—and Putnam Dry-Cleaner, a solvent for home dry cleaning . For another multicolored advertising piece from this company, see Putnam Fadeless Dyes and Tints Advertising Fan .

"Benj. H. Brubaker, dealer and packer of Pennsylvania seed-leaf tobacco. East Petersburg, Lanc. Co., Pa."

For other tobacco dealer cards, see S. N. Mumma and Co., Packers of and Dealers in Leaf Tobacco, Landisville, Pa. , and Benj. H. Brubaker, Dealer and Packer of Pennsylvania Seed-Leaf Tobacco, East Petersburg, Pa. Hipple Bros. & Co., Inc. Leaf Tobacco Main Office, 151 N. Third St., Philadelphia Packing Warehouse, Cor. Duke & Chestnut Sts., Lancaster, Pa.

"S. N. Mumma & Co., packers of and dealers in leaf tobacco, Landisville, Pa. Represented by ________."

A business card for William B. Probasco and James P. Lott, who were the proprietors of the Burch House hotel in Bloomington, Illinois, for a number of years in the 1860s. According to various sources (see below), Probasco purchased the hotel in 1866, but Lott left Bloomington and moved to Chicago in 1870, so their partnership in running the hotel lasted less than five years. -- Burch House newspaper ad, 1869 . An advertisment that ran in the Bloomington Weekly Leader , April 15, 1869, p. 7, provided the same information that's printed on the card. -- James P. Lott moved to Chicago in 1870 . An entry about "James P. Lott" in the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois (1905), vol. 2, Cook County edition, p. 939, states, "In January 1861, he came with his father to Bloomington, Ill., where he at first engaged in the grocery business, and afterward conducted a hotel. Coming to Chicago in 1870, he worked for his father's firm." -- William B. Probasco bought the Burch House in 1866 and ran the hotel until 1871 . Rochelle Gridley wrote about " The Probasco Family " on her 100 Years Ago in the Pantagraph blog, July 14, 2017, observing that William B. Probasco bought "the Burch Hotel in 1866 and ran that business until 1871, when he went into the grain business." -- William B. Probasco was in the business until 1871 . A profile of "W. B. Probasco" in The History of McLean County, Illinois (1879), p. 811, confirms that "he was engaged in the hotel business in Bloomington until 1871." Burch House, Cor. Front and Madison Sts., Bloomington, Illinois. Probasco & Lott, proprietors. Transient board, $2.00 per day. General stage office. Omnibus leaves the house. Connecting with all trains. W. B. Probasco. Jas. P. Lott.

Frederick H. Stowe is listed as a "stove manufacturer" ("founder" is someone who owns or operates a foundry) in the Troy, New York, city directory for 1882, but the Troy directory for 1883 indicates that he "removed to Albany." After moving, he went into business with William F. Burden and operated a stove foundry in Albany under the name of Burden & Stowe from 1883 to 1887. Frederick H. Stowe, Stove Founder Manufacturer of ranges, cook and parlor stoves, sinks, hollow ware, &c. Troy, N.Y. Salesroom, corner of Paine and Hamilton Streets, Green Island. Presented by ________. Cohoes horse cars run within one block of the door.

This is a side-by-side comparison of a nineteenth-century advertising card with a Google Street View (from 2011) of the building depicted on the card. It's quite surprising to discover that the façade of the building, which was a store in the late 1800s and today is a laundromat, hasn't changed much in over 100 years. See a second Google Street View from a slightly different angle for a better view of the signs and window on the first floor.

A nineteenth-century advertising card for Spangler & Rich, a store in Marietta , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Amazingly enough, the building that housed the store is still standing, and its façade hasn't changed dramatically in over 100 years. A laundromat occupies the building today. See a side-by-side comparison of the image on the card and a recent Google Street View (from 2011) of the building . Spangler & Rich No. 64 Market Street, Marietta, Pa., Dealers in Dry Goods, Clothing, Groceries, &c. Fish--Carpets and Floor Oil Clothes. Queensware and Wall Papers--Salt. Express Steam Print, Lancaster, Pa. Crosscup, Phila.

A small holiday greeting card possibly used as an insert in candy boxes.

The reverse of a nineteenth-century advertising card for the Galt House hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio (see below). The "Nothing Succeeds Like Success" text appeared in newspapers and magazines as early as 1881, including the Madison Weekly Herald , Madison, Indiana, April 27, 1881. Nothing Succeeds Like Success It has heretofore been a mystery to us why STRANGERS are generally charged so extravagantly by HOTELS in large cities. Happening a short time since at the GALT HOUSE, corner Sixth and Main Streets, CINCINNATI, OHIO, managed by W. E. MARSH, Jr., son of the proprietor who established the Galt House FIFTY years ago, the mystery was solved. The accommodations at the GALT HOUSE ARE EQUAL in every respect to the best TWO-DOLLAR per day hotel, and yet the charges are only ONE DOLLAR AND FIFTY CENTS per day for meals and room; single meals THIRTY-FIVE CENTS. The GALT is HEADQUARTERS for the most complete meals, which together with FREE use of the PARLOR, OFFICE, CHECK-ROOM, etc., constitute the greatest bargain obtainable in the city. The solution is easy when the facts are known. The GALT is run exclusively in the interest of STRANGERS, the same RATE being charged per day, all times to EVERY ONE. Whatever will produce a reasonable RENT for the property is the EXTENT of its charges, thus doing away with the usual LESSEE’s profits. Its management is constantly under the immediate and personal control of the OWNER W. E. MARSH, Jr. Its employees being paid according to the volume of business, are efficient and reasonable in cost. The above peculiarities, a low, UNIFORM price, a reasonable RENT-charge ONLY, a rigorous and practical supervision of its internal affairs, and CO-OPERATIVE salary payments, have secured the GALT a fair transient trade, and the experiment is a success, producing RENT for the real estate. To this benefactor, who has made it possible to stay TWO DAYS in the city at the usual expense of ONE, we heartily recommend our friends.

A patriotic advertising card for the Galt House hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio. The text on the other side of the card-- Nothing Succeeds Like Success (see below)--appeared in various newspapers and magazines as early as 1881. The Cincinnati Galt House was apparently named after the original Galt House hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. Galt House Cor. Sixth & Main, Cincinnati, O. Galt House, $1.50 per day for meals and room, Single meals, 35 cts. W. E. Marsh, Jr., prop’r. Established in 1836 by W. E. Marsh, Sr. Street cars for Zoological Garden and other places of interest pass the door. W. A. Adams, eng.

The front of this advertising trade card for the Desbecker-Block Tailoring Company (above left) depicts a traveling salesman (note the "Samples" case in front of him) who's the "man on the spot" (or at least the man on an oversized playing card). The punning pants piece on the back of the card (above right) was widely circulated in newspapers and magazines as early as 1892. It often appeared under the title, "A Boy's Essay on Pants," with an explanation about an unidentified "boy in Wichita schools" who was "suspended for reading the following essay on 'pants.'" The same pants rant and illustration was also published as a postcard. Desbecker-Block Tailoring Co., Buffalo, N.Y. Tailors to all America. Samples. We've a man on the spot. He takes your measure--we do the rest. You'll find him at the store of J. T. Loucks, local agent, Hvoca, N.Y. (over). Pants are made for men not for women. Women are made for men not for pants. When a man pants for a woman and woman pants for a man they are a pair of pants. Such pants don't last. Pants are like molasses--they are thinner in hot weather and thicker in cold. Men are often mistaken in pants; such mistakes are breeches of promise. There has been much discussion whether pants is singular or plural. Seems to us when men wear pants it is plural and when they don't it is singular. Men go on a tear in their pants and it is all right. When the pants go on a tear it is all wrong. If you want to make pants last make the coat first. (over).

This "Mule Barometer" joke (sometimes also called a "Burrometer") has a long history and has appeared in many different printed versions (often with a more dramatic condition like "If tail is gone--Tornado" as the punchline). Although it's frequently published as a postcard, this example is actually an advertising card printed for the Central Brass Manufacturing Company, which has been in existence since 1895 and still continues to manufacture brass faucets and fixtures. Today, the Mule Barometer gag regularly reappears as a " weather rock ," which is--as Wikipedia interprets it--"a humor display that pokes fun at the intricate technology used in modern weather forecasts, as well as the fact that their accuracy is less than perfect. A rock is typically hung from a tripod and accompanied by a sign indicating how to read it." -------- Mule Barometer Directions: Hang outside. If tail is dry--Fair. If tail is wet--Rain If tail is swinging--Windy. If tail is wet and swinging--Stormy. If tail is frozen--Cold. Further information upon request. There is no kick coming to those who use the highest grade brass goods for plumbing and water works made by the Central Brass Mfg. Co.