These advertising trade cards are from my great aunt's collection and are typical of late 19th or early 20th-century advertising, often featuring charming scenes to promote products.
I've posted a few more of these collectable cards previously. HERE and HERE
This appears to be an antique advertising card printed by the "Novelty Card & Adv'g. Co. Chicago".
The card uses young girls and animals, to promote a womans corset. The "Morning News" is claiming that Balls Health Preserving Corsets are the best in the world.
Since a corset is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and posture, it's doubtful these children are the target audience!
This young man appears quite confident
In the strength of "Merrick Thread".
Below the illustration, there's text that reads: "FOOLED DIS TIME, CULLY. DIS COTTON AINT GWINE TO BREAK." This phrasing uses a dialect often associated with African American Vernacular English of the past, suggesting the ad's time period
To the right is text that reads "BUY MERRICK THREAD CO'S" with "BEST SIX CORD SOFT FINISH SPOOL COTTON FOR MACHINE & HAND SEWING WARRANTED 200 YDS." Below that, it mentions "MERRICK THREAD CO'S READY WOUND BOBBINS For Sewing Machines Warranted 200 Yards." There's an illustration of a box containing multiple spools of thread. The bottom section states: "FOR SALE BY, J. L. Saxton & Co., DEALERS IN DRY GOODS, Carpets, Boots & Shoes, Gibson City, Illinois."
This is an image of a vintage advertisement for "FOLEY'S HONEY & TAR," which claims to "CURE COUGHS AND COLDS."
The illustration depicts a young girl holding a doll. She is standing outdoors.
At the bottom right of the advertisement,
There's text that reads:
"CHAS. SAXTON,
Dry Goods and Groceries,
ROCK FALLS. ILLS."
This suggests that Chas. Saxton was a retailer in Rock Falls, Illinois, who sold Foley's Honey
& Tar.
Foley's Honey and Tar Compound was a popular cough medicine from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for its use of honey and pine tar. It contained ingredients like alcohol, honey, and pine tar, and was often advertised as safe and effective for coughs, colds, and hoarseness.
These advertsing cards were some of the first color advertisements. Advertising has come a long way since then!
