Fashion and Style
To make their offerings appealing, advertisers frequently featured well-turned-out men and stylishly dressed women on their cards, as well as home interiors representing the very best in current trends and taste. The goal, of course, was to associate the advertised product with middle- and upper-middle-class attainments. Not only was this flattering to the consumer, it rewarded her or him by conveying information on what was à la mode in clothing, hair styles, postures and gestures. Historians of fashion and the decorative arts can find an immense repository of information in trade cards.
What to Wear
For the middle class in late Victorian America, informal clothing worn in public was rarely acceptable. In this bucolic riverside scene, well-dressed picnickers are feasting on Royal Brand Fish Delicacies “for Pic Nics, Sociables, Excursions, Hunting, Yachting, or Camping Parties.”
Fashionable attire—and a well-turned ankle—seem to have played a part even in such mundane activities as washing down the walls and cabinetry.
It is unlikely that many women dressed quite like this while overseeing the laundry, but trade cards exhibiting the latest styles were valued sources of fashion inspiration, supplementing other outlets such as the esteemed Godey’s Lady’s Book.
Hat designs, as on this 1887 card for a nutritional extract, were also worthy of attention.
This little girl is so stylishly put together that she appears hardly able to move.
For this boy, trousers with lace cuffs, a big bold tie, and a straw hat were appropriate garb for fishing.
While men who played the peacock were not much admired, a confident, well-tailored look showed the world a person who was assuredly healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Home Decor
This parlor room is simpler than many of the period but is nonetheless characterized by a jumble of materials, shapes, and textures typical of the Victorian era. Note that the stove being advertised blocks out—and in fact appears to replace—the fireplace.
Kitchen design, as seen in this card for a major brand of stoves, is simple and functional except for the highly ornamental cast-iron range. Note the “modern” water heater attached at the left of the stove.
A card for silver polish offers a glimpse into an informal but profusely decorated dining room containing an array of unmatched pitchers, dishes, a cruet set, and other tableware.
China designs are bold and eclectic, the major pieces highly individual, calling attention to themselves and conveying the impression of lavishness and prosperity.
Hair Is Important
Niagara Starch offered numerous cards showing off current coiffures. This one accommodated long hair, which could be worn down at home or up when out and about.
This style, also from Niagara, is startlingly pixyish, seemingly more suited for a younger person or perhaps for an unusually daring older one.
This young woman, who uses Vegetine “blood purifier” to protect her from “Eruptive Diseases of the Skin,” displays an informal but probably not labor-free hairstyle.
Men were by no means uninterested in their hair. Many remedies were sold to cure baldness, as were coloring agents for graying beards and mustaches—with no hint of embarrassment. This fold-up “before-and-after” novelty trade card claims that the use of dye on facial hair “is rapidly growing in public favor.”
Featuring what is clearly a healthy head of hair, this card advertises a “scientific, popular, and elegant hair-dressing,” promising that it “keeps the scalp cool and moist” and “tones up weak hair roots.”