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Boston Public Library Press Release News and Events |
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BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY EXHIBIT FEATURES ADVERTISING TRADE CARDS FROM 1875 TO 1900 March 28, 2005 The Print Department of the Boston Public Library is exhibiting some of the more than 4,000 Victorian advertising trade cards it recently acquired. Color lithographed Victorian trade cards were a key late 19th century advertising vehicle for national manufacturers and local businesses. These miniature posters, about the size of a postcard, were handed out as souvenirs at major expositions during the late Victorian period. They were distributed at stores, placed on sales counters free for the taking, and passed out by “drummers” who walked the streets looking for customers. The cards on exhibit advertise medicines, clothes and shoes, foods, cosmetics and perfumes, farm equipment, household appliances, and cooking products. Several display cases feature ads for Boston businesses, and for products still being manufactured, such as Quaker Oats and Heinz Ketchup. The cards provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of the Victorian American, and they suggest the values, dreams and political agendas of America’s past. The vast majority of the cards are whimsical, amusing, colorful and great examples of graphic art design. A selection from this collection will be on exhibit in three areas of the Boston Public Library’s McKim Building in Copley Square from April 4th through May 30th, 2005. This exhibition will be on display in the Northwest Corridor, McKim Lobby and Puvis de Chavannes Gallery. The Boston Public Library, established in 1848, was the first publicly supported municipal library in America, and the first library to allow people to borrow books and materials, a truly revolutionary concept at the time. In 1870, the BPL opened the East Boston branch, the first branch library in the country. In 1895, it opened a children's room, making it the first library in the country to establish a space specifically designed for children. Today, the BPL has more than 6 million books and serves more than 2 million people annually in its central library in Copley Square and in its 27 branch libraries around the city. The BPL is also one of only two public libraries in the country that are members of the Association of Research Libraries. All of its events are free and open to the public. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning! -30-
Prepared by the Boston Public Library's Communications Office. For more information about news, programs and events at the BPL, call 617-859-2212 or send a message to the Communications Office. |
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