Trade Cards: An Illustrated History

Trade Cards: An Illustrated History features highlights from the Waxman Collection of Food and Culinary Trade Cards—a remarkable assemblage of advertising trade cards about food and related subjects ca. 1870-1900. Trade cards provide a surprisingly revealing look at America during a period of growth and national pride, set against the nineteenth century’s unshakable faith in perpetual civic and individual self-improvement.This online exhibition provides an illustrated overview of the history of trade cards, while exploring the ways in which they illuminate late-nineteenth-century American life, culture, fashion, society, and identity. Written by Nach (1958) and Maron Waxman.

View the online exhibition