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Chocolate Rabbits and…Elephants!
The Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library includes a catalog from the company that first created a popular Easter candy called Marshmallow Peeps. The trade...
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First Bicycles Built in America
The bicycle is “a money and time saving proposition. It appeals so strongly to the hundreds of thousands of working people who are making practical use of it every day in riding to and from work.” That...
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Waffles, Sandwiches, Hamburgers…
The first US waffle iron was patented in 1869. Since then various companies have manufactured waffle irons. In the Universal Electric Housewares catalog from 1950, Landers, Frary & Clark...
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It’s Candy…and a Toy!
Ever wonder how candy was made in the nineteenth century? An 1874 catalog from Thomas Mills & Brother entitled Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue of Goods advertises a machine which made Candy...
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To Celebrate National Candy Day…
We checked for candy related catalogs in the Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library and found the Ice Cream and Candy Makers’ Factory Guide. It’s a 1907...
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Ice Cream Recipes From 1907
In a previous post, we featured candy recipes from the 1907 Ice Cream and Candy Makers’ Factory Guide. As you can tell from the title, the guide also has an ice cream section. The ice cream section...
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To Celebrate Card Playing Day…
…we are featuring a trade catalog about playing cards. This 1898 catalog from the United States Playing Card Co. of Cincinnati, OH is entitled Fashion Series Playing Cards in Miniature. The catalog...
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It’s Milk Day!
Today, in 1878, milk was delivered in bottles for the first time. The Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library has many milk and dairy related catalogs. Included...
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Sledding in the Year 1890
Clipper Sleds. Oak Clippers. Dirigo Clippers. Oak Frame Sleds. Paris Cutter. Double Runners. These sleds were all manufactured by the Paris Manufacturing Co., located in South Paris, Maine, and are...
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Party Decorations
In 1917, those wanting ideas for party decorations could turn to The 1917 Party Book from the Dennison Manufacturing Company of Framingham, Massachusetts. Included are ideas for hall and table...
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Today is Potato Chip Day . . .
Image via Wikipedia . . . so staff at the National Museum of American History Library searched the collections and located a book entitled 50 Years: A Foundation for the Future. The book is about the...
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It’s Frozen Food Month!
Featured here are two frozen food related trade catalogs—one showing frozen food and the other showing storage cabinets for frozen food. “Doors roll silently with a light touch . . . ” That’s a...
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A Mechanical Telephone of the 19th Century
How far we have come! Long before intercoms and room monitors, there was the mechanical telephone. In a trade catalog entitled Holcomb’s Improved Amplifying Telephone Illustrated Descriptive...
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Rabbits and Chickens . . . and Butterflies
Dennison Manufacturing Co., Framingham, MA. The 1917 Party Book, 1917, Easter gifts ; basket ideas. From Valentine’s Day to the 4th of July, The 1917 Party Book, a trade catalog by the Dennison...
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Luggage From the Past
Ever wonder about luggage from over a hundred years ago? Included in the Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library are luggage-related catalogs. One of these is...
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Umbrellas and Confetti
Ever wonder what a wedding in the past might have been like? Art and Decoration in Crepe and Tissue Paper by Dennison Manufacturing Co. gives us a view into 1917 . . . of what guests might have seen...
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The 4th of July is Coming . . .
Dennison Manufacturing Co., Framingham, MA. The 1917 Party Book, 1917, pages 6-7, Patriotic table decorations. To get in the spirit we are featuring some patriotic decorations from The 1917 Party...
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Decorated in Red, White, and Blue . . .
. . . this hall took about $15.00 to complete, according to the caption of this illustration from The 1917 Party Book by Dennison Manufacturing Co. Besides American flags and crepe paper, foliage is...
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July is For Ice Cream
Horizontal Freezer Co., Chicago, IL. Ice Cream and Candy Makers’ Factory Guide, 1907, page 17, Peach Ice Cream, Pistachio Ice Cream, Spinach Coloring, Almond Ice Cream. Ever tried pistachio ice...
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Circus Fun
A. Schoenhut Co., Philadelphia, PA. Illustrations of Schoenhut’s Marvelous Toys, circa 1908, clown figures. Have you been to the circus lately? Well, here comes the Humpty Dumpty Circus—made up of...
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