Inspiration: 19th Century Trade Cards

The trade card was the first widely used form of color advertisement. The format was popularized alongside of the development of lithography, and more importantly, chromolithography in the mid-19th century. Once color reproduction came about every small shop and large manufacturer went color crazy, including eye-catching illustrations on their marketing materials. These small format cards were first used at the beginning of the 17th century in London and functioned as advertising and maps to the merchant’s shops, since no formal street addresses existed at the time. (wikipedia)

While it’s not clear whether color played any strategic role in these company’s identity other than for the purposes of realism in the illustrated images used–people were just amazed color printing was even possible at this point, the overall marketing message and the way each company perceived itself in regards to consumers and the market place can be seen in these early business cards. From this we can draw lines and see how the business card developed from there, and how things like a focused color identity became an important aspect of differentiating yourself in the ever-growing-more-crowded market place once color once color use was the norm.

Words about Trade Cards from a past exhibit at the Baker Library

A New and Wonderful Invention: The Nineteenth-Century American Trade Card

“As one of the most popular forms of advertising in the nineteenth century and an indicator of consumer habits, social values, and marketing techniques, trade cards are of interest to scholars of business history, American studies, graphic design and printing history, and social and cultural history. Baker Library holds thousands of trade cards representing the full range of products and businesses advertised through this medium from the 1870s to the end of the 1890s. To provide better access to the collection, the Historical Collections Department of Baker Library is now cataloging and digitizing an initial group of 1,000 trade cards that are representative of Baker’s collections and of the genre itself.”

“Beautiful women; adorable children and animals; flowers and fairies; patriotic, domestic, and foreign scenes; and ethnic caricatures were among the wide variety of images depicted in trade card illustrations. Literary cards were also popular and drew upon the works of Shakespeare and Jonathan Swift. The growth of new industry and technology was much celebrated in the nineteenth century and urban scenes illustrated the growth of cities, the facilities of manufacturers and retailers, and the latest innovations in transportation. With the availability of new products came a growing demand for creature comforts and conveniences, and manufacturers often emphasized in the illustrations the great improvements in home life that would result from acquiring their product.”

Color Identity Inspiration


Harvard Library VIA


Harvard Library VIA


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Harvard Library VIA


Fulton Street Trade Card Collection


Harvard Library VIA

For more inspiration Check out these trade card (aka business card & visiting card) collections: britishmuseum.orgHavard University Library (search ‘trade cards’ in ‘subject’)Fulton Street Trade Card Collection (Brooklyn Public Library).

Author: evad
David Sommers has been loving color as COLOURlovers' Blog Editor-in-Chief for the past two years. When he's not neck deep in a rainbow he's loving other things with The Post Family (http://thepostfamily.com/), a Chicago-based art blog, artist collective & gallery.