AMERICAN Colour-Printed Trade Cards (J. J. AUDUBON and others].

A scrap album containing an exceptional collection of American advertising and trade cards

New York [and elsewhere]: [circa 1876-1896]. Folio. (14 1/2 x 12 inches). Approximately 350 larger ephemeral items (and about 200 small scraps) mounted on both pastedowns and recto and verso of 22 leaves. (All leaves browned, 3 leaves split vertically, others with margins chipped, some loosely inserted).

Original rose-coloured glazed paper-covered boards, lower cover blocked in blind and lettered 'Pat. March 76' in blind, the upper cover blocked in gilt with three shaped raised panels with gilt borders enclosing chromolithographic images, backstrip blocked in gilt (corners rounded, some fading to upper cover and backstrip, inner hinges broken)

A spectacular album with an unusually rich assortment of advertising and trade cards, including a selection chromolithographed designs of birds after Audubon.

Internal evidence suggests that the album was probably assembled by a New York State resident living just south of Rochester - possibly from near Bath, Cohocton or Canandaigua, the patent date of the album gives a 'now earlier than' date, whilst there are a number of dated items amongst the scraps, the latest being 1896. Included are a large number of cards issued by local businesses, as well as more national concerns like a fine series of six advertising cards for 'Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills" featuring toddlers playing baseball ("Tum on, ets' p'ay ball"; "See me tech it!"; "Aint dot out!"; "I'se bo'en home"; "I'se dot it!"). There are also 33 'Arm & Hammer' bird cards after designs by John James Audubon (13 from the Arm & Hammer Brand / Church & Co. "Beautiful Birds of America" Collectors' Card, 1st Series from 1894; the others probably from the second series).

Item #21325

Price: $1,200.00