Victorian Trade Cards

The heyday of the advertising trade card was 1880-1900. By 1900, postal rates made mailing magazines cheap and most business people moved their ads to magazines. When sewing machines were first on the market, they were used mostly in factories and sweat shops. Sewing machine manufacturers recognized women homemakers were a vast untapped market. Singer offered their machines on a payment plan, making them affordable. The other hurdle was to convince their customers that women could run the machine. The trade cards helped to persuade consumers (or their husbands) to purchase by putting the machines in familiar settings.

Ladies could sew together,

or with their family. This reminds me of those happy times with my girls happily playing at my feet while I sewed. LOL!

In fact sewing was so easy, even babies riding bikes could do it.

People were sewing everywhere, in the Sunny South

the Far West

in Italy

and Russian peasant households.

Even in Heaven!

And if you chose the right wedding gift

You could avoid a lot of heartache later on. The first caption reads, "I will have a 'New Home' Machine." and the second, "A 'New Home' or a divorce, Take your choice sir!"

Till next time.....Happy Quilting!