Original Trade Card - "Mrs. A. C. Dunham, Main St., Eaton, N. Y., Millinery and Fancy Goods, Spring Opening, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 18 and 19, 1883."

Original trade card on blue paper with printed black text and small border decorations. 4 1/2" x 3 1/2. " Trade card is very clean and intact except for a bump in the upper-right corner. A Very Good copy. Trade card announcing the premier of a hat and fancy goods dealer, Mrs. A. C. Dunham, in Eaton, New York. Trade cards were antique business cards that first became popular during the late seventeenth century in Paris and Lyon, France and London, England. Trade cards were often given by business owners and proprietors to patrons and customers as a way to promote their businesses. Prior to the use of street addresses, trade cards had maps so clients could locate the associated business. Many of these cards also incorporated elaborate designs, illustrations, and other decorative features. Trade cards became popular in the United States during the nineteenth century in the period after the Civil War. The late nineteenth century also saw the advent of trade card collecting as a hobby. While they are no longer in use, trade cards influenced the formation of trading cards and were the predecessors of modern-day business cards. …