The Toolemera Press
Vintage Trade Catalogs
 Trade Catalogs. There is where we often begin with collecting the ephemera of tools and trades. Whether it is the catalog of a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer, the trade catalog give us first hand information though descriptions, pricing and dating. Through trade catalogs, we can often trace the product line of a given company and rarely, of an individual tradesman.
The first known trade catalogs date from the 18th Century. However, the trade catalog did not come into prominence until the middle of the 19th Century. By the 20th Century, trade catalogs began to give way to various forms of electronic and newsprint advertising.
Early 19th Century American trade catalogs are typically letterpress productions, hand sewn through the flat of a paper board or paper binding. By the middle of the 19th Century, we see stapled catalogs for the small and mid-sized enterprise as well as fully bound volumes for the larger wholesale dealers and major manufacturers. The latter part of the 19th Century and the early 20th Century saw a proliferation of ornate trade catalogs in Victorian, Arte Nouveau, Art Deco and Modern styles.
Additional Reading:
Trade Catalogues, 1542 to 1842. Crom, Theodore R. Melrose, Fla.: T.R. Crom, 1989.
American Trade Catalogs . Fredgant, Don. Paducah, Ky.: Collector Books, 1984.
A Guide to American Trade Catalogs 1744-1900 (Guide to American Trade Catalogs, 1744-1900) . Romaine, Lawerence
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