Trade Card - Spitz Bros. & Mork, Boston, circa 1885

This trade card advertises Spitz Bros. & Mork, a clothing manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer located at 508 Washington Street and 5 Bedford Street in Boston. The card promotes "Wide-awake Bargains for Wide-awake People" in men's and boys' wear, including Ulsters, Cape Overcoats, Suits, and Trousers. Specific items advertised are the "Banner" Winter Overcoat, priced from $10.00 to $15.00, and the "Bedford" Cape Overcoat, priced from $12.00 to $16.00. The Boys' Department also offered overcoats from $3.50 to $6.00. The verso of the card details the business's relocation to a new six-story building and mentions they are "open evenings until New Year" for holiday purchases. The front of the card features a detailed chromolithographic illustration with a central circular vignette depicting a winter scene with a snow-covered watermill, framed by an ornate border of blooming purple violets and green leaves, typical of late 19th-century trade card aesthetics. 3.

Associated People/Businesses

• Abraham P. Spitz (Founder)
• Spitz Bros
• Mork

Geography

No geographic information available.

Subjects

• Clothing
• Retail trade
• Department stores
• Advertising
• Boston (Mass.)
• 19th century
• Chromolithography
• Winter scenes
• Violets
• Watermills
• Judaica Americana

Physical Location

Arc.MS.56, Box 20, Folder 1