Subject: Mail-order

1.

This four-page price list and advertisement for Levi Weinberger's C.O.D. from Baltimore, Maryland, is for the Spring and Summer of 1882. The document promotes boots and shoes, detailing a direct-to-consumer Cash On Delivery (C.O.D.) sales model that aimed to bypass middlemen and offer competitive pricing. It highlights the company's "old established" reputation, its non-credit system, and its national shipping capabilities, positioning itself as a progressive retailer. The circular also explicitly aligns its business model with the anti-middleman sentiments of the Grange movement. The front page features a detailed lithograph depicting a bustling railway station with a steam locomotive pulling freight cars, one labeled "GOODS SHIPPED C.O.D." Figures are shown loading cargo under a station canopy. The business name, "LEVI WEINBERGER'S C.O.D.," is presented in ornate Victorian-style lettering. 3.

This trade card advertises the specialties of Fernberger Bros., offering "Pure Old Rye Whisky" for $3.00 per gallon and "Fine Brandy for Mince Meat" for $2.50 per gallon. The card notes that orders by mail receive prompt and careful attention. The design features an illustration of an owl perched on a branch, with an insect nearby, set against a yellow sunburst background on the left side. The text is presented in a combination of decorative and standard typefaces, with information about the quality and purported health benefits of their products.

This trade card advertises the mail order department of A. Shuman & Co. located at Washington and Summer Streets in Boston. The front features a decorative illustration of women in spring clothing. They are posed behind a border of floral patterns and are dressed in grey and sepia colors. The back of the card provides details about the mail order department.

This trade card advertises the mail order department of A. Shuman & Co., a clothing retailer located at the corner of Washington and Summer Streets in Boston, Massachusetts. The front of the card depicts a boy bundled in a fur-trimmed coat, standing in a snowstorm, as an advertisement for the company's “Latest Fashions for Fall and Winter 1889-90.” The text at the bottom of the card reads: “The Wealthiest Clothing Mfg. & Retailer in 19th Century Boston.” The back of the card provides a diagram for self-measurement of a gentleman’s coat for mail order purposes.

This trade card advertises J. Levy's Largest Stock General Store, located in Augusta, Wisconsin. The front of the card depicts a young girl and boy dressed in costumes. The back of the card is full of advertisements. The tagline 'Always Patronize a Live Merchant' is printed beneath the image, likely a reference to the growing popularity of mail order catalogues, such as the one offered by Aaron Montgomery Ward. [Aaron Montgomery Ward of Chicago started a mail-order business in 1872 by producing catalogues that enabled customers to buy directly from his business. Ward's business model removed the middlemen from the traditional retail system, offering customers lower prices. This trade card speaks to the changes in shopping habits and the rise of mail order catalogues that were challenging small-town merchants.]