Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - May 31, 1998
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society

Historically, it’s paid to advertise

"It pays to advertise!"

How often we have heard that expression. It must be true, as various forms of advertising have been around since man has had products he wished to sell.

Advertising cards were one of the most interesting forms and were most used during the latter half of the 19th century.

These cards were colorful little pieces of thin cardboard just the right size to hold in the hand. They had lavish illustrations and decorations with striking color lithography. Appealing children, beautiful women and exotic flowers were the principal subjects used to put the point across.

An extremely wide range of products were advertised by means of the innocent-looking cards. Threads, sewing machines, medical products and soaps seemed to be used as subjects most often but stoves, polishes, shoes, hair products and even fence stretchers also were advertised in this way.

At the foot of the stairway on the lower level of the Museum is a large picture frame that contains many of these colorful cards. These were the gift of Helen Condit and represent much time spent in collecting and arranging.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.