If you think this is a strange approach to selling stoves and hardware, check out the back of the card.
Stay tuned for more cat advertising cards next week.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Cats in Advertising
Cats have been used to advertise everything imaginable, from shoes, to groceries, hardware, and medicine. Here are two trade cards from the 1880s featuring cats. The first one is an advertisement for Dr. Thomas Ecletric Oil, used all around the world and equally good for man and beast. If that's not enough, it was used for internally and externally for coughs, croup, asthma, diptheria, rheumatism, lame back, and a number of other things. The ingredients included spirits of turpentine, fish oil, oil of tar, and red thyme.
The second card is equally peculiar. The picture , with a caption of Declaration of Love, seems to show a cat swatting a monkey...or is that a dog with a very long tail? In any case, one of them is chained to the wall.
If you think this is a strange approach to selling stoves and hardware, check out the back of the card.
Stay tuned for more cat advertising cards next week.
If you think this is a strange approach to selling stoves and hardware, check out the back of the card.
Stay tuned for more cat advertising cards next week.
Oh poor kitty! Ha! Ha! They did have some almost on the edge of scary ads back then. But as a whole very interesting, especially compared to what we see today! Very nice cards.
ReplyDeleteLovely cards, especially if the store actually sold those cockroach killers!
ReplyDeleteI love the first card but the back of that last one is scary to say the least!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely weird, both of them! I'll buy any product that advertises with cats, except when they have one getting strangled by a monkey!
ReplyDeleteI think that last photo (back of card) is absolutely hilarious. Now I can't stop imagining little people riding the backs of grasshoppers in my overgrown backyard.
ReplyDeleteI'm at a loss for words! Maybe if one drinks too much "Eclectric Oil" (what the heck is eclectric?...eclectic + electric?)you see monkeys slapping cats and Indians riding grasshoppers! Fun cards!
ReplyDeleteThat is great bunch of images, the Eclectric Oil has got to be good/potent, since you can use it both internally AND externally!
ReplyDeleteCat and monkey are very weird, and not a good kind of weird...
ReplyDeleteI thought the first card was a bit odd but the second one is positively strange! But interesting :-) Jo
ReplyDeleteThe illustration in the top card is fabulous! I know I can never resist a cat!
ReplyDelete