Series III. Trade and Trading Cards, circa 1875-1915, 1964

While the concept of advertising "trade cards" dates back to the 1700s, it was not until the latter part of the 19th century that the development of trade cards gained great popularity in the United States, due in large part to advancements in affordable color printing (chromolithography). In the 1870s, the lithographer and printer Louis Prang was influential in popularizing the idea of cheaply mass-producing such cards for the needs of the advertising trade. Sometimes inserted into packages, they served as an effective means of advertising goods and services (similar to today's business cards), and had the additional appeal of offering the consumer a collectable giveaway item. Trade cards were often produced in a numbered series of related images (such as the Sollers & Co. full set in this collection) that could be incorporated into artistic crafts and scrapbooks. By the beginning of the 20th century, the production of trade cards fell into gradual disuse with the increasing prevalence of advertising in magazines and newspapers.

This series also includes a complete set of John F. Kennedy trading cards, issued by Topps in 1964. The set includes 77 cards with a large black and white photo on the front and a short caption describing the image on the back. Images depict Kennedy as President and as family man, relaxing with his wife Jackie and kids Caroline and John.

This series of trade cards was received from the collector in three-ring binders and later disbound and rehoused. Both the collector's category titles and order of binder contents have been maintained in the series list below.