10 Victorian SOAP CARDS Sunlight Swan Lifebuoy Lux Advertising Trade Art 19th c

Description

Antique VICTORIAN SOAP TRADE CARDS Sunlight Swan Lifebuoy Lux
A lot of Victorian era soap advertising trade cards. Includes ads from Lux, Lifebuoy, and Sunlight Soap.
We are pleased to present this lot of 10 original soap trade cards straight from Victorian-era magazines like Harper's Bizarre and Colliers, Ladies Home Journal, and Delineator.
A trade card typically has a nice picture with advertising slogan on the front side, and full advertising text (and sometimes testimonials) on the back side. They were popular between 1880-1900 time period of the Victorian era.
Local merchants and street walkers would hand them out for free as a cheap and effective way to advertise products and services. A local store would sometimes stamp their name on the back. Many, such as some of the ones here, were included in magazines of the era. Some trade cards were beautiful, some funny, some had puzzles, and some were risque.
People would collect the many different cards that appealed to them and paste them into scrap books. Trade Cards are a great way to see the advertising, history, and culture which accompanied the proclaimed product/service. Many products sold in bottles used trade cards to promote the product.
Each of these cards measures 4 inches wide by 7 inches long. Four of them are 4 inches wide by 6 1/2 inches long.
These cards date from 1880 to 1900, and have a wear typical with items of this age. Of the ten cards, 6 are in excellent shape, while 4 are in good shape. One of the two Swan Soap cards has the end of its upper left corner torn, but this does not affect the images on the front or back. The card with the sailor and the little girl has a streak across the lower half of its back side (see photo) but this does not impair the text.
For collectors of antique Victorian-era trade cards, this lot would be a welcome addition.