Japanesque trade cards, ca.1875 - ca.1895

Consists of 160 trade cards showing Japanese influences in their design. Most are chromolithographs. Major American printers--Prang and Bufford among them--are represented along with relatively obscure firms. A few are actual Japanese woodcuts, overprinted in the United States. Some are stock cards, while others were produced for specific businesses. Several cards take the form of round fans with handles. A full range of products are advertised through the cards: thread, clothing, food, tea, dyes, housekeeping goods, carpets, furniture, drugs, etc. The cards illustrate how design in the United States was influenced by Japan soon after trade began with western countries in the mid-19th century.