Object of the Day: An Antique Die-Cut Trade Card

The reverse of this handsome trade card is blank, leaving me with no idea for whom it was produced.  I just received this card and, frankly, it’s already one of my favorites.  A die-cut chromolithograph, it’s shaped like an artist’s palette, complete with thumb-hole.  As a palette would have, daubs of paint line the left edge of the palette, but the bulk of the body shows a “painted” sea scene.  The colors are still extraordinarily vivid.

I’d guess that this card was produced by a manufacturer of paints or art supplies and distributed to vendors to stamp with their own advertising information.  However, as we’ve seen, very often, the subjects depicted on these trade cards often had little or nothing to do with the product being advertised.  So, we can’t be sure. 

Die-cut cards like this are more difficult to come by than the rectangular examples.  You’ve seen a couple die-cuts in my collection—the fan-shaped one comes to mind.  I’ve seen other cards shaped like palettes before.  In fact, they were advertising cures for Scrofula or some such other Victorian malady.  So, I can’t be sure what this one was for.  Regardless of the product, it was meant to be attractive and appealing—characteristics it maintains to this day.