Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Libby McNeill Cooked Corned Beef

Let’s start this post-Mothers’ Day Monday with another antique trade card from my collection.  

The American canned-food concern that we now know as Libby’s began in Chicago in the 1870s as Libby, McNeill & Libby.  The company started to capture public attention when it began packaging its canned meats (shudder) in trapezoidal-shaped packages. 

And, so, let’s take a look at this card which I’d place around 1880.  Here, we see a Punch-like, jester-type who is not only holding one of Libby’s famous trapezoid packages, but standing on one.  He’s hawking corned beef.  I don’t think he looks too happy about it either.

There’s no copy on the reverse as is typical of American trade cards of the era.  On the front it  reads:

What do you say?

It’s LIBBY, MCNEILL & LIBBY’S

COOKED CORNED BEFF

I say, “No thank you, Mr. Punch-like, disgruntled Jester-man.  No thank you very much.  But, I like your wee outfit.”