Welcome to our "Advertising" department! In this department you will find a plethora of paper items which had a purpose - to "spread the word" or "let me sell you this!". There are many, MANY examples of advertising material, but one of my personal favorites are the old ink blotters. With many shapes, sizes, colors and looks to choose from, these were very popular for merchants to give out to just about anyone they came in contact with. For all intents and purposes, the old ink blotters were early 20th century business cards... and useful, too! Quill and fountain pens were the primary writing utensil until the 1950's, and both had a tendency to leave drops, blubs and runs while writing. Other than leaving the written document out for days to dry, the only way to remove the excess droplets were using some sort of blotter. I'm quite certain the person who came up with the idea to print their name and business on a piece of cotton felt really thought they were on to something... and they were!

 

The sub-department, Cooking Booklets, contains all those great cooking booklets that were found in supermarkets or, in some cases, after buying a product, one would send away for the booklet.  Another department that contains advertising related material is our Vintage Matchbooks department. Here you will find matchbooks from all over the country from the 1940's to the 1960's.