Omaha daily bee., 1882-11-14
PRETTl BAIT.
How the Trafic In Illuminated Cards
and Autographs has Grown.
Philadelphia Times.

feminine mind, stor,kocuors in all
branches of trade have improved the
old chromo-with. every-pouud.o t.tes
idea In so mony ways that their stores
are kept crowded with customers. In
pleasant weather the shoppers swarm
in and out OF the retail Embellishments,
making small purchases and accumu.
leting presents Of colored plaques, pa.
per bspjos, toy balloons, fans, vases,
whisk holders, boxes Of candy and
scores of other pretty, quaint and ar.
tistic novelties. In our tour of Eighth
street, q good energetic woman can
collect as many fancy cards and knick-
knacks as che can comfortably carry.
Every novelty is eagerly sought for,
and those stores having the latest
things in paperand cardbsard are little
loadstones that attract the shoppers in
numbers.
The manager Of a store that has
been foremost in the distribution of
these devices said to u Times reporter
on Saturday: "This mode of adver.
Using has became 30 popular and OK.
NttlbiNS NAltl 1t llNh bHhlAAlCu nhlDIAbltlN
dimensions and importance. We
have to spend thousands of dollars
every year to keep pace with the de.
mand. just now there are very few
new designs coming in, but we have
sdvices from the New York house
which supplies us that they are pre-.
pairing somo very elaborate cards for
the holidays.
"Plaques!' he said, in answer to a
question; why, the ladies are crazy
for them. We used TO have a long
line of people formed in one of our
aisles every day, waiting to be served
with the disks-which, by the by,
we're pretty in design, but somewhat
highly colored Then there were the
miniature paper easels made for
the plaques, There was a great
demand for them, but they
were a little too expensive
to give away in large quantities. Tam
bourines made of cardboard and hung
with bells Is something new and
catches on fully as we'll as the plaques.
The rubber balloons and the autumn
leaves, nee 80 popular, are again re.
vived. A salesman was in here the
other day and showed me a beautiful
little banner, the staff being made of
steel and the banner of a cheap quail
ity of silk, with the name of the firm
printed In gold letters thereon. He
said he could furnish them at four
cents apiece, 1 preferred to walt,
however, until the holidays before 1
spend any more money in this direc-
ton. 1 tell you it's a most expensive
form of advertising, but now that the
scheme is fairly started it is very hard
to discontinue it,
A member of a firm Of lithograph-
ers in this city, when asked for in
formation concerning the work of pre-.
pairing and designing the gifts, said:
Sup to a recent date the best
of the designs were imported
from Berlin, Hamburg, Frank
fort and other German cities,
where great care is taken with them.
Owing to the difference in the price of
labor here and abroad, American 18th.
ographers were unable to produce such
perfect work as the Germans. The
best artists were employed to furnish
devices, some of them commanding as
high as sixty dollars q week.
"You will OBSERVE" he proceeded
to say, sit requires not only skill in
the execution but often humorous CON.
ception and neat taste in planning
them. This is particularly true in the
cards, which we devote great stten-
ton to Here, for instance, are some
pictures which, while they please the
eye, are quite sure to bring q smile.
This is a Vatican picture. There is
the lover in a quandary as to which of
the two maidens at his side he will
marry, and in the next card he has
solved the question by taking the road
with the finger-post marked Utah.
Here is another card picturing the
sea.shore. In the foreground, you
see, are two mischievous girls
burning the solitary hair on the
bald head of the old salt, who is try
ing to ~inveigle sand-snipe into his
net. Hero are the illustrations to
nursery rhymes: odd Mother Hub.
bard THE Old Woman VINO Lived
In a Shoe Jack and Gill and The
Cow Jumping Over the Moon They
are interesting to the little ones, to
be sure, but their rich c%olors, quaint
figures and humorous points are full
of funny suggestions to older heads.
In addition to these, we get up cards
to order for special trades, either
singly or in sets. All of these are
done in the highest style of the litho-
grapher's art and vary in prices, some
of the handsomest designs costing as
high as fifteen and twenty cents for
each card.
"Some are made in the form of a
shell, with a butterfly, a fairy and
flowers in bold relief. These are a
new style and are expensive. We are
always ready to buy original ideas and
designs, and many firms offer prizes
for such. In this way they get many
original suggestions, which their own
artists are put to work upon, for they
are generally but suggestions and need
a master. hand to develop and finch
them. But of one thing l am certain
that this mode of advertising by
photographic cards and other designs
has had too healthy a growth to die
suddenly; 1t will live for many years
TO come, As long as it lives it will
encourage art and give substantial
support to thousand of drsughtsmen
and painters who would starve IL they
waited for the recognition that their
talents deserve at the hands of the
cnnnoisseurs Of HIGHER ART