Bidspirit auction | Victorian Chromolithograph Trade Card and

Victorian Chromolithograph Trade Card and Ephemera Scrapbook Patented March 1876 - This Victorian-era trade card and ephemera scrapbook dates to the late 19th century, specifically circa 1880 to 1890 based on internal copyright dates. The volume is a hardcover bound in orange-brown pebble-grain cloth. The front cover features black and gilt stamped Aesthetic movement decorations including stylized floral and geometric motifs, with a central blue embossed banner titled SCRAP BOOK. The back cover contains blind-stamped corner flourishes, a central medallion, and a blind-stamped patent mark at the bottom edge reading PAT MARCH 1876. The internal contents consist of heavy brown pulp pages with numerous pasted-in chromolithographed paper items. Notable advertising trade cards represent national brands such as Larkin and Company for Boraxine, Hoyt's German Cologne, Tarrant's Seltzer Aperient, Niagara Gloss Starch, and Horsford's Acid Phosphate. Regional advertising interest includes cards for L. Rosenbaum and Sons Millinery of Elmira, New York, and A. H. and J. J. Parke Dry Goods of Erin, New York. The collection includes various greeting cards for Christmas and holidays, featuring examples by S. Hildesheimer and Company. Decorative die-cuts and scraps throughout depict animals, children, floral motifs, and religious verses. One page features a large-format lithograph of a mother watching over a sleeping child in a nursery setting. The exterior of the book is in fair to good condition. There is significant rubbing and wear to all extremities, with the board corners bumped and frayed to expose the underlying material. The spine shows heavy wear, fraying, and cracking. Minor stains and scuffs are present on both the front and back covers. Internally, the pages are toned and brittle at the edges consistent with age and paper type. Several pages are loose or starting to detach from the binding structure. The pasted ephemera items are generally well-preserved with vibrant colors, though occasional foxing, minor creases, or small tears are present on individual pieces. Some items appear to have been trimmed by the original collector to fit the page layouts.