Fascinating Sewing Machine Trade Cards
 

As promised, thought I'd photo some of my SM trade cards. Some seem to have some meaning known only to the artist while others are of pretty scenery and birds and animals. The trade card pictured is one of my favorites though I don't quite get the "message". Plan on putting up a card or two everyday for a few days.

Jon

Beautiful card Jon. The message I get is that hand sewing is a slow chore while sewing by machine is a breeze. The woman on the left looks half asleep as she sews by hand deep into the night, shes dreaming of a machine. The one on the right looks happy and cheerfully sewing along.

Hi Crocee,

I tend to get lost in the details--the dog, organ, framed dreaming picture. I'm sort of leaning to seeing both sides as equal except the frame on the right is capable of getting more work done with her Davis sewing machine. Her expression strikes me as one concentrating on there work with a slight weary look as she appears to be binding scallops. I think sleeping has also something to do with the artist's meaning. Just not sure though your explanation is as good as any.

Interesting card. Another detail I noticed was the hand sewing by candle light on the left, and daylight sewing on the right (you can see the trees outside). And, it looks to me like the lady’s dress on the right is a little fancier. I’m not getting much info from the dogs....I’m sure that they’re trying to tell me something....

CD in Oklahoma

a lot of these old cards are themed with the "before sewing machines life was drudgery, now that you have a sewing machine life is good!" concept.

Remember they were at the early stages of convincing people that a machine the cost of a mid level car today would be worth going into debt for years over.

Many of the early ones also focused on #'s of machines made showing that they are reliable and the "everybody is getting them" idea

Early automobile ad's were similar, comparing the benefits of cars over horse drawn carriages.

Once people adopted the sewing machine in concept the ad's change to the "ours is better than theirs" theme.

Also - note how the furniture in the "after" is nicer, so it also sends the message that if you get the sewing machine, you've moved up a rung on the social ladder.

So many of them even show the people looking much coarser in the "before" compared to the "after" -

I do like the "picture within a picture" look though - with the first picture being the "picture" on the wall in the second picture . . .

Ok, I think that I figured out the dogs. The one on the left is probably a mongrel and the one on the right is probably registered.......

CD in Oklahoma

Well, look at the curtains. She has made them. She has gone fancy. The pic on the wall is a "has been", no more, not with her sewing machine.

The black dog on the right looks half starved, and the white sleeping dog is tough to tell what kind of shape it's in. Guess she got a new dog along with the sewing machine and pump organ (?) The house on the right looks much more impressive. I'd venture this lady or family has been saving her money for all these goods or paid on the installment plan and deep in hock.

Jon

left, small panes of glass in window - right, large panes (at the time, very much more expensive to do).
Left, no curtains, right, very fancy expensive curtains
Left - plain walls, right, paneled walls
Left - plain floor tiles, right, much fancier floor tiles

left, small plant on window ledge, right - larger plant in fancy stand.
Left, small generic picture, right - large custom portrait of owner.

I mean, they don't miss a beat here . . .