The Illustrated Trade Cards of the Smith and Anthony Stove Co., 1880s-1890s.

In the late 19th century, printed ephemera merged with color lithography to produce a new way to advertise products. Color illustrated advertising cards became immensely popular and even collected. The Smith & Anthony Stove Co. of Boston, a major iron manufacturer in the United States, was one of thousands of companies who produced advertising cards. The firm's widely distributed products included cast iron stoves, hub ranges, furnaces, and firebacks - decorative cast iron backs in fireplaces. VCU has several decorative firebacks in its late 19th century houses on W. Franklin Street and at least two were forged by the Smith and Anthony firm.

Special Collections and Archives' collection of Smith and Anthony Stove Co. trade cards are part of a larger collection of advertising cards and other ephemera associated with the building trades. The collection grew out of the research by Dr. Charles Brownell, head of VCU's Architectural History program. This site includes images of over 30 cards (front and back) from the collection, a brief history of advertising cards and of the Smith and Anthony Stove. Co., as well as a bibliography and links to other online resources.

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questions, comments, or trade cards to donate.