What years did the Stanton Photo Company in Springfield, Ohio hawk their novelty prints? Thus far, a Google Book search returns the earliest ad they’ve scanned as 1900, and the latest as 1912, but so few of the ads thus far are returned that I imagine that’s not the full range of years.
Perusing them is fun, wondering what periodical the Stanton Photo Company ad was seen in which prompted the ordering of reprints by one’s family, and considering what they thought as they looked over the other ads for the time, what might have been attractive to them. Poultry incubators? Luxurious glycerin soap? A free gold ring?
I imagine someone looking over a periodical several times over several days, during a quiet period in the afternoon, wondering about the free gold ring, deciding finally it’s just a gimmick, but increasingly attracted to the idea of some reprints, which they finally bring up over breakfast.
“There’s an ad for reprints, 12 for a quarter. That seems an excellent price.”
“What worries me is sending the original photo through the mail. What if it’s damaged or lost?”
Ad from “Poultry Success”.
Ad from “The Metropolitan”.
Ad from “Home and Flowers”.
Ad from a textbook on salesmanship.
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