The Diamond Dye Almanac, 1887. Household Guide.

Item Details

Burlington, Vermont:, Wells, Richardson & Co.,, 1886, for the year 1887., Stapled illustrated wraps

Good

A COLORFUL SURVIVAL OF VICTORIAN HOUSEHOLD ADVERTISING.

• An illustrated American advertising almanac issued by Wells, Richardson & Co., the Burlington, Vermont, manufacturers and distributors of Diamond Dyes and other popular household products.
• Combining a complete calendar for 1887 with astronomical calculations, seasonal information, illustrated fiction, and extensive product advertising, the publication offers an engaging picture of late nineteenth-century domestic life and consumer marketing.
• The attractive chromolithographed wrappers feature Niagara Falls, colorful foliage, and decorative typography, while the interior promotes products ranging from fabric dyes and butter coloring to prepared infant foods.
• The rear wrapper bears the advertisement of Chas. H. Buss, a dealer in drugs and medicines in Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, identifying the local distributor through whom this copy circulated.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: ILLUSTRATED WRAPPERS AND ADVERTISING CONTENT.

• Original stapled cardstock wrappers, measuring 5.5 by 8 inches. 32 pages, with additional printing on the interior wrappers.
• The front wrapper features a multicolored illustration of Niagara Falls framed by autumn foliage. The rear wrapper incorporates birds, flowering branches, and advertising for the firm's household products, with a local distributor's imprint.
• The interior contains monthly calendar tables, astronomical calculations, zodiac illustrations, wood-engraved advertisements, testimonials, and illustrated fiction, including The Crosby Girls by Helen Everett.
• Occasional penciled birthday or event notations appear within the calendar, documenting its use as a household reference rather than merely an advertising giveaway.

CONDITION: VERY GOOD.

• Stapled binding intact. Moderate handling wear and age-toning to the wrappers, with some edge wear and minor corner creasing. A small stain appears along the lower portion of the front wrapper.
• Tiny pinhole at the upper spine corner, apparently intended for a string tie. Interior pages show age-toning and occasional minor wear. Overall, a well-preserved example of a frequently handled advertising publication.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE:THE RISE OF MASS-MARKET CONSUMER ADVERTISING.
Wells, Richardson & Co. was an important participant in the expansion of American consumer advertising during the late nineteenth century. Its promotional publications combined practical information and entertainment with persuasive advertising designed to encourage household purchases.

THE VICTORIAN HOUSEHOLD.
Particularly interesting are the advertisements for Lactated Food, marketed for infants and invalids, and Improved Butter Color, promoted to dairy producers. Their testimonials and medical claims illustrate the marketing practices of the period before modern federal food and drug regulation.

GENRES: Advertising Ephemera, Almanacs, Americana, Victorian Advertising, Illustrated Pamphlets, Commercial History, Household Guides.

SUBJECTS: Diamond Dyes, Wells Richardson & Co., Burlington Vermont, Niagara Falls, Chromolithography, Nineteenth-Century Advertising, Infant Nutrition, Lactated Food, Butter Coloring, Textile Dyes, Patent Medicines, Woburn Massachusetts, Victorian Domestic Life.

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