When I was writing the posts about the Capitol dome, I wrote one about the firm of Janes, Fowler, & Kirtland Co. and in the post I included an image of one of the stoves they manufactured. At the time, I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t be doing much more research on cast iron …
If you have spent any time looking at old newspapers, you have likely run across ads for all sorts of patent medicines. But there was one – Castoria – that really stands out. The history of this product dates back to patent 77,758 A issued to Dr. Samuel Pitcher on May 12, 1868, and was …
On this day in 1918 the featured Cracker Jack ad appeared in Washington, D.C.’s Evening Star suggesting folks ship the treat to troops overseas for Thanksgiving. The fine print in the middle of the ad states: Cracker Jack is a favorite with soldiers and sailors everywhere. They learned to love it before the war, and …
While I have yet to figure out a good business-themed post for Halloween, I did find this spooky 1910 advertisement for Café Republique at 15th and F NW Streets in Washington, D.C. which was not too far from the White House. Café Republique opened in September 1910 and seems to have been a fairly nice …
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian – American Enterprise in the Innovation wing of the National Museum of American History – is telling the history of American business and innovation. According to the Smithsonian, this exhibit “chronicles the tumultuous interaction of capitalism and democracy that resulted in the continual remaking of American business–and American life.” …
Advertising cards, also known as trading or trade cards, originated in 18th century England and made their way across the Atlantic. They were very popular in the Victorian era and functioned somewhat like a modern business card would today. They are highly collectible and offer a pretty window into advertising and companies in the 19th …
As we enter this new year, many of us have made resolutions to spend more time with family, to volunteer, perhaps to stop smoking, and of course, to get fit and lose weight. The widespread desire to become healthier and shed those extra pounds is met with a plethora of weight loss products, programs, and …