Antique lithograph silver etching gravure chromo buying trade card Victorian French Paris Au Bon Marche art print ad toy kids girl boy vintage old

IT IS NOT A MODERN COPY
VERY RARE ANTIQUE ITEM (100+ years old)

This is extremely rare French lithograph.
Etching was done on sterling silver plate
Was issued in 1902 in Paris by department store Au Bon Marche
Size 5 3/4x4 1/4 inch

In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc, steel or in this case silver) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle where he or she wants a line to appear in the finished piece, so exposing the bare metal. The échoppe, a tool with a slanted oval section, is also used for "swelling" lines. The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid, technically called the mordant (French for "biting") or etchant, or has acid washed over it. The acid "bites" into the metal (it dissolves part of the metal) where it is exposed, leaving behind lines sunk into the plate. The remaining ground is then cleaned off the plate. The plate is inked all over, and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the etched lines.

The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the plate shows much sign of wear. The work on the plate can also be added to by repeating the whole process; this creates an etching which exists in more than one state.

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The use of the trade card as commercial promotion began in Paris around 1850. At that time, Aristide Boucicaut was the owner of the department store "Au Bon Marché". He had the idea to offer each week a different advertising color print to the children accompanied by their parents. It was a real success. Soon other Parisian department stores followed his example. So there are color trade cards printed for 'La Belle Jardiniére' and 'La Galerie Lafayette' and even for many other small shops.
Later, the industrial revolution brought new products which also were to be promoted: concentrated milk, chocolate, meat extract, soups, chicory, and many other new products. All these products needed their commercial support. The trade cards were quickly the publicity material of choice to promote a product.
The retail and large warehouses rewarded their loyal customers with a trade card. This card was either directly a picture of the specific product (see Suchard chocolate), or was a chromo of a publishing house with a commercial message.
These beautiful cards, with beautiful scenes on one side and on the other site an advertising message, pleased both children and parents. The public responded with great enthusiasm and collecting trade cards became a hipe. Cards were exchanged with friends and collected and pasted into albums. Highly decorative albums were compiled, making use of colorful scraps, trade cards, and other collectible items. The popularity of the trade card peaked around 1890 and then faded by the end of the century.

The issues of Au Bon Marché contains some of the highest quality chromolithographs (trade cards) to be found anywhere in the world. The cards (which are known as Chromos on the Continent) come in all shapes and sizes covering a vast range of subjects and themes.

Victorian trade cards are an early form of collectible advertising buying. Popularized after the Civil War by businesses, they offer a colorful and diverse look at popular culture and society in the late 1800s.

Trade cards originated in England in the 1700s with tradesmen advertising their wares. But the advent of lithography in the 1870s made it possible to mass-produce them in color, leading to a golden age from 1876 to the early 1900s when halftone printed newspaper and magazine ads became more economical.

Trade cards typically had a picture on one side and an ad on the other. There were custom cards printed for specific products, and stock cards which could be used for any product. Trade cards were popular for medicines, sewing, and farm equipment, and a range of other products.
Antique rare Au Bon Marche trade card from 1880s cute and rare

WE SPECIALIZE IN RARE ANTIQUE AND ORIGINAL CARDS ONLY! WE DO NOT SELL REPRINTS, REPRODUCTIONS OR FACSIMILES!
Frame your antique trade card using this link!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/659759985/frame-my-card-service-for-antique-trade?ref=listing_published_alert

FOR COLLECTORS:

Most of the available cards are not listed on Etsy, therefore, please do not hesitate to inquire about wanted cards through "contact shop owner" button or through this e-mail: PictureAntiqueInquire [!at] gmail.com

Due to lost and undelivered First Class letters which were so popular among shop's customers I had to cancel the free shipping!
The cheapest shipping method available is Media Mail for domestic USA packages and First Class for International.
I appreciate your understanding and patronage.