Interactive Trade Catalogs

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fredgant, D. (1984). American trade catalogs. Paducah, K.Y.: Collector Books.

Gustaitis, J. (1993). Closing the book: The Sears catalog is disappearing from the scene – Another icon swept away by the winds of change.” American History Illustrated 28.

Mahnke, F. (1996). Color, environment and human response. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Norris, J. D. (1990). Advertising and the transformation of American society, 1865-1920. New York, NY:Greenwood Press.

Romaine, L. B. (1960). A guide to American trade catalogs, 1744-1900. New York: R.R. Bowker Company.

Seckelson, L., Ash, J., Bardhan, G. P., Guthrie, E., Van Dyk, S (2015). Trade catalogs: Opportunities and challenges. Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America, 34 (2), 267–300.

REFLECTION

I really enjoyed working with this collection as a life long lover of trade catalogs and unusual ephemera. This collection truly began out of a fascination with the kitsch aspect of the “Colorama” trade catalog by Alexander Smith & Sons, Carpet Co. I became obsessed with this weird booklet from the 40s centered around such an obscure subject: interior design based on hair color. I thought it such a fascinating commentary on social structures of the 1940s as well as the role beauty played when advertising to women all packaged in an interactive and “fun” format. I loved the idea of being able to manual move the catalog rather than a simple page by page book or pamphlet that was somewhat more removed from me personally. I wanted to explore more.

This proved more difficult than I imaged. There is no “interactive” facet while searching various collections. I knew from a prior class that the Thomas J. Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art held a large collection of trade catalogs and since “Colorama” is a part of that collection, I deduced they must contain other interactive ones as well. I chose to reach out to the special collections librarian Jared Ash as well as Holly Phillips, Associate Manager for Collection Development and Special Collections for more help (since simple catalog searches were proving unhelpful). From multiple conversations few examples were found that fit the interactive element I was searching for but not enough for a collection. After conducting more research, I read that the Avery Classics Collection held an equally large collection of trade catalogs. I contacted one of the Special Collections Librarians, Lena Newman, who pulled items for me based off my interactive element. Everyone I worked with was very excited about this project which gave me more motive to keep exploring.

From what was pulled within each color, I noticed a pattern that color was a common subject for trade catalogs. I thought this was interesting especially given the economics of producing colored images in the past. It makes sense that color would prove the most interactive as color is inherently personal. The introduction of color theory seen in an item called Color Calibrator of Pratt & Lambert paint, allows for a scientific definition explaining why certain combinations work while others do not before allowing the user to find their ideal color. Color can evoke emotion, as seen in the “Berrycrafters Scientific Chart,” and can define you as a person as seen in “Try on a Room…” The simple action of changing the paint samples within Stelatex to create your perfect room or flipping trasnparencies on the perfect 1961 Buick gives the user control over the catalog but also freedom to experiment without being impressed upon by the manufacturer.

Exploring different ways to experience color through these catalogs brought me so much joy, I could imagine the delight for someone during the time. Examples like the deck of cards Eagle-Pitcher Lead Company must have brought so much entertainment to people in the early 20th century. I chose to focus on form for each catalog as the thing that made them interactive. A great example I found was the Sherwin-Williams puzzle but excluded this from the exhibition because it fell outside the parameters fo the exhibit. It was part of a larger series called the Silent Teacher which were map puzzles by Rev. E. J. Clemens with advertisements for different businesses on the verso. Instead of a trade catalog this existed simply as a toy with advertisements. Still there is an argument for the idea of trade catalogs as advertisements in book form, this puzzle had to go.

Overall I enjoyed looking at these unique examples of advertising innovations from the past. I noticed that we are still employing he idea of the transparency overlay even today with digital marketing campaigns. When looking at how to present this material in a modern way, I thought creating digital surrogates for each of the catalogs represented here would provide an interesting contrast and interactive aspect. Trade catalogs are still employed today although mostly in digital formats as the print medium declines. The digital catalogs of today are even more interactive in their nature as users can easily and quickly swipe, click, or hover over objects to achieve their personalized form. I wonder if years from now, what trade catalogs will become.

INTERACTIVE TRADE CATALOGS: A COLORFUL HISTORY

Trade catalogs are loosely define as “printed broadsides, booklets, or books designed to engender business between the seller . . . and the buyer.” This connection and engendered business was most commonly expressed through intricate and captivating illustrations of products. Trade catalogs have existed since 1774 and range from cake designs to iron Parisian iron urinals. Trade catalogs encompass the very essence of material culture and are valuable research materials for the interpretation of man-made objects.

Gaining force during the industrial revolution, mass-produced products needed strong catalogs to not only allow consumers access the latest fashion but also to introduce competition between companies allowing for advertising to become the main focus in order to publicize materials in new and innovative ways. One such way was the introduction of moveable pieces and parts for various catalogs.

All items in this exhibit are interactive in some way and focus is placed on form over content, as the form defines the interactive nature. The overarching theme in this exhibit is the idea of playing with color, the most personal choice when choosing any product for a consumer. With the advent of color printing, trade catalogs took on a whole new form. Color became a mode of personalization for the consumer and provided more business opportunities to the seller. Color is also extremely personal. Color can evoke emotion, as seen in the “Berrycrafters Scientific Color Chart,” and can define you as a person as seen in “Try on a Room…” The simple action of changing the paint samples within Stelatex to create your perfect room or flipping transparencies on the perfect 1961 Buick gives the user control over the catalog but also freedom to experiment without being overtly swayed by the manufacturer.

Trade catalogs provided a way for business to showcase innovation, experimentation, and achievement in printing. The items in this exhibit encompass different modes of approaching the common theme of color, an added economic element given the time span of items. With their interactive qualities, items in this collection showcase some of the most effective advertising tools for their companies. In shying away from traditional formats, these catalogs inspire creativity in the user beyond that of the manufacturer.

The numbered titles refer to the items call numbers. They are further described by creator name, title, date, form, and item location.

All photographs were taken on a iPhone XR with permission from the institutions.

1. AT605.Ea35.1900

Creator: Eagle-Pitcher Lead Company

Title: N/A

Date: 190-?

Form: Deck of Cards - Three clear transparencies of houses with 20 corresponding paint samples

Location: Avery Classics Collection at Columbia University Libraries

One of the earliest examples of interactive trade catalogs, this deck of cards allows users to imagine their perfect Eagle-Pitcher “Old Dutch Process” lead paint. With the clear transparencies making the overlay with deck of paint samples interactive, this trade catalog defines the nature of the early 20th century. In keeping with the innovation from the aughts in terms of technology, this trade catalog allows users to image whole house schematics with ease. Simplistic yet innovative, it is not hard to see how early users would be swayed to buy Eagle-Pitcher Lead paint from this mobile catalog.

2. T6050.B459.1933

Creator: Berry Brothers

Title: Berrycrafter's Scientific Color Chart

Date: 1933

Form: Wheel - Two moveable discs with 19 paint samples pasted on verso as legends

Location: Avery Classics Collection at Columbia University Libraries

With this spinning wheel, Berry Brother’s paint company aims to take a more personalized strategy by directly interacting with the user in the wording and the form. Combining scientific approaches from principles of color theory along with humorous questions, users can spin the wheel to discover color suggestions (or warnings) depending on the feeling they are trying to produce or person they are trying to place. With this wheel, the Berry Brother’s create an extremely entertaining and personalized way to play with the idea of color and meaning.

3. TNK2115.5.C6 A44 1941

Creator: Alexander Smith & Sons, Carpet Co.

Title: Try on a room with the Alexander Smith colorama selector, color scheme visualizer

Date: 1944

Form: Binder - Loose leaf three-ring binder with clear transparencies of different hair samples and interchangeable leaves with carpet samples and wall colors.

Location: Thomas J. Watson Library Special Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Like the humanistic approach seen in Berrycrafter’s Scientific Color Chart, “Try on a room…” adds even more of a personal touch to trade catalogs by placing the user and the object front and center. With this trade catalog as much emphasis is placed on the user (and more specifically the role of women) as on the rugs being advertised. Here, women could imagine entire rooms based solely on hair color and interchange various designs with Alexander Smith & Son’s carpets and wall colors. More akin to personalized internet ads of today, this rare trade catalog serves as an early example of targeted advertising in order to sell products, a mode that still exists today.

4. TP937.S74 1961

Creator: “Stella” GPS

Title: Stelatex

Date: 1961

Form: Easel - Red leather bound enclosure with three compartments for paint samples with six transparent overlays of various interiors complete with plastic stencil to position different combinations.

Location: Thomas J. Watson Library Special Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

With the easel configuration of the entire catalog, this Belgian paint company truly saw their users as the artists when it came to paint colors. With six transparencies each with a different interior, users could interactively swap wall and ceiling colors to find the perfect match. One of the most interactive and interestingly formatted trade catalogs, “Stella” GPS gives a whole new meaning to kitsch. This is one of the largest trade catalogs in the collection in terms of individual elements and by far one of the more entertaining.

5. TL215.B84 G46 1961F

Creator: General Motors Corporation

Title: 1961 Buick

Date: 1961

Form: Flip Book - Collection of 25 colored transparencies for roof and body fo 1961 Buick.

Location: Thomas J. Watson Library Special Collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

This example of a 1961 Buick trade catalog from General Motors Corporation captures the pure essence of an interactive trade catalog. The 29 transparencies allow the user to mix and match roof and body paint colors to create their perfect Buick. Simplistic in nature, this catalog shows just how innovative the materiality of plastic can be, especially when seen in contrast to the early example from the Eagle-Pitcher Company. WIth this catalog the user has complete control in what is being advertised (i.e. their ideal Buick).