UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 22, Page 2
February 29, 1996
Trade catalogs in library exhibit

     A new exhibition, entitled "Trade Catalogs in the University of
Delaware Library," will be on display from March 18 through July 15,
in the Special Collections Exhibitions Gallery of the Morris Library.
     Before the era of the Home Shopping Network, television and
roadside billboards, businesses offered broadsides, brochures and
other printed catalogs to advertise their wares. These catalogs,
considered insignificant throwaways at the time, have become documents
of history for scholars in fields ranging from the history of business
and industry to material culture, women's studies and costume design.
     From simple price lists in the 18th century, the trade catalogs
developed during the 19th century into multipage booklets filled with
color illustrations, glowing testimonials from satisfied customers and
product samples.
     Advances in papermaking and printing allowed for the distribution
of cheap but colorful advertising, culminating in that turn-of-the-
century bible of consumerism, the Sears Roebuck Catalog.
     This exhibition will focus on highlights of the Library's large
collection. Well-known regional companies like Dupont, Burpee Seeds,
and John Wanamaker's will be represented as will obscure 19-century
sellers of stuffed animal heads, rheumatism remedies and buggy whips.
     "In addition to offering the opportunity to view an imaginative,
colorful exhibition, Trade Catalogs at the University of Delaware
Library brings to scholarly attention a significant collection of
primary research materials available for researchers and students in a
wide range of academic disciplines," stated Susan Brynteson, Director
of Libraries.
     The exhibition was curated by Timothy Murray and Iris Snyder,
both of special collections. The Exhibition Gallery is open from 9
a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. until 8
p.m., Tuesdays.