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MPL Digital Collections

Milwaukee Historic Trade Card Collection

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Milwaukee Historic Trade Card Collection

Featuring business cards from Victorian era Milwaukee.


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More Information

Trade cards, also known as advertising cards, are small cards that businesses would distribute to clients and potential customers and are an early example of modern business cards. The Richard E. and Lucile Krug Rare Books Room has a collection of over 500 trade cards that document Milwaukee’s business history from the Victorian era. To view the trade cards in person, please request an appointment here.