They were Amazon and Walmart combined—the one place to shop for Americans who needed everything—clothes, furniture, tools, jewelry, musical instruments, books, and more!
Imagine it’s the end of the nineteenth century, and, with one catalog, you can buy everything from beds and tools to clothing and opium. (Yes, opium.) Not to mention ear trumpets, horse buggies, and Bibles. For every recognizable item included in the 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, plenty of others are guaranteed to confuse or interest 21st century readers—like Bust Cream or Food and Sweet Spirits of Nitre. What was once standard household fare is today a sometimes strange, often funny look at what life was once like for the average American family.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. has defined and innovated American retail for years. As the company grew from humble beginnings, its catalog selection exploded to include all sorts of categories and encompassed almost everything imaginable; eventually you could actually buy a house right along with everything you needed to furnish it. Flipping through the pages of seemingly endless items, huge and small, readers will find it impossible not to marvel at such early American ingenuity and determination to allow people in the farthest reaches of a still-growing nation to purchase and receive all the necessities of life and the comforts of home.
For antique collectors, historians, costumers, set designers, and anyone just interested in the everyday components of life back in 1897, this facsimile is as entertaining as it is educational.
ISBN-13: 9781510735057
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Skyhorse
Publication Date: 08-07-2018
Pages: 720
Product Dimensions: 8.50(w) x 10.80(h) x 1.40(d)
Sears, Roebuck & Co. was founded in 1886 in Chicago, Illinois. It published a general merchandise mail order catalog and consumer guide from 1888 until 1993. It is the author of the 1908 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue.
Table of Contents
Ordering Instructions 1
Groceries 8
Drug Department 26
Hardware Department 52
Builder's and Hardware Material 100
Refrigerators 118
Bells 120
Cutlery 121
Stoves and Household Utensils 133
Agricultural Implements 162
Tailor Made Men's Clothing 181
Boys' Clothing Department 193
Boots, Shoes, and Rubbers 204
Men's Clothing 228
Hat and Cap Department 250
Trunks 268
Dry Goods Department 272
Ladies' and Girls' Clothing 285
Carpets, Curtains, and Linens 302
Women's Accessories 319
Books and Stationery 348
Watches and Jewelry 374
Silverware 444
Clocks 463
Optical Goods 468
Surveyors' Instruments 473
Thermometers and Electrical Goods 475
Cameras and Equipment 479
Musical Goods Department 497
Sporting Goods 524
Furniture 582
Baby Carriages 628
Sewing Machines 633
Vehicle, Harness, and Saddlery Department 642
What the People Say 694
Index 697
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