Silent Photoplay Forum

I made this thread to post some bits from old Sears catalogs (original or reproductions) that I think are interesting, hope some others will find them so, too.

These are from the 1902 reproduction.

Sears used some interesting sales techniques. When is the last time you saw a company admitting a product it is selling is "positively no good"?

Wow! That last one is a weird marketing technique.
Also, I have never heard of the graphophone.

Kitty wrote: ↑

Sun May 21, 2017 9:39 pm

Wow! That last one is a weird marketing technique.
Also, I have never heard of the graphophone.

I don't think I've heard that term, either, come to think of it. I think the hammer thing was maybe an attempt to convince distrustful customers how much the company had their welfare at heart. Of course if they were really sincere about wanting to keep them instead of give them to customers...uh, wouldn't they just leave them out of the catalog.

Interestingly, that seemed to be a big thing in those early catalogs—convincing customers that the company was solid, large, and trustworthy. A lot of space is given to statements by banks about the company's reputation, etc. I guess in that day of keeping-your-cash-in-the-mattress savings, people tended to be skeptical about buying sight unseen. Here is a bank reference and a sample order blank showing customers an example of how it was to be filled out.

That's pretty cool. Don't you wish those were current prices?
I know they don't give a full address on there in the example here, but it reminded me of the fact that so many full addresses were published in the magazines I am reading. Many full addresses of the fans are published with names included. Kind of cool for me, because I will sometimes use the wonder of Google maps to see what area those people lived in. Some are nice houses, some are very tiny apartments, and some just aren't there anymore. It's quite interesting.

Yes, isn't it interesting to explore things like that?

donnie wrote: ↑

Mon May 22, 2017 8:03 am

Yes, isn't it interesting to explore things like that?

I love technology! I'm glad that info didn't make you think I was a creeper.

Kitty wrote: ↑

Mon May 22, 2017 1:44 pm

I love technology! I'm glad that info didn't make you think I was a creeper.

Not at all, I have a lot of curiosity about obscure things like that, too.

Speaking of obscure things, I've noticed in the handwriting of that time period, they drop the stem of the 7 and 9 below the line. (See order blank above.) I guess that's what was taught in the cursive style of the time. I like the look of that.