Section Display

McLoughlin Brothers
The Improved Geographical Cards, 1883
Osher Map Library Artifact Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/37669

McLoughlin Brothers
Grandma’s Game of Geography, 1887
Osher Map Library Artifact Collection

Milton Bradley Company
Grandma’s Geographical Game, 1910
Osher Map Library Artifact Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/37668

Parker Brothers, Inc.
Across the Continent: The United States Game, 1922
Osher Artifact Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/36868

S.G. Bocholtz
United States Chart of Knowledge, 1931
Story Artifact Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/46837

International At-A-Glance Chart Company
United States At-A-Glance, 1931
Osher Artifact Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/44868

Perry Mason & Co.
The Youth’s Companion Trade Cards, 1891
Osher Ephemera Collection
https://oshermaps.org/map/52841

In 1891, following the success of the Arbuckle Coffee Company state map-themed trade cards, The Youth’s Companion, a popular monthly magazine for children, published their own set of 49 state and territory map trade cards. As you can see by the New England state cards displayed here, each card visually depicted a state map, key elements of a state’s landscape and geography, as well as popular industries. On the verso of each colorful card is a brief narrative of key moments in a state’s history, the state seal, and the populations of major cities. Subscribers to the magazine could send in $1.00 and receive a full set of 49 cards in the mail. If one paid their subscription a year in advance, one could purchase the cards for .50. Trade Card collecting was a popular past-time for both children and adults in the Victorian era, and, like the games located elsewhere in this case, was a fun way to learn both geography and history.