Introduction

Earlier trade cards and chromolithographs (we talk about chromos on the Continent) from 19th Century and early 20th Century European companies provide an even greater diversity of material. This is often of extremely high quality reflecting the craftsmanship of the period and ideal material for, in particular, the thematic collector.
At de very early stage the departement store "Bon Marché (Paris) discovered the value of advertising, and began to issue series of cards. This trade cards which were produced en masse by printers where sold to different shops and manufactures who then printed their own advertising on the backs and/or on the front