.: Trade Literature
The Trade Literature collection, in the National Museum of American History
Library of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL), is one of the largest
collections of American industry catalogs and related literature in the world.
The collection includes catalogs and other materials that chiefly span the years
1875 to 1950. Definitions of the term "trade catalog" vary, but in
general, trade catalogs are printed materials published by manufacturing, wholesaling,
or retailing firms. They promote sales by making advertising claims, give instructions
in using products, provide testimonials from satisfied customers, and include
detailed descriptions of sale products. Trade catalogs may include prevailing
prices, frequently listed on separate sheets of paper. All in all, trade catalogs
are an invaluable source in studying the social, business, industrial, and advertising
histories of the United States. However, in certain fields, such as scientific
instruments and machine tools, foreign companies are well represented in the
collection. With over 300,000 items from approximately 25,000 companies, the
Smithsonian Libraries Historical Trade Literature Collection is a scholarly
resource that tells about the rise of American industry. Thanks to the donation
of several large gift collections, and the purchase of part of the Franklin
Institute collection, the trade literature continues growing. The Smithsonian
Libraries has just begun exploiting the potential of this undocumented collection.
Cataloging is well under way, and several digital projects have been completed
and can be found elsewhere on SIL's web pages.