Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1769

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.21 linear feet (1 box)

Language Note:

The bulk of the material is in English with a small amount in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Urdu.

Preferred Citation:

Indian trade cards collection, 1936, undated, Ms. Coll. 1769, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1936, undated

Form:

Trade cards

Abstract:

A collection of trade cards advertising the goods and services of South Asian craftspeople, artisans, jewelers and retailers to Anglophone consumers in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Burma.

This collection showcases a wide range of businesses across colonial South Asia that served and profited from English-speaking markets. It includes jewelers, carpet merchants, curio dealers, opium dealers, and shops specializing in fabrics and clothing. The materials represent diverse urban centers such as Karachi, Pakistan; Rangoon (Yangon), Myanmar; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Kowloon, Hong Kong; and Agra, Benares City (Varanasi), Bombay, Calcutta, Agra, Delhi, and Poona Camp (Pune), India.

According to the seller, the ephemera reveals consistent marketing strategies among South Asian business owners. Jewelers frequently promoted items as "birthstones," while curio and craft dealers emphasized the specific types of goods they offered. Businesses catering to wealthier clientele, such as those dealing in silk, clothing, and marble, often incorporated illustrations into their advertisements and highlighted their connections to the British Raj. The collection also provides insight into the role of local job and commercial printing practices that supported these enterprises. In contrast to trade cards from Britain and the Americas, which often reflect large-scale industrial production at the turn of the twentieth century, Indian trade ephemera primarily feature small, independently owned businesses, clearly demonstrating the breadth and vitality of South Asian entrepreneurship during the late colonial period.