Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY
[ephemera]

Set of 3 of Geometric "Designs and Pictures for Slate Drawing" Trade Cards for businesses in Mount Vernon, NY


Newark, NJ: B. McNally, ca. 1878.

A striking set of 3 drawing cards featuring geometical designs for children to copy on slate (chalkboard) tablets. From a series of advertising novelty/trade cards printed by B. McNally in Newark, NJ. Advertises four businesses in Mount Vernon, NY: George Gill (drugstore), W. A. Anderson Paper Hangings and Painter's Supply Store, F. Swift Carriages and Business Wagons, and David Cromwell, Grocer. Approx. 5.5 x 4 inches. Age toned and with faint tidemark along the lower edge, otherwise rather clean with mild handling wear. Very Good. Copying images on slate tablets was a popular method for teaching drawing in the classroom. Children would progress from basic lines and shapes, to representational forms in outline, objects in perspective, and eventually rendering shading in animals and organic subjects. Because the method didn't require the expense of extra paper or supplies, it was also an economical amusement at home. Slate drawing cards and booklets were welcome forms of advertising, providing an economical means of amusement for children that ensured their longevity amongst customers.