Articles About Trade Cards
 
Famous Person Caricatures

 

by Ben Crane

 

According to Webster's Dictionary, a caricature is an "exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of parts or characteristics." The 32 trade cards appearing in this article show caricatures of persons who were famous (or infamous) during the late 1800s by showing them in a pose or situation appropriate for their fame.

Cards 1-10 are stock cards by an unknown printer showing a famous person as a baby, each one captioned with a baby name (e.g., Funny Baby for Mark Twain). This is believed to be a complete set.

Cards 11-16 are stock cards by an unknown printer titled "Every Man Rides His Own Hobby" showing a famous man riding a hobby horse symbolizing his claim to fame. The artist's name, Kash, is on each card together with a monogram that appears to be "H&B." This is a complete set.

Cards 17-22 are stock cards copyrighted 1882 by E. B. Duval showing a famous person in a pose or situation related to their fame. This is believed to be a complete set.

Cards 23-26 are stock cards printed by Tobin, NY, showing a famous man with his title at the bottom preceded by "Ye" (e.g., Ye Gallant Chaplain). This is a complete set.

Cards 27-32 are stock cards printed by Tobin, NY, showing a famous man with his title at the top preceded by "Ye" (e.g., Ye Famous Editor) and an area at the bottom for imprinting the name of a company or product. This is a complete set.

The information provided in this article about these persons has been obtained from various Internet web sites through use of the Google search engine.

Shown below are thumbnail images (at 25 percent of actual size) of the 32 trade cards using this theme. Click on a thumbnail for a larger view, or click here to begin viewing the cards in slide show fashion.

 

 



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