Jewish tailor advertising Queen Anne Soap and Mascotte Soap, both made by the Detroit Soap Co.
One of a set of stock trade cards printed by Gies & Co. and showing various occupations. There appear to be two separate sets, one with a blue panel at the bottom and the other with a tan panel. There are at least 8 cards in the tan set, and at least 11 cards in the blue set.
Each of these cards shows an "icon" in the upper left or right corner that is symbolic of the portrayed occupation. The use of the three golden balls in this card is puzzling. They are the symbol for a pawnbroker in today's society--a topic for further study.
According to Robert Jay in his book, The Trade Card in Nineteenth Century America, "The Jew, who was so frequently the brunt of bitter caricature in European popular illustration, was treated much better in America. There were a few satires of the Jewish traveling salesman or tailor, but these were extremely rare. Since so many of the major lithographic companies were in New York and were owned and operated by Jewish immigrants from Europe, the few examples that do exist were usually printed in other cities."
The reverse of this card is blank.
This card was printed by Gies & Co., Buffalo, N.Y., and is shown at 85 percent of its actual size.