This image shows an antique trade card advertising New Home sewing machines. The illustration features a group of children crowded in a window frame, with lively expressions. One child holds a small American flag. The title above the window reads: "Some of Our Neighbor's Children." Below the illustration is a poetic caption:
"Each winsome face with smiles is fraught,
Each voice a merry tune has caught,
For Papa dear has gone and bought
A New Home Sewing Machine."
The text at the bottom notes the location, "Orange, Mass." The card is copyrighted to 1882 by N. Morgan & Co., Cleveland, O. The overall aesthetic is nostalgic and patriotic, with warm, bright colors and detailed drawings typical of 19th-century advertisements.
The trade card depicted rests on a background of lined paper.
Recently acquired this ad for New Home sewing machines. Due to the placement of the flag (top-center) and the copyright date (1882), I wonder if the children are meant to represent the “New Immigrants” who entered the U.S. circa 1880-1920? #TradeCard #Americana #MaterialCulture #MaterialRhetoric