The Great American Antique Toy Bazaar, 1879-1945

Book excerpt: Artists, craftspeople and antique toy buffs will welcome this magnificent collection of antique toy illustrations reproduced from rare original trade catalogs. Spanning 66 years of toy production in America, this volume comprises a trove of 5,000 royalty-free illustrations, perfect for adding old-fashioned charm to advertisements, book and magazine illustrations—almost any graphics project. Dating from 1879 to 1945, these graphics originally appeared in the catalogs of such well-known merchants as Best and Company, Butler Brothers, Marshall Field & Co., Montgomery Ward, and many others. They depict an extraordinary variety of toys and old-time amusements, including rocking horses, toy carriages and wagons, antique bicycles, lively mechanical toys, trains, sleds, all manner of dolls, an amazing array of novelty items, and much more. Each toy appears with its original descriptive caption and price, making this not only a rich source of immediately usable illustrations, but an important reference tool for antique toy collectors, and a fascinating browsing book for lovers of nostalgia. 5,000 black-and-white illus.