Louis Prang & Co Victorian Era Holiday Greeting Cards Salesman Sample Album RARE

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Louis Prang & Co Victorian Era Holiday Greeting Cards Salesman Sample Album RARE:
$4249.15

Condition: Original cloth binding with age-related wear, page toning, scattered foxing, edge tears, and some tissue guards with tears or losses. Many original mounted cards remain bright and vibrant with vivid color and metallic printing. Several pages show mounting residue and impression. Consistent with a period salesman’s working sample book. I tried to take as many photos as possible. Some of the cards were unglued so I just placed them in the original location. I am happy to send more photos. This book is very close to a full set but might be missing a few cards. See all images for condition.

An exceptional and historically significant Louis Prang & Co. salesman’s sample album dating to approximately 1884–1888. This original cloth-bound presentation album was used by a traveling sales representative to showcase Prang’s luxury chromolithographed greeting cards to retailers during the Victorian era.

The album features an impressive collection of original Christmas, Easter, New Year’s, floral, religious, and scenic greeting cards, including numerous deluxe silk chenille-fringed cards with richly embossed chromolithographs. Several pages retain their original protective tissue guards, while handwritten page headings and pricing identify product categories and sales information.

A remarkable piece of American printing and advertising history, this album represents the artistry that earned Louis Prang the title “Father of the American Christmas Card.” Complete salesman sample albums of this type are rarely encountered and are highly desirable to collectors of Victorian ephemera, chromolithographs, greeting cards, and advertising memorabilia.

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