Trade Card collection
The Trade Card collection forms part of the Raymond Burton Yorkshire collection.
Trade Cards were business cards from the nineteenth century which advertised local businesses in Yorkshire.
About the collection
The collection
89 trade cards from companies operating in Yorkshire in the nineteenth century. Much like modern business cards, they served to advertise local businesses and build connections amongst merchants and traders.
The collection acts as a record of the breadth of commercial activity in Yorkshire, with representatives from different walks of commercial life, including innkeepers, bookbinders and engravers, wholesale traders and importers, industrial manufacturers and others. The shipping industry is also well represented with examples of Hull based businesses and specialised maritime services.
Highlights
There are a number of inns, taverns and hotels represented in the collection, including seven from York. These would have been central to the social and commercial life of the city. Examples include:
- Richard Pigg, Red Lion, Micklegate, York
- Clark's Hotel, Coney Street, York
- Mrs Jefferson, York Arms, 94, Petergate, York
Related collections
The trade cards form part of the wider Raymond Burton Yorkshire Collection, which has over 1800 items relating to the history and culture of Yorkshire.