Hygienic Kalsomine — Rubber Paint Company, Chicago, 1893 World's Fair Original Victorian advertising trade card, chromolithograph, 1893. Approx. 5.60 x 3.55 in. Printed by The Milwaukee Litho. & Engr. Co. Uncle Sam, in striped trousers and a star-spangled coat, hands packets of Hygienic Kalsomine to a crowd of fairgoers on the steps of an exposition building — a woman in a green striped dress, a man in a top hat, a visitor in a fez, a small girl, and a boy seated on the steps below. A golden dome rises behind them and a figure of Columbia in the stars and stripes stands at the head of the stair. Lettered at the foot: USE HYGIENIC KALSOMINE. The reverse is a full trade advertisement for the Rubber Paint Company — H. M. Hooker, President; Frank Hayes, Vice President; O. J. Buck, Superintendent; A. G. Cox, General Manager — manufacturers of Mixed Paint and Kalsomine, zinc primers, bullion floor, barn, bridge and buggy paint, colors in oil, stains, brushes, barrel paint and painters' material. Headquarters for Carter Strictly Pure White Lead. Office and factory at 36-38 Boston Ave., Chicago, telephone Main 271. A line at the foot reads: Display at Worlds Fair — N. W. Portion Manufacturers & Liberal Arts Building — Section H. HISTORICAL CONTEXT That last line dates the card exactly. The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building was the largest structure at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and this company had a stand in the north-west portion of it, Section H. The card was printed to be handed out there. Which makes the picture a self-portrait of the moment. Uncle Sam distributing kalsomine to the nations on the steps of the White City is not subtle, but it is exactly how Chicago felt about itself that summer — and the fez in the crowd is there because the world really had turned up. CONDITION Toning and age typical of the period. Light surface soiling; minor edge and corner wear; light soiling to the reverse. The chromolithographed image remains bright with strong color and the reverse text is fully legible. Please view the images carefully. ABOUT THE PRINTING This is an original chromolithograph, and it was slow, exacting work. Each color had to be drawn onto its own separate stone by hand — in monochrome, the artist judging how much stipple each area needed so the colors would combine correctly only once every stone had been printed. The sheet then went through the press once for every color it carries, often a dozen or more, and every pass had to register exactly against the last. A pass out of register showed. Under magnification the image resolves into irregular hand-drawn stipple, each ink carrying its own dot pattern, the colors mixing in the eye rather than on the paper. There is no regular halftone screen and no four-color rosette, which is what a modern reproduction would show. Modern process printing simulates every color from four inks; chromolithography laid each color down as its own. PROVENANCE This item comes from the personal collections of my family estate, accumulated over more than 200 years — including items that came west by wagon train to Colorado and later to Oklahoma. Now that my parents have passed we cannot keep all of these cherished items. They were well-educated antiques collectors/traders and continued to build their collections over more than 60 years. The vast majority of the pieces are from the Victorian Era, however there are plenty of older and newer items. Everything has been stored in a climate-controlled environment over time. DISCLAIMER Specifications and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker's marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of eBay rules, no returns are accepted. Ref#ADV-010