Gothamist reader Richard Kim sent in this great link to the Fulton Street Trade Card Collection at the Brooklyn Public Library. The collection features some wonderfully weird 19th century business cards for a variety of stores in downtown Brooklyn. Check out the description for the card above:
Illustration of woman on beach turned away from sailor who may be missing a hand and may be trying to talk to her. A cupid is seated and wiping his face with a handkerchief. He has wings and a basket of arrows. An ocean is in the background.
And that's an advertisment for a shirtmaking store! Radical! Other favorites: this ad for a birdcage shop, this cool candy shop fan shaped card, and this unspeakably odd ad for a jewelery shop.
