All authors have their favorite go-to research books. Each new story I write requires delving into specifics for that particular time, setting, and character professions. But I also need more general research information. Information on fashion, transportation, household furnishings, etc. Research to help me create an accurate story world through the items my historical characters encounter in their daily lives. My favorite such book is my reprint of the 1895 Montgomery Ward Catalogue.
In 1872, Aaron Montgomery Ward put out his first catalogue, a single sheet of paper containing descriptions of 163 items focused mostly on farming implements. In 1875, he began the unprecedented campaign of “satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.” His popularity skyrocketed. By 1883, his catalogue had become known as the “Wish Book” and had swollen to 240 pages with over 10,000 items. Montgomery Ward was the Amazon.com of the 19th century.
I love this book for the wealth of everyday information it supplies. Not only can I see pictures of items I want to feature in my scene (everything from furniture, to clothing, to kitchen utensils, to jewelry), but I can see prices and detailed descriptions. I’ve learned more about guns and stoves from reading this catalogue than from many online sites.
To give you an example, here are a few images taken from the catalogue. Even a rugged cowboy could get just about anything he needed from the Wish Book. Below are just a few samples:
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Do you remember flipping through catalogs as a kid? What were you’re favorite items to wish for?
I can remember the Sears and J.C. Penney catalogs that were so thick, my mom used them as a booster seat for me at the dinner table. But my brother and I used to love to look through the toy sections, especially at Christmas time.
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I have a copy of the Sears’ catalog from this same time period that I use all the time. (Great minds think alike, right?) Sears’ even offered houses that people could order through the mail.
I think I read a story where the hero ordered a house through the Sears catalog! How fun is that? Shipping costs must have been a bear, though. 🙂
I’ve thought about getting the Sears catalog, too. Might need to add it to my library.
I live in a hundred-year-old farmhouse and my nearest neighbor lives in a house bought from a Sear’s catalog in the 1920’s when one of the brothers wanted to move out of the family home (the house I live in.)
So cool, Tricia!
I grew up in Canada and when I was young they had a catalog called Simpson’s Sears. They used to send a special Christmas catalog well before the holiday. My little brother and I would look through this catalog and pick out things we wanted Santa Claus to bring us. From this catalog we would write our letters to him. Mother would mail them in to a radio station that had a Santa Claus shoe and he would read off what each kid wanted. We listened to hear him read ours. Yes this post brings back the memories and yes I’ve set on a thick catalog from time to time.
Great memories, Shirley! We still get “wish books” from Target and similar places in the mail today around Christmas time, but they just aren’t quite the same. Much thinner for one thing. Ha! But my youngest still gets excited when he sees all the toy possibilities listed in one place.
Gotta love those prices!
I remember the fights to have the first look at the Sears or Penneys Christmas catalogs when they arrived. So much to dream about.
Oh, yes. We always got both. Thankfully, I only had one brother growing up and he didn’t care as much about the catalogs. I had a clear shot. Ha!
I remember in the early 90s, my sister and I loved when the Sears & Penney’s catalogs would come. We would pour through every page picking which items we likes, decorating our dream home. Those old catalogs look like they would be so much fun to peruse!
Even when I’m researching, I can find myself taking little side trips to explore. All sorts of interesting 19th century gadgets and gizmos.
What an awesome way to get ideas for your books. Thank you for writing for readers like me.
Thanks for reading, Nancy! 🙂
“Do you remember flipping through catalogs as a kid? What were you’re favorite items to wish for? ”
And how! I grew up on a dairy farm in rural Central Michigan. The nearest town was nine miles away and boasted a population of 3,000 (it still does). We went to town once a month… whether we needed to or not!
We got new clothes (one or two outfits only) every fall before school started. Most of the time, it was from catalogs such as Montgomery Wards or Sears & Roebuck. So when the catalogs arrived, my two sisters and I pored through the pages. Making a decision meant we’d be wearing that outfit (or two) all year so it was big deal.
My favorite items to wish for? Toy horses and farm animals, of course!
I have used catalogs for research in the past, but what I’m usually looking for are models that look like my characters. I love your idea of using old catalogs to research the details of daily life, though. That’s genius! Any idea where I can find catalogs from the 50s to 70s?
Great memories, Carrie!
I’m not sure if they make reprints for the decades you are looking at, but I bet you could find copies on e-bay. I’ve seen a wide range when I’ve looked in the past.
I too have used the catalogs as booster seats. Did you ever make paper dolls from them?
As crazy as it sounds as a child I liked to look at the kitchen gadgets. I never was one to do a lot of wishing for dolls.
That’s fun, Shirley. I bet you’re a grade-A cook these days, aren’t you? 🙂
I never made paper dolls that I recall, but I did use them whenever we had to make a collage for a school project. You could find anything you needed in there.
I have a copy of this reprinted catalog too! It’s so fascinating to see what was sold and how much it went for. My mother has some old catalogs from the ’60s and I like looking through those too. When I was a kid my mom taught me to entertain myself making paper dolls by cutting out the people and clothes from old catalogs. 🙂
Wonderful, Monica. Those old catalogues were made for paper dolls. I bet you and another commenter, Shirley, could have had a grand fashion show with your paper dolls. 🙂
Ya I saw that some others did that too! how fun 😀
I remember the JC Penney catalogs, it was like having Christmas twice in one year!
So many bright colored toys and clothes to dream about. 🙂
I loved it when my mom got the Sears and JC Penny catalogs. My bother and I would look at them for days. Of course we were looking at all the toys. Wonderful memories!
Me, too, Pam!