Mail-order catalogues were first introduced in the United States during the mid 1800’s, with Tiffany & Co. debuting the first edition of their prized Blue Book in 1845. The Tiffany’s Blue Book had exquisite pieces of handcrafted jewelry for sale and was extremely popular among the wealthy. The Blue Book is actually still published today, making it the longest running catalogue in the United States.
By the 1880’s mail-order catalogues had become very popular. People that lived in rural areas such as our own Cecil County could now easily send off for the items they needed or wanted without having to travel to the big cities of Wilmington or Baltimore. Catalogue shopping also gave consumers discretion that they had never had before. Certain items could now be easily sent off for from the privacy of your own home without your fellow shoppers knowing what you were buying.
Philadelphia based Strawbridge & Clothier released their first mail order catalogue in 1882. Called the Strawbridge & Clothier Quarterly, it was published quarterly to cover the four seasons and it offered a very wide array of items. It had clothing and accessories of all types, shapes, and sizes for men, women, and children. It had curtains, rugs, and other linens. You could buy sporting equipment, kitchenware, and sewing machines. You could even buy live chickens!
In 1888, Richard Warren Sears began his business of selling watches in a mail order catalogue. By 1894, the Sears catalogue was 322 pages and even featured automobiles for sale. By the following year, in 1895, the catalogue had grown to 532 pages, which included stoves, toys, refrigerators, and groceries. And by 1906, the Sears catalogue had become known as the “Consumers’ Bible.”
Although Internet shopping has really become the most popular way of shopping today, it is worth noting that the industry of catalogues and mail ordering is worth approximately 100 billion dollars – pretty impressive!