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Very Rare 1800s Trade Card: R. L Roots Boot/Shoe Emporium:Plymouth, MI - $25 (near Chelsea)
condition:
good
make / manufacturer:
R. I. Boots and Shoe Emporium
size / dimensions:
3 3/8 x 4 3/8 inches
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Plymouth was settled in 1825 and became a village in 1867. Back then, Plymouth was small, and R,. L. Boots and Shoe Emporium was one of its businesses.
The three people on the card are part of a 3-Act French opera that opened in 1874. I’m guessing the card was from the 1880s, soon after. The play is about twin married sisters. One of them gets abducted by pirates. The other woman stands in temporarily, and winds up being the wife of two husbands until her sister is rescued. Hmmm….
I have no idea why a boot and shoe shop in a small village in Michigan would use such a card for advertising, but I’m sure it was for a good reason.
The card measures 4 3/8 c 3 3/8 inches.
As you can see from the photos, it was treated well over the last 130-140 years.