The Oldest Cards In My Collection

I was looking around eBay a little while back. I was searching for Singer Sewing Trading Cards. There are cards of Elias Howe, an early inventor, and I thought there may be cards of Isaac Singer. I didn't find any Singer's, but I did find a beautiful collection of cards. 

These cards are from a set called, Costumes of All Nations. The Singer Sewing Company released boxed sets of cards to coincide with the Chicago World Colombian Exposition of 1893. The "Costumes of All Nations" was the first set produced, featuring actual photographs taken from the various countries or provinces. The colorful card fronts showcase subjects wearing traditional folk costumes while using Singer sewing machines. The reverse of each card has a compact description of the country while adding a note about the location of the Singer sales office in that country.

I picked up this lot of 34 cards, which was advertised as a set, for $40.89 shipped. 

After some research, It seems as though there may be as many as 39 cards in the set. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society website, there are 39 cards to this set. Many other sites report a set of 36 cards. 

My 34 cards came with this original box.

To get an idea of the size of these beauties, a scan of one of them with Bob Gibson.

As I get older, I find myself appreciating the beauty of vintage cards. Although I am mostly a sports collector, the opportunity to add cards featuring sewing was one I had to jump on. I hope you enjoy them.