Exploring Western Massachusetts: Westfield's Grant & Besse Clothiers Tradecards

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Westfield's Grant & Besse Clothiers Tradecards

One New Year's resolution here at EWM is to cull through the clutter scattered in ever-multiplying folders and sort the scribbled notes on scraps that sometimes don't make it, found in a pocket of just-washed jeans or tossed in a drawer with an old grocery list. The reason being, of course, is to find forgotten treasure, tucked away for a future post and still gathering dust.

The scans below are just such a find. Generously shared by historian Barbara Shaffer, these images were clipped paper-doll fashion from advertisements for Westfield clothiers, Grant & Besse, located at 94 Elm Street in the Gowdy Block.

For more examples of Grant & Besse advertising trading cards - which tend to be spare-no-expense good as far as cover art - check out offerings at the Paul J. Gutman Library Digital Collection.

And from the Victorian Tradecards section of the Digital Collections of Miami University Library advertising Christmas gifts for 1886 :

http://doyle.lib.muohio.edu/u?/tradecards,1773

http://doyle.lib.muohio.edu/u?/tradecards,1774

As always, thanks for stopping by and take care.

1 comment:

sojourner said...: Your post inspired me to research the connection between Grant & Besse in Westfield and the Besse-Carpenter store in Springfield. They are connected, both being a part of Lyman W. Besse's extensive chain known as "The Besse System."
The clothing stores were located throughout the northeast but Mr. Besse, a Wareham native, made his home in Springfield in the McKnight section.; January 17, 2009 at 1:04 PM