Shopping From Home, Circa 1912
SFGate
Montgomery Ward and Sears, of course, were among the first to pioneer mail-order catalog shopping. By the time the John M. Smyth Company catalog, pictured above, was published, it was possible to buy almost anything through the mail. Not quite as convenient as purchasing with the click of a button, but not far off!
SFGate got its hands on the Smyth Company catalog at the Alemany Flea Market last weekend, and they've published the entire thing online. Flipping through the pages provides a fun peek at the trends of the time in home furnishings (not to mention transportation, sporting goods, and fashion). And the prices, of course, will amaze. A hand-crafted oak china closet is going for $9.75. Ironwork beds run in the $3-$5 range. And a three-piece oak bedroom set with elaborate hand-carved scrollwork? $21.35.
Click over to SFGate to view the complete catalog, a humbling little history lesson.
(Images: SFGate)
Comments (11)
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OMG these prices .... you're killing me !!! A hutch and a desk for the price of dinner!
view mirandabee's profile
$9.95 in 1912 is equivalent to about $216 in 2009 with inflation taken into account.
view creativeintheory's profile
You also used to be able to buy entire houses from catalogs!
view heater's profile
$216 is still a bargain for a large solid wood piece of furniture like that.
view heatherdazy's profile
Amazing how things have "escalated" price wise over the centuries. :-)
All kidding aside, it's amazing to see how this was even POSSIBLE back in the day when you had to either call in or mail in the order and then wait for them to prep it for shipment and have it delivered when it's so much more common now to click on a mouse on a website and your shopping is done, outside of the delivery of said item and the wait time is often half the time it would've taken back then.
view ciddyguy's profile
Wow! You could go back in a time machine, buy a bunch of them, bring them back, and.....
no, wait... you can't. Never mind.
view btoddster's profile
LOL btoddster, that is exactly what I was thinking! Just stuff some 2009 dollars in my pocket and hop into the way-back machine!
view mirandabee's profile
$9.75??? I can buy that on Etsy for $1.19!!! Why won't AT cater to us REAL people who aren't wealthy???
view twelveindustries's profile
ah neat! My parents have almost that exact same oak sideboard as in the second picture :-).
view michpc's profile
When I was a kid, I went to a summer camp in the mountains of Colorado which had an old homesteader's cabin on the property. My favorite part of every week was the hour or so where I'd be able to walk to the cabin and curl up with the old Sears catalogs from about this time. Heaven!
view Lauren Alexandra's profile
Hey, that china cabinet is similar to mine - that's going to be For Sale! Anyone interested? Mine is the same basic shape, but A Lot more elaborate. Griffins, double lion paw on all 4 legs, carved spirals and wheat, mirror backing in the body and on the top piece. It's around 45" w and 65" tall. Just no room for it and it's hanging out in the garage. I'd even considered painting it some gorgeous color like celedon or even red. Bottom line: no room inside and I'm asking $350. (Paid $1K at a garage sale in 1985!)
view BandanaBanderini's profile