The Old Catablog

From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue of 1897:

ELECTRO MEDICAL BATTERIES
For Home or Physicians’ Use.

The Electro Medical Battery as a curative agent is becoming more appreciated from day to day. In cases of nervous trouble and partial paralysis it has brought about phenomenal results. The best physicians pre­scribe its use even when all else fails, and even under such adverse circumstances it often cures. For rheumatism, neuralgia, paralysis and all nervous disorders it seems to be nature’s own cure. There need be no fear from the use of these machines, as there can be no bad results derived. An invalid may use them with perfect safety. There are a great variety of electrical machines and batteries on the market, from which we have selected of each kind those in which we can furnish our customers with the best value for the amount of money expended.
(more…)

From the Montgomery Ward Catalogue of 1895:

Odell Typewriter.

24578 This typewriter prints directly from metal type, no ribbon being used, and gives a much cleaner impression than can possibly be ob­tained from an ink ribbon. The Odell machine has perfect alignment and is a very good type­writer for manifold; the double case machine writes 78 characters, representing capitals, small letters, all of the punctuation marks, to­gether with percentage marks and fractional figures. Weight, 7 1/2 pounds.

Price, Double Case Machine….. $13.00

The Odell Typewriter lists at $20.00; our price of $13.00 gives you a discount of more than 1/3 off. We make this special offer to increase the sale and give our customers the benefit of the low price obtained by our purchasing in large quantities.

The Odell was one of many index typewriters, differing from the now-standard keyboard typewriter by requiring its user to select each character one at a time. The Virtual Typewriter Museum has many examples of this sort of machine.

From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, 1897:

“The Zulu” Breech Loading Shot Gun $3.40.

Our Genuine “Zulu” Breech Loading Shot Gun. A safe, strong and close shooter to load. The hammer must be raised to half cock, the breech block brought over by the thumb from left to right. The ex­tractor is attached to the breech block; by pulling the block backward the shell is extracted. There is a spiral spring that carries block back to position. This is a very strong and durable gun for general purposes; 12 gauge only.

Our special price….. $3.40

From what little I’ve read, the “Zulu” guns were old single-shot muskets modified to use shotgun shells and then imported to the United States (a brief definition can be found at MidwayUSA.) It should also be noted that these shotguns were half the price of their single-barreled brethren in the Sears catalog.

From the Montgomery Ward Catalogue of 1895:

Edison Mimeograph.

24579 The Edison Mimeograph Type writer. A practical working machine, that does perfect mimeograph work. It has steel type, keeps good align­ment, prints from a ribbon, is a heavy manifolder, and is strong and durable, at same time being light and portable.

Writes 78 characters, caps and small letters….. $22.00

It should be noted that this device, is not, in fact, a mimeograph machine, but rather an index typewriter used to make stencils for a mimeograph. Contrary to its name, this device was in fact manufactured by the A.B. Dick Co., who licensed Edison’s copying technology patents and marketed the device using his name.

For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry on the mimeograph. Some nice pictures of this typewriter and history are available at the Early Office Museum.

From the Montgomery Ward Catalogue of 1895:

24350 THE KOMBI. A small, thoroughly prac­tical, pocket camera: made of metal, bronze finished, measures 2×1½ inches, and weighs, when loaded for twenty-five exposures, about four ounces. It takes films and makes a picture 1 1/8 x 1 1/8 inches square, or a circle picture 1 1/8 inches in diameter. With the cam­era is combined a magnifying graphoscope, for view­ing the photographs when developed and printed upon a strip of translucent material.
Price, in cloth-covered case ….. $3.50
1 Roll Film, for 25 exposures ….. .20
1 Box of 5 Rolls of Film (for 25 exposures each) ….. 1.00
Complete Developing and Printing Outfit ….. 3.00
Magazine containing extra loading ….. 1.50
Rubber Loading Sleeve ….. .60
No. 2 Staff Tripod with plate ….. 2.00

I’m surprised such a small camera existed in the 1890s. More information about the Kombi is available at Scott’s Photographica Collection.

I wonder if anyone is still trying to make one…

From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, 1897:

No 15324. The Rival Rat Trap, made of steel wire, japanned. Size 15 inches long, 7½ inches wide, 6½ inches high. This trap is made with a self-locking, tilting, platform, so when a rat is once inside, he cannot escape. The bait holder is supplied through a lid at the top, and it displays the bait alluringly to rats. It is strong and has been proved a reliable rat catcher, free from all ob­jections common to other traps. Price, each….. 72c

No. 15325. Rat Trap. This is an excellent trap, thoroughly well made from dou­ble tinned wire. Size, 6×11 inch­es. Each….. 25c

No. 15328. Revolving Mouse Trap, made of heavy steel wire. Each….. 15c

No. 15329. This is the most successful mouse catcher ever invented. One mouse sets the trap for the next one that comes along; will hold several. Price, each….. 10c

Choke Mouse Traps, round pattern.
No. 15331. 5 holes, each, 5c; per doz….. 54c

From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, 1897:

52076. Ropp’s Commercial Calculator. Saves labor, time and money; simple, rapid, re­liable; adapted to all kinds of business, trades and profess­ions. It is unquestionably the most useful, complete and practical work on the science of arithmetic ever published. It is the only work of its kind that has survived the test of time and acquired a national reputation.

No. 1, bound in waterproof leatherette….. $0.18
No. 2, in fine colored cloth, with pocket….. .35
No. 3, in elegant leather, with pocket, silicate slate and account book….. .70
No. 5, fine seal grain, gilt edges….. 1.00

52078. Vest Pocket Edition. Bound in extra red linen cloth….. .18
Seal grain leather….. .35

Postage extra 5c each.

More information about this little book is available here.

From the Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue, 1897:

Dr. Rose’s French Arsenic Complexion Wafers
OUR SPECIAL PRICE
Per box, 40c; per dozen, $4.25. OUR SPECIAL PRICE
For larger box, 79c; per dozen, $8.00
RETAILS GENERALLY FOR MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PRICE.

PERFECTLY HARMLESS when used in accordance with our directions, it possesses the “wizard’s touch” in producing, preserving and enhancing beauty of form and person in male and female by surely developing a transparency and pellucid clearness of complexion, shapely contour of form, brilliant eyes, soft and smooth skin, where by nature the reverse exists. (more…)