Cheese--Retail & Wholesale at the World's Columbian Expo in 1893

I've found that period brochures, flyers, correspondence are always the best way to see how individuals and companies participated in the World's Columbian Exposition. Having devote some 45 years to researching and writing books focused on different aspects of history, these period pieces let you know in a hurry how the companies viewed themselves and how they sold to customers.

This Canadian Firm, exhibiting in the Agriculture Building (within the Canada Section), had one difference on this hand-out card for the company at the WCE: It used the same text for both retail and wholesale sales. I can't tell you with certainty that 1890s firms did NOT generally do this, but in recent decades, most catalogs and sales pieces used different items and generally different text for retail and wholesale customers.

This is another nice and inexpensive paper item from the fair. The software for this sale will automatically invoice you $5 for shipping and handling when you make your purchase; our standard shipping is in a well padded and tracked envelope for $5. If you prefer we send this item in a standard business envelope with minimal padding we will send it first class mail, no tracking and just $2 vs. $5. If you let us know your preference is for the $2 we can refund your $3 after you have paid; and shipping in this manner the USPS provides no tracking AND in my experiencei well placed "please do not bend" stickers help but it certainly doesn't preclude a sloppy postal employee from shoving it in to your mail box folded or otherwise poorly handled