With the holiday and shopping seasons finally ending I thought it would be only fitting to share with you a few of the ads that ran in the December 20, 1894 edition of the Eau Claire newspaper. Most of us think of advertising as a recent phenomenon dreamed up by clever ad executives who sole agenda is to lure us into their stores to spend our hard-earned money on stuff we really don’t need. The truth is that marketing has been around in many forms for quite some time. P.T. Barnum, the greatest showmen to ever walk the earth, had mastered advertising throughout the 1800s with his genius use of the newspapers. Thanks to Barnum newspapers were filled with stories of Fiji Mermaids, Wild Men, Tom Thumb, and other dime store human novelties all set up to entice thousands of visitors to his New York Museum.  

  In honor of Barnum go ahead and take a good look at these Eau Claire ads and I think you will agree that they are simply terrific. I love the tobacco ad where they made no effort to hide the advertising agenda of the Climax Plug, the tobacco that every lover needs. It even has a drawing of a couple shown in a loving tobacco embrace. Also check out the Elkhart Carriage and Harness ad where for only $37.50 you could get yourself a brand new four-wheeled buggy for your family. You could also pick up a large farm wagon for only $43, but if you wanted a simple bicycle it would set back a whopping $55. Keep in mind that the average yearly income of a family in 1894 would have only been about $275. 

  I hope you enjoy these ads and that your holiday season was filled with gifts of linen goods, handkerchiefs, and fancy goods. If not, I at least hope that Santa left you some of his soap in your stocking.

  Keep an eye out …