Lieut. Greeley (Sic) Arrives at the North Pole.
Ephemera. (Taunton Iron Works Co. Quaker and Quaker Jr. Ranges.)
Geo. H. Walker & Co., ( n.d. (Circa 1881)), Boston
Color lithograph trade card, 10 x 6 inches. b/w illustration and text on verso.
Price: $200
Unusually large trade card advertising stoves manufactured by Taunton Iron Works in Massachusetts. The scene depicts Greely and friends around a toasty “Quaker” portable range. A dead polar bear lies on the left side of the image, speared by a member of the expedition, the only man in the image without facial hair. Inuit? Perhaps. The verso of the card presents an image of the stove with 22 reasons “Why Housekeepers Demand the ‘Quaker’ and ‘Quaker Jr.’ Portable Ranges.” This item is offered with a copy of Dave Cheadle’s 30-page pamphlet, “Arctic Obsession,” a treatise on Victorian trade cards celebrating Arctic exploration, and prominently featuring the image on this card. Interestingly, Cheadle’s example is slightly different than the present card, suggesting it was a popular image, recycled for various models of ranges and stoves. Color image has a few creases but is in good condition. The verso shows 4 old glue spots, where the card was removed from a scrapbook.
