New Bedford Massachusetts Wheaton Clown 1890s Ketterlinus Trade Card 3 x 4.75

This 1890s Victorian trade card advertises W. F. Wheaton, Printer and Stationer of New Bedford, Massachusetts, using a whimsical clown illustration produced by the Ketterlinus lithographic firm.

In the late nineteenth century, local printers and stationers relied on colorful stock trade cards to promote their services. Firms such as Ketterlinus of Philadelphia supplied finely detailed chromolithographed designs that small businesses could overprint with their names and locations. These cards frequently featured theatrical, circus, or children’s themes that aligned with popular entertainment culture of the period while drawing visual attention to the advertiser.

The illustration depicts a central clown figure flanked by two young girls, framed within a large stylized scroll or banner motif. At upper left, the overprinted text reads W. F. Wheaton, Printer and Stationer, New Bedford, Mass., with a decorative axe labeled Utah incorporated into the design. The card measures approximately 3 x 4.75 inches and reflects typical late Victorian chromolithographic production associated with Ketterlinus.

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