sears catalog1

The 1897 Sears, Roebuck
and Co. Catalog

Recently my local historical society
had its annual yard sale. One of the
items I bought was a reprint of this
famous catalog. It was recreated by
Fred L. Israel of the City College of
New York. It is 786 pages long
(including the index). I have copies
some of the pages to give you an
indication of American life in these
times. I had fun putting this together
and I hope you do too!

(Only the cover is in color, all the other pages are
black and white)

Historical Context

Before you start, here are a couple of
trivial items for 1897…..

• Henry Ford had just built his first
car in his shed at home

• Gold had just been discovered in
the Klondike

• William McKinley became the 25th
president

• The nation’s most popular song
was

• “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old
Town Tonight”

• America’s first subway opened in
Boston