EPHEMERA

Post Cards

     Penny Post Cards became the standard form of communication between company and grocer (“call cards”) as the regional broker was phased out in the mid-1880’s.  These carried printed stamps and restricted one side to address only.  These were followed by cards to which a stamp had to be affixed and one side could carry both the address and a short messaage, leaving the “face” side entirely free for full illustration and/or an advertising message.  The illustrations were soon phased out in favor of photographs, the most numerous series of which were issued in both black and white photos and duplicated in full color versions.  Post cards, still at just a penny postage, were largely eliminated for routine business once the telephone became widely operative, circa 1910.

at the right: "boy in top hat" card and the back side of the card with a simple address.  Hiawa Coffee card front side.

         Photographic Post Cards became wildly popular as soon as they entered the market in about 1908 and survived for a decade due to the advertising value of the subjects illustrated and the continuing scarcity of telephones in rural markets.

pictured at right: a color card that states below the image "Loading McLaughlin's Coffee for shipment to the United States."   Below right is a card that declares - "Actual scene in Santos. Remarkable feat by one of our porters carrying McLaughlin's Coffee. From photograph obtained by our Brazilian manager. Five bags of green coffee weigh 300 kilos (660 lbs.)."

Children’s XXXX Inserts

            (actual series count unknown)
     Young Artist Paint Books  (8 listed) were added to the one pound “bricks” of coffee following the distribution of premiums when falling sales indicated a consumer preference for children’s entertainments over the more adult utility items (for which application had to be made to the Chicago offices).  These booklets contained little water color palettes for use on blank illustrations within.

At the right is a McLaughlin's Young Artist's Paint Book and a McLaughlin's XXXX Drawing Book.  

         McLaughlin’s XXXX Drawing Books  (8 listed)  were distributed simultaniously with the paint books.  These offered ink-lined illustrations with a leaf of waxed paper for tracing over the printed image.

         McLaughlin’s Story Booklets  (12 listed)   were slightly larger than the two previous series.  Each offered a simple children’s story complete with illustrations that would entertain a child’s imagination.

At the right is pictured the "Little Dressmaker" Story Book Cover. 

         McLaughlin’s Wonderful Animal Books  (8 listed) in same size as above series.  Covers in red, green, blue, and yellow and illustrating various wild animals.  Inner pages are split so child can combine different upper and lower bodies to create make-believe animals.  Identical series was issued by at least one other (Millar & Co.) Chicago coffee company.

At right is the McLaughlin's Wonderful Animal Book featuring a monkey.

         Picture Puzzle Cards  (2 listed)  3x5” single cards.  Face shows a colorful picture, within which viewer is to find various animals.  The back lists various articles “now being given away free with each and every package of XXXX Coffee”.

At right is the front and back of a Picture Puzzle Card.

  McLaughlin’s XXXX Coffee Fold-out Strips  (15 listed)  Each strip contains five separate panels illustrating the title subject.  Each panel can be folded to stand upright.

Below is the Chicago Fire Department fold-out strip

We hope you enjoy the tasty sampling of McLaughlin’s Coffee Company’s memorabila you will find on this web site.
And be sure to look for the highly detailed series of books coming soon that are written by the company’s founders
grandson William F. McLaughlin. If you have any interesting information about the company or anecdotes you would
like included in the books please contact Bill at:
wfmcl@embarqmail.com