Sand Paper Advertising HandbillMatthewman & LewisNew Haven, Oct. 15, 1868
An interesting advertising handbill for Sand Paper, sold by Matthewman & Lewis, hardware merchants of New Haven, Connecticut. Dated October 15, 1868. A handbill was a common 18th and 19th century form of advertising, a single, small printed page intended to be distributed by hand, unlike a broadside which was a large printed page for posting or pasting on a wall. The ultimate form of ephemera, handbills rarely survived the passage of time.
What's so special about this handbill for Sand, or Flint Paper? Woodworkers today seem to think of sandpaper as a modern convenience. This handbill shows that in the mid 19th century, Flint Paper was a commodity of enough importance to warrant the printing of a letterpress handbill.
Who was Matthewman & Lewis? Hardware dealers of enough success to warrant a full page advertisement in the 1869 Waterbury, Ct. directory and to have had a stereoview taken of their establishment.
