Brett's Clothing Store

One of the most prolific advertisers in Victorian Middleborough was Brett's Clothing Store. Operated on Center Street by George L. Brett, the store was a purveyor of men's and boys clothing and furnishings. Additionally, a steam laundry was operated by the firm for the convenience of customers. Throughout the early 1880s, Brett's issued numerous trade or advertising cards both to solicit business and to attract repeat customers, many of whom collected the colorful lithographic cards and pasted them into albums. Brett's was shortly succeeded as a dealer in men's apparel by Sparrow Brothers and the Middleborough Clothing Company, but neither left behind such a colorful legacy as did Brett's.



Illustrations:
Brett's Clothing Store trade cards, Gies & Company Lithographers and Publishers, Buffalo, NY, numbers E2 and E1, early 1880s.
These cards were produced by a publisher in Buffalo and overprinted in Middleborough with Brett's information by local printer Thatcher & Company. Trade cards were (and remain) highly collectible for their beautiful scenes and skilled printing.