MAIL ORDER CATALOGUES

Sometimes, when I look through flyers and catalogues, I wonder if the people who create them know that the work they do might have a lasting effect on society. Maybe they are too worried about deadlines to think much about the actual information in their product, but personally, I think many of those flyers will be a valuable resource in the future.

If you do a quick search online, you can find many websites sites that compile collections of old catalogues and advertisements, purely for nostalgic purposes. I have to wonder if the people who designed those old catalogues knew that they were doing more than providing shopping options for people in urban and rural areas alike. Did they know that these catalogues would have a shelf life that lasted decades longer than many of the products featured inside?

I’ve always had an interest in old advertisements. As a child, the toy section was the only thing that really captivated me. As I teenager, reading through flyers from only a few years earlier was a fun reminder of how quickly fashions had changed. A few years later, when a friend shared with me his grandparent’s decades-long collection of vintage Eaton’s catalogues, my real fascination began.

By this point in time, the Eaton’s department store was long gone, a simple memory of Canada’s past. Looking through these “new” old books, though, opened me up to so much more than just toys and games. They gave me a glimpse into a time period I knew only from movies and TV. Now I could see real items that would have been in real people’s home. There were actual prices listed next to actual colours of the time. The artwork was different from what I was used to, and not only were they a great source of historical information, they also provided unexpected inspiration.

Before I start writing, I like to visualize everything about my characters’ world, and in the last few years, these catalogues have become another great tool for planning. From how characters might have dressed, to the way their homes were decorated, these books are full of era-appropriate fashions and home furnishings. It is also interesting to see what might have been considered a modern convenience in the past, compared to what we would consider convenient now.

So many of these catalogues are available online, which makes it easier than ever to navigate my way through their pages. Even if I plan to look for inspiration on one simple item, like a coat or table cloth, it is impossible not to get lost in a world of old clothing, toys, and furniture. Maybe someday, people would look at our “modern” catalogues, and use them as writing tools too, and hopefully, they will find them just as inspiring as I do now.