Ironically, this Victorian trade card for Le Page’s Liquid Glue has been torn in half and taped back together. This product came about in the 1880s and was marketed not only as a glue, but also as a cover for cuts and burns. Hmmm…I recently acquired this card with a large job lot of antique trade cards and was amused to find it torn. The front of the card shows a scene of a vagrant lounging in the first class lounge of a trainstation. A sign above the plush bench upon which he is seated says, “No Loafers Allowed Here.” Clearly, he doesn’t belong there. A host of policemen are charging toward the scene through an open door which reveals a concerned father and child and a departing train. Already in the lounge, five beadles try to remove the hobo from the bench, but they’re not having good luck. The caption beneath the image reads: “HOLD ON! IT’S NO USE PULLIN’, -- I’M STUCK WITH LE PAGE’SGLUE. This is evidenced by an open package of the glue on the floor to the man’s right. “Awarded London Gold Medal, 1883. Le Page’s Liquid Glue One Box” is printed on the case. The border of the card reads: THIS MAN USED LE PAGE’S LIQUID GLUE IN THE WRONG PLACE. SOLD IN BOTTLES AND IN CANS. UNEQUALED FOR REPAIRING WOOD, LEATHER, GLASS, IVORY, CHINA, JEWELRY, METALS &C. Curiously, unlike most English cards, this one isn’t
printed on the reverse. Source: Stalking the Belle
