The 1897 Sears, Roebuck

and Co. Catalog

Recently my local historical society

had its annual yard sale. One of the

items I bought was a reprint of this

famous catalog. It was recreated by

Fred L. Israel of the City College of

New York. It is 786 pages long

(including the index). I have copies

some of the pages to give you an

indication of American life in these

times. I had fun putting this together

and I hope you do too!

(Only the cover is in color, all the other pages are

black and white)

Historical Context

Before you start, here are a couple of

trivial items for 1897…..

• Henry Ford had just built his first car in his shed at home

• Gold had just been discovered in the Klondike

• William McKinley became the 25th president

• The nation’s most popular song was

• “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”

• America’s first subway opened in Boston