The Purpose of the Show Card

A man’s attention is attracted through his sense of sight more readily than in any other way. A word, a phrase, a pithy sentence will catch his eye and focus his interest, where something requiring more concentration would fail. For this reason window dressing has grown into an important feature of every merchant’s business, and cards pointing out the quality and prices of the goods displayed are universally used. These show cards were formerly made by sign painters, until some, more farseeing than others, realized the opportunity to specialize in this line of work, which has now developed into a distinctive trade.