The International Fur Store: 198 & 163 Regent Street. W.

London. Pebbled Wraps. Good. Very scarce trade catalogue with color plate illustrations. N.d., circa 1880s. Title, with a litho of a female customer greeting a taxidermy bear, followed by two page text store philosphy expositions and then 25 chromolithographic illustration on one side, with name of style and short description on facing page. All but two styles are shown using a painting of a pretty woman that brings to mind perhaps a young Jennie Jerome Churchill or any of a number of Edith Wharton or Henry James heroines. One illustration is of a man, and one is of the design without use of a human mannequin. Styles are designated as the Marcelle, the Danae, Heloise, Medea, Tristran, Latona, York, Cynthea, Maguier, Vernon, Armide, Thisbe, Roselle, Athena, Tavoir, Vesta, Hebe, Jervoise, Thetis, Alma, Fife, D'Alton, Leinster, the Marie Stuart collar, the Russian Circular, the Breton, and the Dallas. The explanation of the store's policy is quite interesting as well. It claims a competitive advantage for the store because of its policy of buying furs wholesale entirely on a cash basis, and then speaks of its loyal American clientele and why that is so -- a combination of quality and strong value. Mentioned is that the store clearly displays the price of each of its wares. No copies found on OCLC, although other ephemera survivors can be found on the Internet. Losses to the front wrap along joint, and surface rubbing with no significant losses. Closed tear to rear wrap, one inch long, repaired. Rebacked with nearly identical blue cloth strip to original.