Vintage Christmas Collectibles Sources
Christmas Sample & More
from THR Novelty Catalogs!
To backtrack just a bit... in the early spring months of 2025 a seasonally anachronous book arrived for sale at The Halloween Respect bookstore (digest THR, Volume 4) featuring quite a bit of Christmas imagery. Why? Because during chilly winter months of 2024 (see THR blog "To: Halloween, From: Xmas") new research at THR discovers holiday ads (both Christmas and Easter) for faux stained- glass windows like the Halloween-themed versions appearing in Halloween Artifacts, Volume 1: Lighting. In fact, THR develops a rather large collection of primary sources in the form of newspaper ads from across the decade of the 1940's (example below) with one ad from Wisconsin proudly providing their vendor's name: Milton Bradley! (This is new information at a time when most guides are still recording these as circa 1920's maybe by Dennison or Gibson)
Easter Cathedral Windows by Milton Bradley as seen in
1947 advertisement from Marshfield Book & Stationery Co.
From there, THR is happy to find Springfield Museum's Milton Bradley Company Collection which has a a great collection of company materials - with a brochure definitively advertising their Christmas window product in the1940's! Hurray! Based on that, THR continues sifting, hoping to understand their history behind-the-scenes --- and you can read more on THR's blog and in THR, Volume 4 which has copious notes (and images) about professional art educator Louise D. Tessin of Milton Bradley's educational ventures.
Following are just some of the samples from educators magazines such as American Childhood found on Internet Archive. Note - it's a bit interesting really how this all relates to some of the info in the very first THR, Volume 1 that helps prove vintage holidays for young persons is a strong driver in the vintage market and not just adult audiences as has been told to us from other experts.
Easter Cathedral Windows, American Childhood, 1945.
Christmas Cathedral Windows, American Childhood, 1942.
Halloween Cathedral Windows from Instructor, 1941
Anyway, it seems the perfect time to mention not only THR, Volume 4 for the research it contains, but also note the beautiful homage piece created by @bindlegrim. The Halloween artist created these just for the THR digest free, not for sale elsewhere, to given away with each copy of THR, Volume 4.
Fast forward, to December 2025, and THR @halloweenretrospecs has a bit of fun sharing more Christmas finds from catalog samples off the library shelves (see below). It's just a reminder that Christmas catalog data is stashed in nearly ~650 vintage novelty merchandise catalogs (and more) that fuels the research engine of THR.
While certainly true THR focuses on antique and vintage Halloween collectibles - the archive is always interested in trading its primary source data of Christmas, Easter, or any other number of seasonal and non-season collectibles data for your novelty merchandise catalogs, pamphlets, or fliers that contain Halloween. And that's not just catalog data but objects too... see Craw-Bogle Trader.
Are you new to The Halloween Retrospect? THR, after 2+ years of publishing, now offers a six-book research library of data based on sources (such as those above) rather than second-hand guesses that have riddled the collector environment! THR books now include two art-book-style surveys Halloween Artifacts, V1: Lighting and Halloween Artifacts, V2 Festoons as well as four article-based digests The Halloween Retrospect Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4. For a small niche publisher – THR is happy to celebrate sales of 400 books – see also @halloweenretrospecs on Instagram.
THR, Vol 4 (April 2025)
$25.00 + tax/shipping. (Etsy THR Bookstore)
The Halloween Retrospect, Volumes 4 - is the latest Halloween collectibles guide from THR to reveal new previously forgotten information about the vintage market. This book features a two-part article concerning art educator Tessin together with a study contemporary contributors whose work connects to early 20th-century Milton Bradley - particularly their stained glass window transparencies. Shorter items include a review of products in Sunday school catalogs, John Wilcox items, and visuals by Mabel Betsy Hill. .
Decor & crossword puzzle included with guidebook THR, V4.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Note official copies contain @Bindlegrim homage and a new crossword puzzle.
Introduction (pg. 4)
Bradley’s Creatives - Part 1 A Short History of Holiday Visionary Louise D. Tessin (pg. 6)
Bradley’s Creatives - Part 2 Tessin, Her Contemporaries, and a Colorful Invention (pg. 14)
October’s Cathedral A Secret Cache Of Hallowe’en For Sunday School (pg. 25)
John Wilcox & Hallowe’en Up-to-date, Unique, & Splendid Portrayals of Spirit (pg. 28)
The Witches’ Dance More Hallowe’en Chaos by Artist Mabel Betsy Hill (pg. 31)
Index The Halloween Retrospect, Vol. 1 -Vol. 4 (pg. 33)
Index The Halloween Retrospect, Vol. 1 -Vol. 4 (pg. 33)
PLEASE NOTE: THR does NOT employ AI-generative technology. Content is created by human biological entities to ensure results engage accurate research with mindful artistry.
Your purchase supports the fevered work of THR's research books - not the fever dream of a robot.
