Clipper Ship Cards
by Bruce Roberts

Clipper ship cards are cards that were issued by dispatch lines to advertise specific voyages of clipper ships from one port (usually New York or Boston) to another (usually San Francisco). They were distributed primarily during the late 1850s and early 1860s. Many people quite naturally associate clipper ship cards with the frenzy of the California gold rush, but in fact most clipper ship cards were produced during the decline, not ascent, of the clipper ship industry. Most clipper cards were printed in full color, on coated stock, and represent some of the finest early American color advertising artwork.