08/19/2026
Happy Mail Order Catalog Day!
Today, we can easily run to a local store or order just about anything off the internet. In the nineteenth century, particularly in rural areas such as parts of Maine, mail order catalogs were an important resource to get the goods people needed.
JR Libby, second owner of Victoria Mansion, had large stores in Biddeford and Portland. The company also had mail order catalogs, explaining "If You can't Come to Our Store We must Bring Our Store to You."
The catalog was over a hundred pages long and offered a wide variety of goods, including clothing, furniture, books and household items. Shipping was free for packages over five dollars if cash to pay was included with the order. (Otherwise, shipping was one cent per ounce.)
📷
The JR Libby Co. store and the front page of their 1899-1900 catalog
Catalog clippings for a bed, child's dress, book, heater, men's collars and a suitcase