ca. 1880 Victorian trade card measures approx. 4 1/8 x 2 3/4 inches.

This is a color lithograph aka chromolithograph trade card from Atmore & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Atmore & Son were a “purveyor of plum pudding and mincemeat at 110 Tasker St., Philadelpha, Pa”.

English immigrant Frederick B. Atmore was reportedly the first person to do make and sell mincemeat in the United States. After his death, his son Robert E. Atmore established Atmore & Sons.

What this company dealt in were and still are traditional Yuletide treats! English plumb pudding is aka English Christmas pudding.

In this trade card, while mom is in the kitchen making up a batch of cookies or something, her two kids are holding up one of Atmore’s yuletide treats! There’s steam or a smell coming out of the thing, and the youngsters look about as excited for this as how I feel about fruitcake (!).

The printer of this trade card was John Louis Ketterlinus, son of Philadelphia lithographer Eugene Ketterlinus, born on June 18, 1852 in Philadelphia. He was proprietor of Ketterlinus Printing house, later Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing Company, a firm active until ca. 1970.

In 1876 Ketterlinus assumed the premier commercial lithograph and printing establishment E. Ketterlinus & Co. started in 1842 by his father Eugene (1824-1886) and Uncle Paul (1820-1894) at Fourth Street below Arch Street.

The firm, which printed color stock cards and manufacturer's labels earlier than any other Philadelphia firm was renowned for their label work. The "plain & fancy printing" firm also printed illustrated Congressional documents, "cards, bill heads, notes, checks, circulars, and catalogues" in addition to "embossed show cards, perfumery, fabric, wine and liquor labels, druggists' furniture, jar and drawer labels."

Under the younger Ketterlinus's management, the firm focused on printing advertising trade cards for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and operated from a large building owned by the elder Ketterlinus at the northwest corner of Fourth and Arch Streets, The shop employed the most advanced equipment of the time, such as the Hoe steam power press; employed innovative techniques for graining details; and maintained a large typographic department with cylinder presses.

Late 19th century recipe for mincemeat: Ingredients = 2 lb. of raisins, 3 lb. currants, 1+ 1/2 lb. of lean beef, 3 lb. of beef suet, 2 lb. of moist sugar, 2 oz. of citron, 2 oz. of candied lemon-peel, 2 oz. of candied orange-peel, 1 small nutmeg, 1 pottle of apples, the rind of 2 lemons, the juice of 1 1/2 pint of brandy.

Mode: Stone and cut the raisins once or twice across, but do not chop them; wash, dry, and pick the currants free from stalks and grit, and mince the beef and suet, taking care the latter is chopped very fine; slice the citron and candied peel, grate the nutmeg, and pare, core, and mince the apples; mince the lemon-peel, strain the juice, and when all the ingredients are thus prepared, mix them well together, adding the brandy when the other things are well blended; press the whole into a jar, carefully exclude the air, and the mincemeat will be ready for use in a fortnight.

English Plumb Pudding is more complicated but may include these ingredients: Unsalted butter (for mold), 1-1/2 cups fine stale breadcrumbs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup milk, scalded, 1/2 cup shortening, chilled very cold and cut into pieces, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 8 ounces raisins (just shy of 1-1/2 cups), chopped, 4 ounces dried figs (about 3/4 cup), chopped, 4 ounces dried currants (about 3/4 cup), chopped, 1 ounce citron, finely diced, 1/8 cup brandy or grape juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground mace, 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, 2 large eggs, beaten.