Vintage | Did You Know

21 Illustrated Household Tips From 100 Years Ago

<div><p>If you have kids, they probably still love to collect trading cards. It may seem odd to think that these collectibles for children used to come in cigarette packages, but they have an interesting history,</p><p>Cigarettes would be packaged with a cardboard card to keep the package from crushing. Eventually, companies would put designs, or pictures of celebrities and athletes on them (this was how baseball cards were invented).</p><p>But one company, Gallagher's Cigarettes, put their own spin on the cards by making helpful "how-to" cards with illustrations on one side and explanations on the other. We've put together 21 of the most interesting ones from the <a href="https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/">New York Public Library's digital collection of the full set</a>. </p><p><strong>Be warned: this advice is a century old, so take some of it with a grain of salt.</strong> </p><p></p><p><strong>1. Make a water filter</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/20.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>2. Check for rotten eggs</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/18-1.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/18-1_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/18-1_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/18-1_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/18-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>3. Tie knots</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/16-2.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/16-2_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/16-2_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/16-2_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/16-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>4. Remove a wedding ring</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/14-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/14-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>5. Revive dying flowers</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/12-3.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/12-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>6. Chill wine with no ice</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/10-4.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/10-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>7. Pull out nails</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/8-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/8-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/8-3_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/8-3_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/8-11.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>8. Making potatoes</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/6-4.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/6-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>9. Homemade fire extinguisher</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/4-4.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/4-4-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>10. Light a match in the wind</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/2-4.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/2-4_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/2-4_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/2-4_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/2-2-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>11. Thinly slice bread</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/21.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/21_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/21_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/21_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/21-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>12. Water plants while you're on vacation</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/19-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/19-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>13. Separate drinking glasses</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/17-2.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/17-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>14. Clean a soiled handkerchief </strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/15-2.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/15-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>15. Stop a speeding horse</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/13-2.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/13-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>16. Boiling eggs</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/11-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/11-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/11-3_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/11-3_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/11-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>17. Measuring using coins</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/9-3.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/9-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>18. Kill a tree stump</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/7-5.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/7-5_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/7-5_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/7-5_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/7-11.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p></p><p><strong>19. Hold a heavy pitcher</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/5-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/5-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/5-3_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/5-3_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/5-5.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>20. Use a watch as a compass</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/3-3.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/3-3_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/3-3_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/3-3_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/3-3-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p><strong>21. Remove a splinter</strong></p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/1-6.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/1-6_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/1-6_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/1-6_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/1-1-1.jpg" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p></p></div>

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