I've not seen it before. The bird cage was for comic effect. A fair number of 1800s trade cards were intentionally comical.
If it didn't contain wood pulp, the paper could remain white all these years. Wood pulp is what makes 1900s newspapers turn brown and brittle, and it wasn't used in early paper. Counterintuitively, 1800s paper can be whiter and brighter than 1950s paper.
Last edited by drc; 07-14-2012 at 11:43 PM.
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