Seed Packets/Catalogs

If you're a vintage image enjoyer, you've probably seen vintage seed packets or catalog covers for sale or download on various sites. From what I've been able to find out, many of the images are actually of seed catalog covers, and many are available in the public domain. The inner pages also feature numerous useful images. Let me show you how to find these gold mines of vintage images. 

I find these images through Internet Archive, although this site features some collections that are hosted elsewhere. Search for "seed catalog"  You won't be able to see many of the catalogs' covers unless you click on them, but some of them will be visible. You can also click on one of the two collections: 

archive.org/details/seedcatalogs 

archive.org/details/usda-nurseryandseedcatalog 

Some really iconic seed catalog images: 

Other notable images: 

To download an image from Internet Archive, click the rectangle at the bottom of the reader screen.  Then,  right click on the image you want to download  and select "Open image in new tab." You can then drag and drop the image into your computer desktop.

Note the small thing that looks like an incomplete square or rectangle in the bottom right of this image. This button will put you in full screen, increasing image quality. 

You can use the same process to download any individual page from an Internet Archive book. If, while not in full screen, you scroll to the bottom of the page, related results are presented there. This is another way to find pretty catalogs. 

IMPORTANT:  Please make sure to check the date and any permissions before reusing an image or file. 

You may also like:Â