The earliest forms of tradecards were to be found at the beginning of the 17th century in London. These were used as advertising and also as maps, directing the public to merchant's stores, as there was no formal street numbering system at the time.

The popularity of tradecards soared as they were most effective advertising as newspapers of the time were not well developed and tradecards by directing the reader to a merchant played the similar role to today's online media. The earliest forms of tradecards were printed by the woodcut or letterpress method. By the 18th century, copperplate engraving became the most popular method. Up to the 19th century, tradecards were still done in monotones, or with simple tints. As businesses grew, so did the production and distribution of tradecards. Around 1830, lithography using several colors became an established method in Europe.