Trade literature making advertising claims, give instructions in using products, provide testimonials from satisfied customers, and include detailed descriptions of sale products. Trade catalogs first appeared in the 18th century, with the expansion in trade, commerce and consumption. The distinguished English cabinet maker, Thomas Chippendale published a book of his designs in 1754, entitled "The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director" and regarded as the "first comprehensive trade catalogue of its kind". The designs were regarded as reflecting the current London fashion for furniture, and set the standard for his competitors in the market. Chippendale followed this up with a virtual reprint in
Frits Henningsen Frits Henningsen Frits Henningsen (1889–1965) was a Danish furniture designer and cabinet maker who achieved high standards of quality with exclusively handmade pieces. Henningsen was both the proprietor of a furniture-making workshop with a team of cabinetmakers in central Copenhagen as well as the designer of his own products. An active member of the Cabinetmakers Guild from 1927, he was admired by his peers for the high quality of his craftsmanship. Many of his pieces were crafted in exotic woods such as palisander and mahogany. All his furniture is handmade in line with traditional, labour-intensive methods from the 19th century.