Montgomery Ward: Fall-Winter 1928-29
Both seem simply painted, but the style seems closely matched -especially the roof snow - to the photos under Glossy-Tops - especially the smaller houses.
It does not mean that because village houses don't appear in these catalogs before these dates that they were not being sold in the 5&10's and department stores. I just don't know. But James S.Morrison's fabulous compendium of authentic old home Christmas photos A VINTAGE VIEW OF CHRISTMAS PAST would also seem to bear this out. One sees the cardboard houses in photos from the thirties on, but not before. Earlier putzes are seen to be comprised mainly of home made or tin train accessory buildings, albeit many amazingly elaborate and well-crafted things. (This hard-to-find publication is a book the serious putz collector absolutely ought to have! I have no affiliation with Mr. Morrison except for a great appreciation of his book, but E-mail me and I'll tell you what you'll need to do to get a copy.) - The cardboard candy-surprise containers in the shape of houses go back quite a bit further, but I have yet to find solid documentary evidence of the Japanese cardboard village houses prior to 1928! If anyone has such evidence, please come forth! I'm dying to see it and revise the above remarks accordingly!
In the meantime, I find three basic types - with hybrid variations - starting in this earliest period: lacking any other references, I call them the: -
The PRINTIES,
GlOSSY-TOPS,
and The
LOG CABINS