James R. Osgood was a Boston publishing firm initially active between 1871 and 1878. Osgood was an employee of the Ticknor and Fields publishing house. Later he became a named partner with Fields, Osgood and Company. When Fields retired in 1871 the new firm was called James R. Osgood and Company.In 1878 to forestall financial ruin Osgood joined with the Hurd and Houghton firm to form Houghton, Osgood and Company. A fire destroyed the inventory of this newly formed company in 1879. Osgood started up again in 1880 This new company went out of business in 1885.
The firm published a number of periodicals- Atlantic Monthly, Our Young Folks, Every Saturday- as well as numerous first editions including books by Bret Harte, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes. Many of these latter authors were originally published by Ticknor and Fields.
Here is a nice trade card from James R. Osgood and Company. The card advertised on the back The Glad Year Around written by Miss A. G. Plympton. It was first published in 1881. Thus this card is most likely from that year.
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