History's Best Selling Products of 1853

Revisiting 1853 presents a grand parade of items history, marked by swell Yankee ingenuity and home-front craftsmanship and enduring fan favorites. Unrivaled hits including Cardigan, Twelve Years a Slave, and essential classics took top honors in living rooms and storefronts alike. Master craftsmen from industry leaders like James Brudenell and Solomon Northup led the vanguard, engineering high-caliber releases that swept main street from coast to coast as genuine top-flight hits. Dive into the full historical rankings below to see which standout creations won the day.

1. Cardigan (sweater)

   Released in 1853 by James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan

   The cardigan, a venerable staple in wardrobes worldwide, emerged from the battlefields of the Crimean War, quickly transitioning from a military necessity to a sartorial sensation. Its immediate success lay in its practical design: a button-front knitted garment offering easy layering and warmth without the bulk of a pullover. Popularized by a British military leader, it represented a functional innovation that perfectly suited the needs of the era for adaptable clothing. From its humble origins, it gained traction as a comfortable yet smart alternative to traditional waistcoats and jackets, setting the stage for its enduring legacy as a versatile fashion essential.

2. Twelve Years a Slave

   Released in 1853 by Solomon Northup

   Published in 1853, "Twelve Years a Slave" emerged as a critical historical document during a period of escalating national tension over slavery, just a year after Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Solomon Northup's narrative offered an unparalleled, authenticated first-person account of a free Black man from the North who was kidnapped and sold into bondage in the Deep South, a grim reality that shattered complacent views about slavery's geographical confines and its victims. Its release provided undeniable evidence of the systemic cruelty inherent in the institution, becoming a powerful weapon for abolitionists by detailing the personal anguish and dehumanization experienced under chattel slavery, directly impacting public perception and political discourse.