Published by S. A. Guyer, the Advertiser was established in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1879. In addition to publishing the newspaper, Guyer also operated a job printing office and sold moth-proof carpet lining, grocer’s paper bags, and flour sacks from his office at 418 King Street. The Advertiser was published every Saturday morning and distributed freely.

The paper published short fiction and poetry in addition to covering foreign and national news. The former included reports on flooding in Spain and remarked on the potential for the outbreak of war between Germany and Russia. In addition, the newspaper contained many advertisements for items such as Robinson’s Oyster Bay, Lea and Son’s Family Flour, Clayton House Shoe Store, Shoemaker’s Baskets Wood Ware and Brushes, Dr. Simms Vegetable Liver Pills, and Clymer’s Celebrated Carriage Bodies.

National news appeared in a column titled “All Sorts.” It included news items such as the status of chestnut and peanut crops and the following brief notices: “Baltimore expects a policeman to make at least one arrest in twenty years,” “No mother wearing banged hair should preserve her photographs,” and “a colored brother makes a good Indian-fighter. The December 13, 1879 issue of the Advertiser noted that the Common Council of Philadelphia had passed an ordinance appropriating $15,000 for a reception for former president Ulysses S. Grant.

The December 20, 1879 issue of the paper discussed the revival of the worldwide economy following the long depression that began in 1873. The paper commented on improvements in manufacturing and trade as well as an increase in traveling. At the same time, Guyer cautioned his readers to remain thrifty.

It is unknown when the Advertiser ceased publication. It is not listed in Rowell’s newspaper directory of 1880.

Newspaper The Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1879-1879