Visual and textual materials from the Library Company's Asian American and Pacific Islander History Collection.

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Tsow Chaoong. Canton. [graphic].
Calling card for the Boston Chinese Museum "Writing Master" Tsow Chaoong. Includes a border containing flowers, birds, and cherubs. Chaoong's name also printed in Chinese characters. The Boston Chinese Museum, established following the first official trade agreement between the U.S. and China (Wanghsia Treaty of 1844), operated 1845-1847 in Boston before traveling to Philadelphia. The Museum operated in Philadelphia 1847-1849 and New York 1849-1850 before closing. Chaoong produced custom made cards for visitors that contained their names and places of birth in Chinese characters that were accompanied by his calling cards., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of views of Philadelphia., Card described in Ronald J. Zboray's "Between "Crockery-dom" and Barnum: Boston's Chinese Museum, 1845-47" American Quarterly, June 2004, pp. 292.
Tuesday, August 15, 1905. The Ladies clothing emporium. She and I[?] take an umbrella to [the?] and get our first look at the heathen Chinee. [graphic].
Manuscript note with images from magazines of four women and a Chinese man pasted on the back of a Keystone Telephone Company order form. Handwritten note, presumably by a white woman, describes a trip to a women's clothing store and an encounter seeing a Chinese man. It reads, "Tuesday, August 15, 1905. The Ladies clothing emporium. She and I[?] take an umbrella to [the?] and get our first look at the heathen Chinee." Four fashion magazine prints depicting women attired in dresses have been cut out and pasted on each corner of the card. In the bottom center is a photomechanical print of a Chinese man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a tunic, robe, a string of beads, and cloth slip-on shoes, standing with his hands at his waist and looking down. An arrow points from the word "Chinee" to the image. Robert H. Foerderer (1860-1903) founded the Keystone Telephone Company in 1900. Bell bought Keystone in 1944., Title and date from manuscript written on verso., Text printed on recto: Keystone Telephone Company, Equip. Dept., Detail Order Record. Detail order no.; File no.; Ordered; Supply order no.; Location and nature of work; [C]ompleted; Elapsed time; [?]st material; Cost labor; [T]otal cost; Acct. chgble; [?]reman; Men; Remarks., Library Company copy is torn on the left side., RVCDC
A typical scene in Hawaii. The hula-hula dance. [graphic].
Photograph depicting six Hawaiian women hula dancing in front of spectators during King Kalakaua's Silver Jubiliee celebrating his fiftieth birthday in 1886 in Honolulu. The women, barefooted and attired in flower leis around the crown of their heads and around their necks, anklets, white long-sleeved shirts, and fabric skirts, dance with their arms out to the left. Behind them a large crowd of spectators sit and stand and watch. Also visible are a palm tree and partial views of tents and a pavillion. In the right of the postcard is an advertisement for "Zenith Art Lusters" from N.Z. Graves Co., Philadelphia. Nelson Z. Graves (1849–1930) formed N.Z. Graves & Co., a manufacturer of varnish, japan, and pigments, in 1888., Text from item., Date inferred from postcard design., Text printed on recto: Put heavy accent on the syllables marked thus: -. Speak lightly the syllables marked thus: U. Zenith Art Lusters! Oh, come in and buy. They’ll brighten your home up and tickle the eye. There never was anything suited to please. Equal in quality, like unto these. Floors, chairs and tables, all shine at their touch, Old furniture scuffed, from using too much. Walls, ceilings and plaster and any such things, Wear better, look better, covered with stains. Step in and ask and the dealer will give a fine little booklet that helps you to live. Like artists, with comfort and beauty about. Costs you naught, aids you much, counsels you well. To learn more about “Zenith Art Lusters” ask the dealer from whom this card came or Dept. “R.”, Sheet number: 40B02A, Divided back.
Use Muzzy's starch [graphic].
Trade card promoting Elkhart Starch Company and depicting a racist caricature of a Chinese man laundry worker holding up a shirt to a white family. Shows the family standing in the right, including the white man, attired in a brown bowler hat, a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a brown-checked suit, holding a walking stick; the white woman attired in a yellow and pink hat and a blue dress with a red bow; and the white girl, attired in a yellow hat and a red and blue dress, holding a small box. In the left, the Chinese man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a blue tunic and blue pants with yellow accents, stands behind a table with an iron and ironing board on top of it. He holds up a white shirt, which shows the reflection of the white woman. A basket full of laundry is on the ground. In the background is a stove and a clothesline of white shirts and clothes. A.L. Muzzy built the Muzzy & Sage Mill in Elkhart, Indiana in 1870. Albert R. Beardsley (1847-1924) purchased the mill in 1878 and founded the Elkhart Starch Company. The Company was bought by the National Starch in 1893., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of business advertised., Advertising text printed on verso: "Be sure to use Muzzy's Corn Starch." Includes six recipes, including for sponge pudding, creamy pudding sauce, Salem pudding, scolloped oysters, oyster pie, and butter scotch., Gift of Linda Kimiko August., RVCDC
Use the agate iron ware, as it never rusts or leaks, and loudly are its praises sung by every tongue that speaks. [graphic].
Trade card promoting Weber & Bro. and depicting a caricaturized Chinese man sailing in a pot and a duck sailing in a kettle. In the left, the man, wearing his hair in a queue and attired in a red cap and long-sleeved, yellow tunic with red polka dots, holds an oar as he sails in an oversized handled pot with a shirt as the sail. The pot reads, "For China." In the right, a yellow duck, attired in a red cap and shirt, looks through a telescope as it sails in a kettle that reads, "For Europe, Asia, Africa." A ship is visible in the left background. George and William Weber founded Weber & Bro. in 1881. They sold hardware, cutlery, and tools at their store located at 2230 North Front Street., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Weber & Bro., 2230 North Front Street, Philadelphia, PA., RVCDC
A View of central section of British fortress city Singapore [graphic].
Drawing depicting a view of Singapore. Shows several streets with multi-storied buildings, including a domed-building and a church with a steeple. Numerous trees grow along the fence-lined streets and properties. In the background, the water is visible, probably the Singapore Strait. The British occupied Singapore from 1819 to 1942., Title from item., Date inferred from content and active dates of the artist., Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell, 2019.
[View of the Centennial Machinery Hall with people from all nations] [graphic].
Block-printed wallpaper depicting an exterior view of Machinery Hall designed by Henry Pettit and Joseph M. Wilson for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Horse-drawn carriages bring visitors to and from the Hall. A large crowd of spectators walk on the grounds. In the foreground, people from various nationalities and ethnicities are represented including Native Americans attired in feather headdresses; two men, including a Black man, attired in fez hats; two Chinese men, one carrying a fan, attired in conical hats and robes; two Arab men in white headdresses and robes; and a Scottish man attired in a kilt. Other spectators include a man attired in a sailor’s uniform, men and women couples, and young boys., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from content., Gift of David Doret., RVCDC
Virginia II, Phil. Women's College [graphic] / Sun Studio.
Full-length, forward-facing portrait of Virginia Vidal Llamas, crowned the Queen of the Manila Carnival in 1922. Llamas, attired in a white dress with sequin decorations, necklace, and crown, sits on a wooden throne with a carved crown. The train of her dress stretches out on the floor toward the viewer. She holds a staff decorated with ribbons in her right hand and rests her left hand on her lap. Virginia Vidal Llamas (1905-1968) was the eldest daughter of Laguna’s former governor, Vicente Llamas, and Feliza Vidal. She attended the Philippine Women’s College. She married Carlos P. Romulo, her consort at the carnival, in 1924, and they had four sons. The Manila Carnivals were two-week fairs organized by Americans during colonization from 1908 to 1939. They showcased commercial, industrial, and agricultural progress and included parades, shows, firework displays, and the crowning of the Manila Carnival Queen., Title from negative., Date from event date., Manuscript note written on verso: Queen of Manila carnival, 1921., Sheet number: 153B05., Undivided back.
The Walnut Street Theatre, 119th and 120th season [graphic].
Program for performance of The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan at the Walnut Street Theater, Philadelphia in January, 1928. Includes a list of the cast of the two act opera; history of the Mikado; article on the upcoming performance of the musical Chicago; and an article on Winthrop Ames. Cover image shows a decorative stone structure with sphinx, satyr, women, and urns against a red background. Advertisements include: Chinese restaurants, King Joy, Mandarin Cafe, Cathay Tea Garden; Mirador restaurant; Frigidaire; Bonschur & Holmes, opticians; Locust Laundry; Joseph Rieder, money lender; and Stetson Hats., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of the stage production., Cast of performers include: John Barclay, William Williams, Fred Wright, William C. Gordon, J. Humbird Duffey, Lois Bennett, S. Russell Sterling, Bettina Hall, Vera Ross, George C. Lehrian, Paula Langlen. Settings & costumes: Raymond Sovey. Dances: Michio Ito. Stage Manager: John Clements. Winthrop Ames: Managerial sponsor of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company., Advertisements for Philadelphia Chinese restaurants include: King Joy “Leading Chinese-American Restaurant, S.E. Corner 12th and Chestnut Streets. Art Coogan and His Orchestra, Broadcasting Nightly Thru W.I.P. The city’s most delightful Restaurant to dine and dance” and depicting a Chinese woman, attired in a tunic and pants, holding a parasol; Mandarin Café “1016-18 Chestnut St. Smartest Café in Town, Announcing Ruth Bott and Her Studio Girl Orchestra, First Girl’s Most Unique Orchestra in Philadelphia, Dancing”; and Cathay Tea Garden “Chinese-American Restaurant, 1223 Chestnut Street, Billy Hays, Popular Song Writer and His Cathay Tea Garden Dance Orchestra, Dancing” and depicting a Chinese woman, wearing her hair up and attired in a tunic, pants, and slip on shoes, holding a fan in each hand.
Wanamaker’s ladies’ & gents’ dining rooms, 42 N. 8th St., bel. Arch, Geo. W. Wanamaker. [graphic].
Trade card promoting Wanamaker's restaurant and depicting a Chinese man serving tea to a Chinese man and woman on a balcony. In the left, the man, wearing his hair in a queue and attired in a cap, long-sleeved tunic, pants, and black, slip-on shoes, hands a steaming cup and saucer of tea to a seated man. The man, wearing a mustache and attired in a cap and long-sleeved robe, sits holding a paper in his left hand and rests his feet on a footrest. In the right, the Chinese woman, wearing her hair up in a bun and with decorative pins and attired in a long-sleeved dress with a collar, sits and holds a fan in her left hand. A building is visible in the background., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the lithographer and advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Wanamaker’s ladies’ and gents’ dining rooms, 823 Market St., & 42 S. Second St., Philadelphia. Geo. W. Wanamaker, Prop’r. [Over.], RVCDC
W.F. Potteiger, druggist, N.W. corner Fourth and Spruce Streets, Reading, PA. [graphic].
Trade card promoting pharmacist William F. Potteiger and depicting a white woman attired in a kimono, probably an actress in character from the opera The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the woman wearing her hair up and decorated with fans and attired in a blue kimono with gold cranes, peach-colored obi, and purple skirt. She holds a peach-colored fan in her right hand and turns her head to the right with her left hand up. She stands on a fur rug., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the advertised business., Gift of William H. Helfand., RVCDC
With compliments, Israel Zinser, dealer in drugs, books, stationery, paints, oils, glass, brushes, perfumery, violin strings, and fancy articles, Washington, Illinois. [graphic].
Trade card promoting druggist Israel Zinser and depicting three boys, possibly meant to be Asian, constructing an oversized paper lantern decorated with an image of a flowering branch. In the foreground is a bamboo scaffold on which is a jar full of paintbrushes. In the right, the boy, attired in a green and gold tunic, sits on the scaffold and holds a hammer working on the base of the lantern. In the left, the boy, attired in a hat, yellow shirt with red cuffs, and yellow pants, stands on the scaffold and paints. In the top right, the boy, attired in a green shirt and yellow pants, sits on a swing, holds a paintbrush, and paints the upper part of the lantern. The lantern hangs from a flowering branch., Title from advertising text printed on verso., Date inferred from content., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William H. Helfand., RVCDC
W.T. Hanson & Co., prescription druggists, 195 State Street, Schenectady, N.Y. [graphic].
Trade card promoting druggist W.T. Hanson & Co. and depicting a caricaturized Japanese boy playing with puppets. In the center, the boy, attired in a multi-colored, patterned kimono, geta shoes, and a cap with a red ribbon, holds a puppet in each hand. The puppet in the left is a Japanese woman, wearing her hair tied up and attired in a multi-colored, patterned kimono. The puppet in the right is a Japanese man attired in a conical hat and a multi-colored, patterned kimono. Willis Tracy Hanson, Sr. (1858-1933) founded W.T. Hanson & Co. in 1879., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the advertised business., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William Helfand., See related: Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection [P.9828.4586].
[Wu Ying Ding] [graphic] / Gerlach & Fromhagen, 1200 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Bust-length portrait of Wu Ying Ding, attired in a tight-fitting cap and a shirt with a Mandarin collar and frog closures, facing slightly right. Hu Quang Yung exhibited a selection of his collection, including cloisonne, bronzes, and ceramics, at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Yung's nephew, Wu Ying Ding, attended the Centennial as an envoy with the objects., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from active dates of the photographer., Manuscript note written on verso: To General Mrs. Basban, With best Compliments of Wu Ying Ding, Mandarin of China, N.Y., Feb. 17, 1877., Text printed on verso: No. [996]. In ordering duplicates please send no. as above, and name., Gustavus Gerlach and Gustavus Fromhagen were Philadelphia photographers who were in partnership from circa 1875 to 1878.
Yum-Yum. [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting thread manufacturer J. & P. Coats and depicting a character from The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the white woman actress in character as Yum-Yum. She sits on an oversized spool of thread labeled, "J & P. Coats 200 yds 50 best six cord," and holds a white spool of thread in her left hand. She wears her hair up and decorated with small red, blue, and yellow fans and is attired in a blue, yellow, and white patterned kimono. A building and some palm trees by the water are in the background. The moon reads, " J & P. Coats best six cord." Brothers James Coats, Jr. (1803-1845) and Peter Coats (1808-1890) established the firm J.&P. Coats, a thread manufactory. Their brother Thomas Coats (1809-1883) joined the firm soon after. By 1840, three quarters of the British company’s business was with the United States. In 1896, the firm merged with thread manufacturer Clark & Co. and formed J. & P. Coats, Ltd. In 2015, the firm was renamed, “Coats Group.”, Title from item., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Text printed on recto: "We've Coats' spool cotton, that's the reason why we're very wide awake, the moon and I.", Advertising text printed on verso: White, black and colors for hand and machine. J & P. Coats' Best Six Cord Thread.
“Universal family” Soapine, Kendall Mfg. Co., Providence, R.I. [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting Kendall Manufacturing Co.’s Soapine and depicting caricatures and ethnic stereotypes of people helping Liberty wash laundry. Shows Liberty in the center personified as a white woman with blonde hair tied up in a bun attired in a blue cap with a white star and a white sleeveless dress with a red belt that has an American flag crest. She stands behind a wooden wash tub labeled “Kendall MFG Co.” that sits on top of six boxes labeled with the letter K. She spreads both of her arms out to the seven people around her. In the left, a white man with blond hair and mustache (possibly German,) holds a pipe in his mouth and is attired in a blue tunic, brown pants, and black shoes. He bends over as he carries a large box labeled “universal soap” on his back. A white Scottish man with blonde hair, attired in a blue cap with a yellow feather, a green shirt with a red sash, and a red kilt, helps a white man with black hair and mustache (possibly French) attired in a blue uniform with gold epaulettes and black shoes, carry a large straw basket filled with white laundry to the wash tub. In the right, caricatures of an African American man in a white sleeveless top, a Native American man attired with a feather headdress and blue pants with a bundle of arrows on his back, and a Chinese man with his hair styled in a queue attired in a blue tunic, brown pants, and blue, slip-on, cloth shoes, carry an oversize wash board labeled “French Laundry Soap.” In the center foreground, a white man with blonde hair and attired in a blue shirt, brown pants, blue socks, and black shoes, has fallen down on the ground. Beside him is a broken white pipe, and a small black cat runs away. Henry L. Kendall (1805-1883) founded a soap manufactory in Providence, R.I. in 1827. The Kendall Manufacturing Co. was incorporated in 1860. The Company continued to manufacture soap into the mid-20th century., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.

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