Pages

Thaddeus Stevens
Bust-length portrait of the radical Pennsylvania congressman, abolitionist, civil rights advocate, and member of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction. Stevens, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie and waistcoat, and a jacket, faces slightly left., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Theodore Parker
Bust-length portrait of the Boston Unitarian clergyman, social reformer, and abolitionist. Parker is attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a black jacket and faces the viewer. Parker aided John Brown and was active in New England antislavery societies which provided shelter and legally defended freedom seekers, including William and Ellen Craft, the first enslaved Bostonians sought under the Fugitive Slave Law., Title from item., Date inferred from history of the engraver and attire of sitter., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Schoff, an engraver in Boston from the early 1840s until the 1860s, specialized in portraiture.
New-Jersey Society for promoting the abolition of slavery [certificate]
Abolition society certificate depicting a white, Federal-era man pointing toward a chained, kneeling enslaved man who declares, "Am I not a Man and brother!" In the left, the enslaved man, attired in a white loincloth and with chains binding his hands to his feet, kneels down on his right knee upon a marble pedestal and clasps his hands together. In the right, the white man, attired in a white cravat, a waistcoat, a jacket, breeches, and black shoes, stands and holds in his left hand a Bible opened to Isaiah 61:1 atop the marble altar, which is inscribed with the verse: "He came to proclaim liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Heavenly beams shine down upon them through an opening in the clouds. The New Jersey abolition society was established in 1793., Unused certificate., Title from item., Illustration of a kneeling male slave on the certificate is a variant of the image popularized by Josiah Wedgwood. Formed in 1787, the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade designed and adopted as its seal the image of a kneeling African male slave asking, "Am I not a man and a brother?" That same year, Wedgwood, a ceramics manufacturer and member of the Committee, issued the image as a medallion, which was distributed in America. The image became a popular anti-slavery icon and was soon widely reproduced on artifacts and in print in the United States and in Britain. During the 1820s, a female counterpart with the motto, "Am I not a woman and a sister?" was created by British abolitionists and quickly embraced in the United States, particularly among women abolitionists., Accessioned 1968., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church [certificate]
Life membership certificate containing a vignette contrasting scenes of apocalyptic doom and religious salvation. From the celestial heavens, the hand of God points to an angel trumpeting salvation and wielding the Bible; a white man missionary preaches to a large group of Native Americans; and a converted African family of a man, woman, and child, kneels and reaches toward the winged messenger of God. On the ground are broken chains and swords, and a hut and palm trees are in the background. Opposite the scenes of salvation, a cross rises from the ground, bringing forth a river of redemption too late for the lost souls of a bejeweled white woman and a skull-headed man entangled by serpents. Behind them a temple, probably the Vatican, collapses to the ground crushing a white man. The Missionary Society, officially organized in New York in 1820, worked first to convert Native Americans and enslaved people before extending their missions to the Black inhabitants of Liberia in 1823., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Issued to Reverend Thomas Lumption on April 9th, 1844. Signed by Joshua Soule, Chairman, and Francis Hale, Clerk., Purchase 1971., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
This view of the barracks Fort Charlotte and part of the Island of New Providence to the westward of the town of Nasssau taken from the top of the guard house
View of the two-story British barracks and fort near the coast of the Bahamas. A British barge is docked at the nearby levee. Relaxed British soldiers converse near a cannon on the lookout. A Black man leads a horse and cart loaded with coal up the roadway to the barracks., Title from item., Manuscript signature on verso: N. Franks Esq. L. Irving, Dowdeswell, a noted print collector, was appointed Governor of the Bahamas in 1797., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Thomas Clarkson [graphic] / From a picture by H. Room; T.A. Dean, sc.
Three-quarter length portrait of the British deacon, abolitionist, and author. Clarkson, attired in a white collared shirt, a black waistcoat, jacket, and pants, sits holding a pair of spectacles in his left hand and a quill in his right hand. He leans his right elbow on a table adorned with a "Map of Africa." Clarkson, author of "The History of the rise, progress, and accomplishment of the African slave-trade," was a founder of the British Anti-Slavery Society., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Manuscript note on mount: The Philanthropist. Wrote in opposition to the slave trade., Gift of David Doret, 2004., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Thomas Clarkson, A.M.
Bust-length portrait of the white British deacon, abolitionist and author as a younger man, facing right. He is attired in a powdered wig, a shirt with a ruffled collar, and a jacket. Clarkson, a founder of the British Anti-Slavery Society, influential in the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, wrote "The History of the Rise, Progress, and Accomplishment of the African Slave-Trade" (London, 1808) to promote further anti-slavery legislation., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of portraits., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., McAllister Collection, gift, 1886.
[Thomas H. Wilkinson watercolor views of Philadelphia] [graphic].
Series of watercolors by British-born, Canadian artist Thomas H. Wilkinson showing views of historic and prominent landmarks, sites, and residences in Philadelphia, including the Roxborough and Germantown neighborhoods. Many of the sites are historically significant in relation to the American Revolution. Includes “Arnold Mansion,” i.e., Mount Pleasant (built 1761) in East Fairmount Park where British General James Agnew died after being wounded in the Battle of Germantown (P.2017.8.2); Cannon Ball House (built ca. 1715) also known as Blakely House on Mud Island through which a cannonball went during the largest British bombardment of the Revolution in 1777; Dunkards Church (built 1770) also known as Church of the Brethren, 6613 Germantown Avenue; Gloria Dei (built 1698-1700) also known as Old Swedes Church, 929 South Water Street; Haines House, i.e., Wyck (originally built ca. 1690), the ancestral family home of the Wister-Haines families, 6026 Germantown Avenue; Johnson House (built 1765-8 and used as a stop on the Underground Railroad), 6306 Germantown Avenue (P.2017.8.7); The Jolly Post (built ca. 1680), a colonial inn on Main Street, Frankford where the American Army rested on its march to capture Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781; Market House at Second and Pine Streets, i.e the Newmarket or Head House Square Market (originally built 1745) from the Northwest; Mennonite Church, Germantown (built 1770), 6119 Germantown Avenue and used as a hospital during the American Revolution;, "Morris House" also known as the Deshler-Morris House (built 1772) and used as the summer residence of President George Washington 1793 and 1794; "Old Fort Mifflin" (built ca. 1772-98) on Mud Island; Penrose Ferry Hotel near the Penrose Ferry Bridge in Kingsessing; St. Peter’s Church at Third and Pine Streets (built 1758-61); Smith Mansion on Queen Lane, Germantown also known as Carlton built ca. 1780 and owned by Cornelius S. Smith ca. 1840-ca. 1880s; Wagner House also known as Mechlin-Wagner House (built 1747), 4840 Germantown Avenue and used as a hospital during the American Revolution; and "Wister House, Germantown" (built 1744) also known as Grumplethorpe, 5267 Germantown Avenue. Most of the views include the surrounding property and/or adjacent buildings and residences. Some of the views also show street and pedestrian traffic, including persons in conversation, market visitors, and a street car. Some of the church views show the church’s graveyard as well. Penrose Ferry Hotel view includes chickens in the side yard., Mount Pleasant Mansion was built 1761-1765 for Captain John Macpherson after the designs of Thomas Nevil in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa. Macpherson, a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, purchased the estate with profits from these operations. Free white and Black laborers, indentured servants, and at least four enslaved people of African descent, whose names are unknown, worked on the plantation. In 1779, General Benedict Arnold purchased Mount Pleasant for his wife Peggy Shippen, but they never occupied the house. In 1792, General Jonathan Williams purchased the mansion. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property from the Williams family in 1869. On behalf of the city, the Philadelphia Museum of Art restored the house in 1926., The Johnson House was built 1765-1768 by master builder Jacob Knor at 6306 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. John Johnson resided in the house during the Battle of Germantown. The dwelling sustained damage including a hole in the parlor door caused by a cannon ball and a chipped corner. It served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The Johnson family owned the house until 1908. The Woman's Club of Germantown purchased the house in 1917, and in 1980, gifted the house and its contents to the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust to operate as a house museum. In 2002, the deed of ownership was transferred to the Johnson House Historic Site, Inc., Title supplied by cataloger., Watercolors signed by the artist in lower left or right corner: T.H. Wilkinson., Small number of the drawings include a title in the lower left corner., Accompanied by label: The Historical Collection of the late Samuel Castner, Jr. of Philadelphia., Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell., LCP also holds glass plate negatives in the Marriott C. Morris Collection showing a variant ca. 1893 watercolor view of the Morris-Deshler house by Thomas H. Wilkinson [*P.9895.6.3 and *P.9895.11.18]., New items acquired for and housed with collection after 2017., See Lib. Company. Annual report, 2017, p. 62-64., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Thomas H. Wilkinson (1847-1929) was a British-born artist who specialized in landscape views. Although he settled in Canada in the later 19th century, he traveled the United States through the 20th century to execute his art works. During the 1890s, he created several watercolor views of Philadelphia. He died while a well-known local artist and resident of Hamilton, Ontario.
[Thomas H. Wilkinson watercolor views of Philadelphia] [graphic].
Series of watercolors by British-born, Canadian artist Thomas H. Wilkinson showing views of historic and prominent landmarks, sites, and residences in Philadelphia, including the Roxborough and Germantown neighborhoods. Many of the sites are historically significant in relation to the American Revolution. Includes “Arnold Mansion,” i.e., Mount Pleasant (built 1761) in East Fairmount Park where British General James Agnew died after being wounded in the Battle of Germantown (P.2017.8.2); Cannon Ball House (built ca. 1715) also known as Blakely House on Mud Island through which a cannonball went during the largest British bombardment of the Revolution in 1777; Dunkards Church (built 1770) also known as Church of the Brethren, 6613 Germantown Avenue; Gloria Dei (built 1698-1700) also known as Old Swedes Church, 929 South Water Street; Haines House, i.e., Wyck (originally built ca. 1690), the ancestral family home of the Wister-Haines families, 6026 Germantown Avenue; Johnson House (built 1765-8 and used as a stop on the Underground Railroad), 6306 Germantown Avenue (P.2017.8.7); The Jolly Post (built ca. 1680), a colonial inn on Main Street, Frankford where the American Army rested on its march to capture Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781; Market House at Second and Pine Streets, i.e the Newmarket or Head House Square Market (originally built 1745) from the Northwest; Mennonite Church, Germantown (built 1770), 6119 Germantown Avenue and used as a hospital during the American Revolution;, "Morris House" also known as the Deshler-Morris House (built 1772) and used as the summer residence of President George Washington 1793 and 1794; "Old Fort Mifflin" (built ca. 1772-98) on Mud Island; Penrose Ferry Hotel near the Penrose Ferry Bridge in Kingsessing; St. Peter’s Church at Third and Pine Streets (built 1758-61); Smith Mansion on Queen Lane, Germantown also known as Carlton built ca. 1780 and owned by Cornelius S. Smith ca. 1840-ca. 1880s; Wagner House also known as Mechlin-Wagner House (built 1747), 4840 Germantown Avenue and used as a hospital during the American Revolution; and "Wister House, Germantown" (built 1744) also known as Grumplethorpe, 5267 Germantown Avenue. Most of the views include the surrounding property and/or adjacent buildings and residences. Some of the views also show street and pedestrian traffic, including persons in conversation, market visitors, and a street car. Some of the church views show the church’s graveyard as well. Penrose Ferry Hotel view includes chickens in the side yard., Mount Pleasant Mansion was built 1761-1765 for Captain John Macpherson after the designs of Thomas Nevil in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa. Macpherson, a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, purchased the estate with profits from these operations. Free white and Black laborers, indentured servants, and at least four enslaved people of African descent, whose names are unknown, worked on the plantation. In 1779, General Benedict Arnold purchased Mount Pleasant for his wife Peggy Shippen, but they never occupied the house. In 1792, General Jonathan Williams purchased the mansion. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property from the Williams family in 1869. On behalf of the city, the Philadelphia Museum of Art restored the house in 1926., The Johnson House was built 1765-1768 by master builder Jacob Knor at 6306 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. John Johnson resided in the house during the Battle of Germantown. The dwelling sustained damage including a hole in the parlor door caused by a cannon ball and a chipped corner. It served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The Johnson family owned the house until 1908. The Woman's Club of Germantown purchased the house in 1917, and in 1980, gifted the house and its contents to the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust to operate as a house museum. In 2002, the deed of ownership was transferred to the Johnson House Historic Site, Inc., Title supplied by cataloger., Watercolors signed by the artist in lower left or right corner: T.H. Wilkinson., Small number of the drawings include a title in the lower left corner., Accompanied by label: The Historical Collection of the late Samuel Castner, Jr. of Philadelphia., Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell., LCP also holds glass plate negatives in the Marriott C. Morris Collection showing a variant ca. 1893 watercolor view of the Morris-Deshler house by Thomas H. Wilkinson [*P.9895.6.3 and *P.9895.11.18]., New items acquired for and housed with collection after 2017., See Lib. Company. Annual report, 2017, p. 62-64., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Thomas H. Wilkinson (1847-1929) was a British-born artist who specialized in landscape views. Although he settled in Canada in the later 19th century, he traveled the United States through the 20th century to execute his art works. During the 1890s, he created several watercolor views of Philadelphia. He died while a well-known local artist and resident of Hamilton, Ontario.
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Bust-length portrait of the abolitionist, Unitarian minister, social reformer, author, and military officer. Higginson, attired in a white collared shirt, a necktie, a black waistcoat and jacket, faces slightly right. Higginson actively disobeyed the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, was one of the financial supporters of John Brown's insurrection, and commanded the first federally authorized African American regiment, the First South Carolina Volunteers, renamed the 33rd Colored Infantry Regiment., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Date inferred from presented age of the sitter., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Hall, son of New York engraver Henry Bryan Hall, worked in a partnership with his brothers and father in the late 19th century, eventually operating the business alone after 1899.
Three black crows
Racist, satiric postcard depicting three young African American boys perched from oldest to youngest on a branch as "Black crows." The boys are attired in loin clothes. The middle child is crying with his hands over his eyes and falling off the branch. In the left, the oldest boy attempts to hold him up. The youngest, a baby, pats the middle child's shoulder with his right hand., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyrighted, 1899., Accessioned 1999., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
To the friends of negro emancipation, this print is inscribed
Print commemorating Great Britain's passage of legislation, given royal assent in 1834, granting emancipation to the enslaved throughout Great Britain and the British colonies. Depicts near a coast, a joyous free Black man, attired in a sarong, arms held up in celebration. He stands upon a whip surrounded by smiling Black men who bury his shackles; a Black girl who kneels before him; and a Black mother, seated on a bench beside a book, smiles and holds her baby up in the air. Next to them an "Emancipation Notice" has been tacked to a palm tree. In the background, Black people celebrate on the shore as a ship sails away., Title from item., Text printed below title: A glorious and happy era on the first of August, bursts upon the Western World; England strikes the manacle from the slave, and bids the bond go free., Purchase 1969., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
To the people of America, this engraving of "First in Peace," from the original painting, is respectfully dedicated, representing the arrival of General George Washington at the Battery, New York, April 23rd, 1789, previous to his inauguration as the firs
Print after the design of painter Henry Brueckner of Washington's arrival by barge to New York (the nation's capital) for his inauguration depicting a large crowd welcoming the newly-elected president. Shows Washington, at the head of the barge, raising his hat to New York Governor George Clinton standing within a heavily decorated "Welcome" canopy on the wharf. Clinton stands next to his wife, daughters, and white men envoys, all finely attired. On the heavily-decorated barge, containing a red canopy, Washington is surrounded by white men envoys and oarsmen. The envoys are finely attired and the oarsmen wear matching tan suits and black caps adorned with ribbons. The ribbons contain the names of the U.S. states. Throngs of men, women, and child spectators stand along the wharf and upon sailing vessels on the river. Spectators include an African American man cheering with his hat in the air (right); white women in gowns; a white sailor hanging from a rope ladder attached to a ship (right); and an Indigenous man, woman, and baby seated in a canoe by the barge (center right). The man claps and the woman holds the baby in a cradleboard to her chest., Title from item., Place of publication and date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress A.D. 1867 by John C. McRae, in the Clerk's Office of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York., Name of artist and engraver from earlier state in collections of the Library of Congress., See also Scottish American Journal, April 21, 1866, p. 5 and Vermont Chronicle, May 19, 1866, p. 3 for articles that describe the engraving as representing "Washington after the proclamation of peace with Great Britain." Articles also note that McRae was occupied on the work for nine years., Gift of David Doret, 1994., In poor condition. Stained and tears., Cataloged 2021.
Tobias Gilmore House, Raynham, 1781-1918. "Toby" Gilmore, born in Africa, was a patriot of the American Revolution. [graphic].
Souvenir card depicting the second Raynham, Ma. residence of Black Revolutionary War soldier Shibodee Turry Wurry also known as Tobias Gilmore. Shows the two-story wooden residence with portico, hipped roof, and chimney and grassy, front grounds. Trees and shrubbery line and surround the house. Wurry born in West Africa, was kidnapped and enslaved in 1757. Captain John Gilmore of Rayham, Ma. became his enslaver and renamed Wurry, Tobias Gilmore. Gilmore enlisted in military service in 1776, during the American Revolution, to gain his freedom. In December 1781, Gilmore was discharged from service, including serving at the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga. He returned to Rayham a free man. In 1784, he purchased land in Rayham and built his first home. He built his second home circa 1800. The residence was destroyed by fire in 1918., Title from item., Date inferred from "1918" date in title and year of destruction of the depicted dwelling., Description reviewed 2022., Access points reviewed 2022.
[Tradecard for S. Drapers' Uncle Tom's Cabin]
Trade card promoting Simeon Draper's touring stage company's production of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Shows a grimacing monkey trying to force feed a dead rat to a small white dog by pulling its tail. A trap and water bowl lay at the animals' feet. Also shows a partial view of a dog house in the right., Title supplied by cataloger., Series no. printed on recto: B.7., Text printed on verso: Music Hall! One week, commencing Monday, May 19th. Family matinees – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Gigantic revival! S. Drapers’ Uncle Tom’s Cabin, with attractions offered by no other Manager. 2 Great Topsy’s with songs, dances and banjo solos. 2 Funny Marks’. Pack of Cuban bloodhounds. The celebrated Nashville University students. The wonderful child artist, Little Libbie Putnam, as Eva. Popular prices, - 15, 25 and 35 cents. No extra. No higher. Matinee admission – 10, 15 and 25 cents., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Purchase 2006., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Tregears black jokes. The Lady Patroness of Alblacks. [graphic] / W. Summers, del.; Hunt, scul.
Racist caricature depicting a middle-class African American woman looking at herself in a full-length mirror in her well- decorated bedroom. Shows the woman, attired in a white, low décolleté underdress with puffed, cap sleeves, slightly lifting up the skirt of her dress in her left hand and her raised right hand holding a comb near her hair that is styled in a top knot. She looks at her reflection. She is portrayed with a wrinkled brow and bags under her eyes. Her reflection does not have these features. In the right, a bed with a canopy on which a wide-brimmed hat rests on a post; a table on which a pin pad, hair comb, pearl necklace, and earrings rest; and a black cat with its back raised are visible. In the left, on either side of the mirror, a pink dress rests on a clothing rack and white ankle-lace shoes lie on the carpeted floor. Scene also includes three framed picture on the wall in the background. Two are partially visible and the one fully visible shows a genre scene outside of a stone dwelling where an African American man is on his knee and holding the hand of an African American woman who stands in front of him. Figure is portrayed with oversized and exaggerated features and her skin tone is depicted in black hand coloring., Title from item., Date inferred from content and name of publisher., Inscribed: No. 2., This caricature is similar in content to the prints from the series, "Life in Philadelphia" (London Set), and has been catalogued as a part of the series., Charles Hunt was a respected 19th century London engraver and etcher known mostly for his prints of sporting subjects., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
Trotting cracks of Philadelphia returning from the race at Point Breeze Park
View depicting eighteen trotting horse teams racing on a dirt path passed the South Philadelphia hotel, surrounded by lush trees and near an open stable. White men stand on the covered porch and converse and watch the teams including one steered by a one-armed gentleman. Near the stable, a white boy and an African American man, probably a stablehand, wave their hats at the racers. Contains a key to the names of all the race horses below the image. The park, established in 1855 by the Point Breeze Park Association of sportsmen, promoted trotting races as agricultural exhibitions to circumvent an 1817 city ban of horse racing. The park was sold to a private owner in 1901 and later sold for an amusement park in 1912., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the Year 1870, in the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania., Copyrighted by H. Pharazyn., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 760, LCP exhibition catalogue: Philadelphia revisions #40., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1974, p. 58-59., Purchase 1974., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
True blue [graphic].
Poster commemorating the service of African American men during World War I. Shows an African American family gathered in a living room decorated with floral wall paper and looking at the framed portrait, hung above a fireplace, of an African American service man, likely the father of the family. In the right, the mother, attired in a beige sheath dress, holds a toddler attired in white pajamas in her arms while her daughter, attired in a white night gown, and holding a black baby doll in her left hand, stands next to her. The daughter stands in front of her older, seated brother. The older son, attired in a beige uniform, sits in an arm chair. The toddler and daughter reach and point toward the portrait on the wall. Decorative flags adorn the upper edge of the framed portrait showing the man in uniform. A fire burns in the fireplace and a portrait of George Washington, a portrait of Woodrow Wilson, a vase of flowers, a bust, and a clock adorn the mantle. On the wall to the right of the father's portrait, hangs a framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln. A patterned rug, a cat asleep by the fire, and a window displaying a service flag comprise the scene as well. Sheer curtains and a bowl-shaped vase of flowers also adorn the window., Name of publisher and date from copyright statement: [copyright symbol of "c" in circle] 1919 By E. G. Renesch, Chicago., Description revised 2022., Access points reviewed 2022.
Turning the tables on the overseer
Abolitionist print depicting a group of enslaved African American people about to whip their white plantation overseer, who has been bound to a tree on the plantation grounds. Before the plantation overseer, the African American man holds the whip and pulls up his sleeve as the enslaved man next to him takes of his hat in a mock gesture of respect. Smiling men, women, and children of all ages stand, sit, and lean on a fence, surrounding the overseer in anticipation of his whipping., Title from item., First published in New York Illustrated news, November 28, 1863 (LCP **Per D 8.5, 1863). Later published as a loose print by the African American press, Robert and Thomas Hamilton, possibly the first Black press to publish separate prints., LCP exhibition catalogue: African American Miscellany p. 38., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of Civil War caricatures and photographs. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
U. S. B. M. Dockstaders. US BM black mail. Charles and Lewis Dockstader, Carncross' Minstrels, Eleventh St. Opera House, Philadelphia, Pa. [graphic].
Racist advertisement designed as a postcard to promote Carncross' Minstrels performers the Dockstaders, and the A. Vogeler & Co. patent medicine St. Jacobs Oil. Includes graphic details and vignettes depicting caricatured African Americans in a cancellation mark, stamp, and as postal workers. The cancellation mark (upper left) depicts the right, bust profile of a black man, possibly an allusion to a man in black face. The stamp (upper right) depicts the left, bust profile of a black man, possibly an allusion to a man in black face. In the lower left corner, an African American mail carrier, a mail bag around his shoulder, empties a "U.S.B.M." mailbox attached to a post. His back is to the viewer. In the lower right, an African American mail carrier, a mail bag filled with mail around his shoulder, and holding letters in his hand is depicted in mid stride. The unrelated Charles Dockstader and Lewis, i.e., Lew Dockstader (George Alfred Clapp) partnered in 1878. They joined John L Carncross' Minstrels in Philadelphia in 1880. The Dockstaders continued to perform with Carncross' until 1883 and the illness of Charles ending the partnership. In 1882, the men also performed with George Thatcher's Minstrel's (Philadelphia)and Haverly's Minstrels (St. Louis, Mo.). Lew remained with Carncross until 1886 and the creation of Dockstader's Minstrels., Blackface minstrelsy is a popular entertainment form, originating in the United States in the mid-19th century and remaining in American life through the 20th century. The form is based around stereotypical and racist portrayals of African Americans, including mocking dialect, parodic lyrics, and the application of Black face paint; all designed to portray African Americans as othered subjects of humor and disrespect. Blackface was a dominant form for theatrical and musical performances for decades, both on stage and in private homes., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Printed on verso: Miss Information:-- Most worthy of estimation: After long and serious consideration on the reputation that you have in the nation. I have taken a serious inclination to remove my habitation, to a close situation, in order that I may pay a visitation for the sake of conversation. If this should meet with your approbation, I remain ever yours, without simulation. Ado Ration. P. S.---I thus give affirmation without qualifications that St. Jacobs Oil is the best application in the wide creation., Description of Blackface minstrelsy from Dorothy Berry, Descriptive Equity and Clarity around Blackface Minstrelsy in H(arvard) T(heater) C(ollection) Collections, 2021., Housed with the Ellen Phillips Advertising Card Collection., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program (Junto 2015)., RVCDC, Access points revised 2022., Description revised 2022.
Uncle Tom and Little Eva.
Print of a scene from Stowe's popular, anti-slavery novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," originally published in 1851. Depicts Little Eva, the "angelic" young, white daughter of a Louisiana enslaver informing "Uncle Tom," the African American man enslaved by her father, of her impending death. Eva, with her blonde hair in ringlets and attired in a white dress, white stockings, and black shoes, points to heaven with her right hand and to the Bible in her lap with her left. She sits next to a barefooted, slightly hunched over Tom, attired in a red shirt with an open neck and blue pants, on a grassy mound in the woods. Also includes a cabin visible in the left background., Title from item., The Kellogg's firm, brothers Edmund Burke and Elijah Chapman, was a prolific New England lithographic firm that nearly rivaled Currier & Ives in the production of popular prints., Reaccessioned as P.9179.10., Purchase 1969., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Uncle Tom's Cabin. On the Levee
Racist scene derived from Stowe's popular abolitionist book, probably a theater advertisement for a minstrel production. Depicts enslaved African American men and women, portrayed in racist caricature with exaggerated facial features, having a hoedown on a levee. In the foreground, two women and two men dance facing the viewer. In the left, the woman, attired in a straw hat with a white ribbon tied over the hat and under her chin, a pink smock, a green skirt, black stockings, and black shoes, puts her right foot on its heel and raises her left arm up. Beside her the man, attired in a yellow collared shirt, red suspenders, gray and yellow checked pants, and brown shoes, steps back on his right leg as he raised his right arm up. Beside him, the woman, attired in a yellow headkerchief, a green collared shirt with red polka dots, a copper colored skirt with black polka dots, black stockings, and black shoes, holds her skirt with her right hand as her left hand touches her mouth. In the right, the man, attired in a yellow collared shirt with red stripes, white overalls, and black shoes, leans to the right with both hands in his pockets. Seated in the right, two men play banjos. More African American men and women, seated and standing, clap, sing, and raise their arms up. In the background are stacks of wooden crates, and the water is visible., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1899. Courier Litho. Co. Buffalo, N.Y., Purchase 1988., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
[Unidentified West Indian harbor at sunset with dog]
View depicting the harbor with a pier and dwellings in the background. A dog sits on a paved walkway near a brick embankment in the foreground. Sailing vessels and three men are visible in the water., Title from LCP exhibition catalogue: Pierre Eugene Du Simitière. His American Museum 200 Years After, #1:2., Date inferred from the content., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Du Simitière, a Swiss-born historian, antiquarian, and artist, traveled and documented North America and the West Indies from the 1750s to the 1770s. He settled in Philadelphia in 1774, and in 1782 opened the American Museum, which contained his collected antiquities.
The Union Sons, of Johnson Society, of Philadelphia.
Ribbon illustrated with a half-length portrait of the Methodist clergyman Revd. Edward Johnson attired in a jacket and neckerchief. His right hand rests atop of a text, possibly a Bible, marked "Revd. Edward Johnson. Born March 1, 1781" on the front cover. Johnson, a sailmaker by trade, was one of a group of parishioners who seceded from Richard Allen's Bethel A.M.E. Church in 1820 to form the First Colored Wesley Methodist Church (incorporated in 1826). He was placed in charge of the congregation in 1822 for which he also served as a trustee. Johnson was listed as a Methodist clergyman residing in New Market Ward, Philadelphia in the 1850 census, as well as cited at 21 Hurst Street in Philadelphia city directories between circa 1841 and 1853., Date inferred from attire of sitter., Title from item., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., Purchase 2012., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Lib. Company. Annual report, 2012, p. 59-60.
The United States Centennial International Exhibition.
Share certificate issued by the Centennial Board of Finance containing a series of historical and allegorical vignettes, scenes, and figures. Vignettes depict a view on a coastline showing a white man, attired in colonial dress, reaping with a sickle beside a white man driving a plow in front of a steer-drawn conestoga wagon, a moving train, and sailing ships; the signing of the Declaration of Independence; and a scene depicting a Native American man, attired in pants and moccasins with a feather in his hair and a quiver of arrows on his back, covering his face from the sight of a dilapidated windmill near rows of industrial buildings spewing smoke. Along the sides figures include: tradesmen; laborers; soldiers; frontiersmen; inventors, including Benjamin Franklin; Native Americans; and an African American man reading. In the top center, allegorical figures of Liberty, Art, and Peace, portrayed as white women, accept offerings from representations of people from across the world, including African women; a woman attired in a turban, a person with a parrot on their shoulder, and an Asian man with a queue. Also contains: busts of George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant; an eagle holding an American flag; views of the State House and Capitol; and the printed seal of the Centennial Board of Finance. The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title from item., P.2002.67.77 issued to Margaret R. Bringhurst for one share on October 20, 1875. Signed by Fred. Fraley, Treasurer; and John Welsh, President., 5788.F.10 issued to Mary Norris Logan for one share on November 10, 1876. Signed by Fred. Fraley, Treasurer; and John Welsh, President., Printed on recto: Shares $10. Each. Capital $10,000,000., P.2002.67.66 poor condition., Gift of Helen Beitler, 2002 [P.2002.67.66]., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of Centennial and Columbian Exposition views [5758.F.10. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
The United States Senate A.D. 1850
Proof of commemorative print depicting Henry Clay introducing his legislation known as the Compromise of 1850 to the Senate. The legislation aimed to prevent Southern secession and to address the extension of slavery into the territories. Depicts Clay, at the center of the Senate floor, standing with his right arm out from his side and addressing his fellow legislators that surround him, including Vice-President Millard Fillmore seated on a platform as President of the Senate; Daniel Webster, seated behind him and resting his head in his hand; and John C. Calhoun standing beside the seated Fillmore. The gallery is filled with white men and women spectators., Title from item., Date from copyright statement on copy in the collections of the Library of Congress: Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by John M. Butler and Alfred Long, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania., Text printed on recto: This engraving from the original picture is respectfully dedicated to the people of the United States by the publishers., Key to engraving in collections of the Library of Congress cites other sitters depicted including Thomas H. Benton, Lewis Cass, William H. Seward, William L. Dayton, Stephen A. Douglas, and Salmon P. Chase., Gift of David Doret, 2002., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
United States soldiers at Camp "William Penn" Philadelphia, PA
Recruitment print depicting members of an African American regiment posed with their white commander at Camp William Penn, Cheltenham Township. The troop members, including the drummer boy, attired in military uniforms, are gathered on an open green near a tent. One soldier holds the flagpole with the American flag. Begun in 1863 with the support of the Union League, eleven regiments were formed at Camp William Penn, the first Pennsylvania camp for volunteer African American regiments. William Penn was the largest Civil War camp for the training of officers to lead African American troops., Title from item., Date inferred from content., LCP exhibition catalog: Negro history,, Edwin Wolf's Philadelphia: portrait of an American city. (Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1990), p. 217., Probably originally part of a McAllister scrapbook., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
United States soldiers at Camp "William Penn" Philadelphia, PA [graphic]: "Rally round the flag, boys! Rally once again, shouting the battle cry of freedom" / P.S. Duval & Son. Lith. Cor. 5th & Minor St. Phila.
LCP exhibit catalogue: Negro History, p. 140., Edwin Wolf's Philadelphia: Portrait of an American City. (Philadelphia: Camino Books, 1990), p. 217., Recruitment print depicting members of an African American regiment posed with their white commander at Camp William Penn, Cheltenham Township. The troop members, including the drummer boy, wear their military best and are gathered on an open green near a tent. One soldier proudly displays the American flag. Begun in 1863 with the support of the Union League, eleven regiments were formed at Camp William Penn, the first Pennsylvania camp for volunteer African American regiments. William Penn was the largest Civil War camp for the training of officers to lead African American troops.
The Universal clothes wringer. What Dina, six o'clock and not done yet! And look at these torn clothes. Oh mistis de wringing am awful, always tear de clothes 'spect dat I neber get through
Metamorphic trade card promoting the American Wringer Company's Universal Wringer. Depicts a racist "before and after" scene with and without the product. The before scene shows an African American laundress "Dinah" wringing clothes by hand over a tub. She states in vernacular speech that "de wringing am awful." A white woman chastises her to "look at these torn clothes." She holds up a square shaped cloth with tears. A clock is visible in the background. The women are shown as bust-length. Dinah wears a kerchief, an open collared shirt, and her sleeves are rolled up. The after scene shows a smiling "Dinah," wringing laundry with a "Universal" clothes wringer under the happy gaze of her employer. The women reach a hand out to one another. Dinah wears a high ruffled collar shirtwaist with a bow at her neck, long sleeves, an apron, and kerchief. A clock rests on a sideboard in the background. The American Wringer Company was established about 1861 and operated until at least the early 20th century. The company often provided a clock as a premium to purchase their laundry equipment., Title from item., Date inferred from attire of figures depicted., Text printed on recto: Oh mistis de wringing am awful, always tear de clothes 'spect dat I neber get through. What Dinah, six o'clock and not done yet! And look at these torn clothes. "What Dinah! Finished washing so soon! Why it's only three o'clock." "Hi golly! Mistis, been done dese two hours dis chile hab no more trouble, since you done got dis wringer. Neber tear de clothes neder., Advertising text on verso: The Universal Wringer Has the Following Points of Superiority. 1. Rolls of Solid White Rubber. 2. Rowell's Double Cog-wheels. 3. Two Independent Pressure Screws. 4. Double cogs at both ends of each Roll. 5. Folding Apron or Clothes Guide. 6. Rocking Springs of wood and rubber. N. P. Baker, Dealer in General Merchandise, Sunapee, N. H., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
U.S. Custom House (formerly U.S. Bank)
Exterior view of a classical style building constructed 1818-24 as the U.S. Bank (i.e. Second Bank of the United States) based on the designs of Philadelphia architect William Strickland. Served as custom house from 1844-1935. Street scene in front depicts white men, women, and children pedestrians. In the street, there is a carriage containing a white man and woman as passengers driven by an African American coachman, a white man on horseback, and a dog., Title from item., Plate 12 of a series of fifty-four views published by Goupil, Vibert & Company from 1848 to 1851 that were drawn by Kollner and lithographed by Deroy, and later bound under the title "Views of American Cities.", Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 763, Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
U.S. Custom House (formerly U.S. Bank)
Constructed 1818-24 as the U.S. Bank (i.e. Second Bank of the United States) based on the designs of Philadelphia architect William Strickland. Served as custom house 1844-1935. Street scene in front depicts white men, women, and children pedestrians. In the street, there is a carriage containing a white man and woman as passengers driven by an African American coachman, a white man on horseback, and a dog., Plate 12 of a series of fifty-four views published by Goupil, Vibert & Company from 1848 to 1851 that were drawn by Kollner and lithographed by Deroy, and later bound under the title "Views of American Cities.", Title from item., Date inferred from content., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 763, Free Library of Philadelphia: Philadelphiana - Streets - Chestnut - 4th-5th, Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Use Merrick's thread. "Gully this cotton beats 'em all!" [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting Merrick thread and depicting a domestic scene of an older African American man sewing. Shows the man, in a cabin setting, seated atop a stool, his feet slightly turned in, and mending the seat of a pair of blue pants. The man holds the pants in his left hand and pulls a needle and thread through a patch on the pants in his right. The thread comes from a large spool beside the man which is marked with "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8" logo. Behind the man is a window with a sill, which is lined with potted plants. A candle holder rests on a shelf attached to the wall below the window. The man is attired in a red button-down shirt, blue suspenders, brown pants, and brown shoes. Merrick Thread Co. was founded in 1865 by Timothy Merrick, Austin Merrick, and Origen Hall in Mansfield, Connecticut. After its founding, the company established mills in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1898, the company merged with thirteen other independent thread and yarn manufacturers to form the American Thread Company., Title from item., Date inferred from content and genre of print., Advertising text printed on verso: Buy Merrick Thread Co's best six cord soft finish spool cotton for machine & hand sewing warranted 200 yds. also these threads are made from the finest quality of combed sea island cotton, and for strength, evenness, elasticity and smoothness surpass anything in the market. By the use of the "ready wound bobbins" the annoyance of winding the iron bobbin is done away with, and a more perfect stitch obtained. When in want of more thread, don't fail to ask for Merrick's., See related copy: Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.122], Gift of George Allen, 2022., RVCDC
[Van Stan's Stratena and Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil trade cards]
Series of illustrated trade cards for products produced by Van Stans Stratena Co. in Philadelphia. One racist card entitled, "Great lecture on Van Stan's Stratena by Julius Augustus Cesar at Ethiopian Hall," after the 1878 Sol Eytinge illustration "Blackville, 1878" depicts an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature, lecturing on a stage in front of an audience of well-dressed African American men. The lecturer, attired in a brown jacket, a tan waistcoat, a white shirt with gold cuff links, a white bowtie, blue pants, and black shoes, leans on a wooden table labeled "Van Stan's Stratena." Rolls of paper stick out of his back pocket, and his upturned top hat is visible underneath the table. A decorative object advertising Stratena and a cup sit on the table. He speaks in the vernacular, "one drop of dis yere Stratena on de conscience of a politician will make him stick to his principles. One drop on de marriage certificate will prevent de divorce court from separating you from de wife of your bosom. Do you heah me! Gentlemen I am a talking." Other illustrations include a double-sided metamorphic trade card showing white women and children upset when their objects and toys are broken and happy after using Van Stans Stratena to repair them and, on the other side, two white men and a white woman cringing while taking a dose of cod liver oil, but smiling after taking Van Stan's Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil. Card shows two white boys' jackets glued together by Stratena after they sat in it. A white boy standing nearby laughs and says, "Ha! ha! ha! No use boys!!! Been sitting in Van Stan's Stratena. Ha! ha! Ha!!", Another series of illustrations entitled, "Marriage a-la-mode. Matter of money," "Marriage a-la-mode. The result," and "The marriage of the future," depicts a white man and woman couple being wed by a white man standing under a sign reading "License marriage fee. $1.00" and a dog standing behind the groom thinking, "I'll be dog-goned if this is anything more than a matter of cur-ency and my privileges are sure to be cur-tailed. Give him a bone." A subsequent scene shows the husband running away from his wife, two children and chaotic household. His wife runs after him with a frying pan as the toddler in the background cries, "Father dear father come home," and the baby, lying on the floor, cries "No one to love me." The final scene shows a wedding ceremony in the "Tabernacle hearts cemented" with the officiator standing before the bride and groom announcing, "with this Stratena I thee wed." The groom replies, "One consolation, if I ever break her heart, I can mend it with Van Stans Stratena." The bride counters, "I'll stick to him through thick and thin.", Title supplied by cataloger., Printers and engravers include Chas. Shields' Sons (New York) and E. Ketterlinus & Co. (Philadelphia)., Advertising text printed on versos promotes Van Stan's Emulsion of Pure Norwegian Cod-Liver Oil and Van Stan's Stratena cement to repair glass, china, marble, iron, bone, jewelry, jet, coral, leather, wood, earthenware, porcelain, ornaments, lamp shades, metals, Meerschaum pipes, billiard cues, and leather belting., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Véritable extrait de viande Liebig. [graphic] : La case de l'oncle
Series of six captioned (in French) trade cards containing scenes from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" to promote Liebig Extract of Meat. Cards depict scenes from chapters 4, 7, 12, 14, 17, and 41. Translated captions include: Aunt Chloe preparing corn cakes; Crossing the Ohio on floating ice, Elisa[sic] escapes from Haley; The fight against slave traders; The slave market; On the verge of drowning, Eva is saved by Tom; and the death of Tom. Scenes show enslaved African American woman “Aunt Chloe” at her brick stove, surrounded by three enslaved African American boys as the white adolescent son of her owner, George Shelby, teaches enslaved African American man and her husband "Uncle Tom" to write; enslaved African American woman Eliza Harris escaping white slave trader Mr. Haley with her son Harry in her arms as she runs across patches of ice on the Ohio River; Eliza Harris’s multi-racial husband George Harris shooting white mercenary Tom Loker in a chasm after departing his and his family’s shelter within a Quaker settlement and for Canada; the market of enslaved people attended by Haley following Eliza’s escape where a young enslaved African American boy stands for sale near a white man mercenary and an enslaved African American woman who reaches out for him; Tom swimming toward the flailing, young white girl Eva St. Clare, i.e. Little Eva, in the water near a dock and a steamboat lined with spectators watching the event; and an adult George Shelby visiting with a dying Tom who rests against a bundle amongst crates and straw within a shed after being beaten at the request of his white enslaver Simon Legree., Most of the African American figures are not caricatured in features or attire. Eliza and George Harris figures are depicted with fair complexions. Also depicts Tom as unbeaten in his "deathbed" scene. Von Liebig, a German-born chemist, who developed a manufacturing process for meat extract in 1840, established the Liebig Extract of Meat Company in 1865. The extract was marketed as an alternative to meat., Series title from items., Cards numbered No. 1 - No. 6., Printed lower right corners: Voir L'Explication au verso., Advertising text and explanation of the depicted scenes and their context printed in French on versos. Includes statement about the cards being distributed gratuitously with the purchase of Liebig extract., Majority of the cards contain a vignette depicting a jar of Liebig extract in the lower right corner. No. 1 contains the vignette in the upper left corner. No. 2 contains the vignette in the lower left corner, Date inferred from circa date of other trade card series issued by Liebig Company., Housed with the Emily Phillips Advertising Card Collection., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
A view of Bassa Cove (in Liberia.)
View "from a drawing made on the spot by Dr. Robert McDowall" of a village scene in Liberia, the African American colony established by the American Colonization Society in 1822. Also used as the illustration of a membership certificate of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society. In the left foreground, three bare-chested Black people, attired in white sarongs, stand at the West African cove across from the small village. The village is comprised of buildings and is surrounded by a fence. People and cattle stroll the grounds. Established in 1816, the controversial American Colonization Society promoted Black American emigration to resolve the problem of race inequality, and to dissolve the institution of slavery. Copies of the print were on view for sale at the colonization society office for over a decade. McDowall was a Black physician sent by the society to provide medical care at the colony., Title from item., Advertised in Colonization herald, June 17, 1837, vol. III, no. 54, p. 214 and later issues., Purchase 1970., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Lehman & Duval was a Philadelphia partnership between painter, lithographer, and engraver George Lehman, and lithographer, Peter S. Duval, that lasted from 1835 until 1837.
View of the Capitol of the United States after the conflagration in 1814
Abolitionist allegorical book illustration juxtaposing a coffle of enslaved Black men and boys standing before the ruins of "a monument to liberty," the United States Capitol, following the British occupation of the city during the War of 1812. Author suggests that the destruction of the Capitol was a sign of divine displeasure to promote the abolition of slavery. In the foreground, two white men enslavers lead shackled men and boys pass the ruin. Two allegorical white female figures, one of Liberty, hover in the clouds above. Enslaved people were traded in Washington, D.C. and used in the reconstruction of the Capitol., Title from item., Frontispiece from Jessey Torrey, Jr.'s, A Portraiture of domestic slavery in the United States (1817)., Torrey was a Philadelphia physician, abolitionist, and author of tracts on morals and the diffusion of knowledge., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of views of the District of Columbia. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
[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
View of the department for coloured children of the House of Refuge.
Exterior view of department buildings, including the girls' and boys' dormitories; girls' dining and sewing rooms; boys' school rooms; and the superintendent's rooms. A tall brick wall surrounds the rear and sides of the complex of buildings. Two men and a boy convene on the grounds in the foreground. The buildings, located between Parrish and Brown Streets between 22nd and 24th Streets, opened in 1850. The House of Refuge opened in 1828 at 15th and Coates streets, i.e., the 1500 block of Fairmount Avenue. Boy and girl residents attended school and worked at a variety of employments, including book binding and shoe making (boys) and washing and cooking (girls)., Title from item., Frontispiece of the Thirtieth annual report of the Board of Managers of the House of Refuge (Philadelphia: Printed by Henry B. Ashmead, 1858) (LCP Am 1858 Phil Hou 14483.O.7), Philadelphia on Stone, POS 792, Originally part of Charles A. Poulson's scrapbook of illustrations of Philadelphia [(1)1525.F.41a]., Gift of Clarence Wolf, 2013 [P.2013.81.8]., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
View of the Philadelphia volunteer refreshment saloons.
Civil War souvenir print containing six views of the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon at the southwest corner of Washington and Swanson Avenues and the Cooper Shop Volunteer Refreshment Saloon at 1009 Ostego Street. Contains a large central view of the exterior of the Union Saloon with troops arriving, entering the dining saloon, and departing on a Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad car as crowds of people flock around them. Other views depict soldiers using the wash basins adjoining the Cooper Shop Saloon; pro-Union flags and Saloon banners; the Union Saloon's outside washing and cooking departments including an African American man carrying a pail of food; and interiors of both saloons where male and female volunteers attend to long tables of food and a large simmering vat on a hearth. Contains an eagle clutching large American flags and a pro-Union banner above the scenes. Situated at the transportation hub between the North and the South, the relief organizations provided hospital care, washing, sleeping, and writing facilities to over 1,000,000 military personnel, sailors, refugees, and freedmen during the war., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to An Act of Congress in the Year 1861 by Job T. Williams in the Clerks Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 806, Print trimmed., Gift of Isadore Lichstein, 1984., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Queen, a Philadelphia lithographer and pioneer chromolithographer known for his attention to detail, served in the Civil War militia from 1862 until 1863, and created several lithographs with Civil War subjects, including views of and contribution certificates for the city's relief institutions.
Views in Fairmount Park Philadelphia, 1884 [graphic] / IHM.
Album containing eight pencil sketched, titled views of prominent sites at Fairmount Park. Includes Belmont Mansion from the East; Mount Pleasant; Tom Moore's Cottage above Columbia Bridge; Belmont Mansion from the West; Gen. Grant's Headquarters; the Elevator, (i.e. observatory) at Lemon Hill; Penna. R.R. Bridge (i.e., Connecting Railway Bridge); and Rockland Landing from Columbia Bridge., Drawing of Mount Pleasant depicts an exterior view of the Mount Pleasant Mansion built 1761-1765 for Captain John Macpherson after the designs of Thomas Nevil in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pa. View shows the front entrance with a large tree in the left. Macpherson, a privateer during the Seven Years’ War, purchased the estate with profits from these operations. Free white and Black laborers, indentured servants, and at least four enslaved people of African descent, whose names are unknown, worked on the plantation. In 1779, General Benedict Arnold purchased Mount Pleasant for his wife Peggy Shippen, but they never occupied the house. In 1792, General Jonathan Williams purchased the mansion. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property from the Williams family in 1869. On behalf of the city, the Philadelphia Museum of Art restored the house in 1926., Red leather binding stamped S. Lewis Jones., Purchase 2004., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.

Pages