This collection includes historical materials or references to or descriptions of historical materials that may be considered offensive or harmful. Historical records are evidence of the time in which they were created and often contain language and images that are racist, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or otherwise derogatory and insensitive. The Library Company takes responsibility for these materials and their importance for the study of the past seriously. The Library does not endorse the views expressed in these materials.

If you encounter language in this digitized collection, or elsewhere that you find offensive or harmful, or if you have questions about the statement above or about our work, we welcome your feedback. A full statement and feedback form where you can alert us of potentially harmful material is available here.

The Race and Visual Culture Digital Collection contains historical visual material and popular art works, often racist in content, that pertain to the visual culture of race and its social, cultural, and historical complexities and biases. The collection, in correlation with the African American History Graphics Digital Collection, includes over 1,600 images and descriptions of visual material that depict or reference the BIPOC community between the 18th and 20th centuries. The sub collections contained within are arranged by date spans based on the creation date of the item. The supplied titles, descriptions, and subject headings were reviewed, revised, and remediated to include anti-racist language as part of a 2021-2022 remediation cataloging project of our African American History Graphics Collection. Many records still include legacy Library of Congress Subject Headings, which conform to national and institutional cataloging standards that are under review for their continued public use in our catalogs. The collection was first published in 2023.

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Use Lautz Bros. & Co's soaps, best in the market [graphic].
Racist trade card depicting an African American man minstrel musician to promote laundry soap. Shows the man, in profile, looking toward the viewer marching with a drum strapped to his chest, and holding midstrike padded drumsticks in both hands. The man is attired in a white top hat adorned with a black ribbon, a red and white patterned jacket with long tails, a white shirt with ruffles and the collar up, and blue pants with a yellow stripe. Lautz Bros. & Co. was originally founded in 1853 in Buffalo, New York as the Lautz Company by German immigrant Wilhelm Lautz Sr. After his death in 1866, his wife, sons, and grandsons continued to run the firm from Buffalo, New York through the early 20th century., Title from item., Gift of David Doret.
Use Lautz Bros. & Co's soaps, best in the market [graphic].
Racist trade card depicting African American man minstrel musician to promote laundry soap. Shows the man, in profile, smiling, holding a large tambourine in his right hand, and raising his left leg in the air in a skipping motion. The man is attired in a blue jacket with long tails, a white shirt with ruffles and the collar up, and orange and white striped pants. Lautz Bros. & Co. was originally founded in 1853 in Buffalo, New York as the Lautz Company by German immigrant Wilhelm Lautz Sr. After his death in 1866, his wife, sons, and grandsons continued to run the firm from Buffalo, New York through the early 20th century., Title from item., Gift of David Doret.
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 th epants 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. Plants line the window sill. A candelabrum 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., Several lines of advertising text printed on verso. Verso is defaced and text is illegible., Gift of David Doret.
Use Queen Anne Soap [graphic]: I'se a waiting.
Racist trade card illustration depicting a full length portrait of an African American woman walking a small brown dog. The woman is attired in an elaborate orange, yellow, and green feathered bonnet, a blue and red dotted and frilled dress with white and blue details, a pendant, white and yellow fingerless gloves, red stockings, and black heeled shoes. She holds the dog's leash and a red and blue fan in her left hand and a blue parasol in her right hand. Visible behind her is a large yellow ribbon which is attached to the back of her dress. The woman leans forward while jutting out her backside and stands with her right foot in front of her left. The woman is portrayed with exaggerated features. Queen Anne Soap was owned by the Detroit Soap Company, which in 1915 was acquired by the Buffalo-based Lautz Bros. & Co., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of advertised business., Advertising text on recto: Purest and best in the world., Series number on recto: 58., Gift of David Doret.
Van Stan's Stratena, the best cement in the world. [graphic]: Great lecture on Van Stan's Stratena by Julius Augustus Cesar at Ethiopian Hall. Mends china, glass, wood, bone, metal, jet, coral, porcelain, leather, ivory, stone, &c. &c.
Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American man lecturing in front of an audience of well-dressed African American men on a stage. The lecturer leans on a wooden table and is attired in a brown jacket, a tan vest, a white shirt with gold cuff links, a white bowtie, blue pants, and black shoes. Rolls of paper stick out from the man's back pocket. The man's upturned top hat is visible underneath the table. A decorative object advertising Stratena and a cup sit on the table. All of the men are depicted with exaggerated features. Van Stan's Stratena was manufcatured in Philadelphia during the late 19th century., Title from item., Advertising text on recto: One drop of dis yere Stratena on de conscience of a politician will make him stick to his principles. One drop on de mariage certificate will prevent de divorce court from separating you from de wife of your bosom. Do you hear me! Gentlemen I am a talking., Gift of David Doret.
Vickery's Aunt Sally baking powder [graphic].
Trade card illustration depicting a snowy scene. Two white boy, a woman, and a dog stand by a sled. They are under a large barren tree and near the steps of a house. Visible in the background are trees, a body of water and mountains. On the verso, there is a racist illustration of an African American woman holding a tray of biscuits. A speech bubble near her head reads, "Dar's no use talking, Missus' Vickery's Aunt Sally am de best fur biscuits and cakes." Vickery & Co. manufactured Aunt Sally's Baking Soda and was likely founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1875. The company's founder, George H. Vickery later moved to Philadelphia after a fire destroyed his business., Title from item., Partially visible advertising text printed on verso: Presented with each box. Vickery's Aunt Sally baking poser, trade mark patented. The secret told. [...] put a laundry gloss on your shirts [...] Buy a bottle of Aunt Sally Harsh Gloss and see how it is done. You [...] with it, it puts that shiny gloss., Gift of David Doret.
W. M. Lyon, jeweler, Chester Depot, V.T. [graphic].
Racist trade card depicting a comic scene showing an African American barber shaving a pig in a barber shop. The barber, in the left,is depicted holding a razor in his right hand and the pig's snout in his left. The man is attired in a white shirt with turned up collar, a black bowtie, a green and white checkered apron, and blue pants. The pig, seated chest out, leans back in the barber's chair. The animal wears a barber's cape. On a table next to the barber is a shaving mug filled with shaving foam and holding a shaving brush. The man is depicted with exaggerated features. W.M. Lyon worked as a jeweler in Chester Depot, Vermont beginning in 1877., Title from item., Date inferred from years of operation of business advertised.
Warner's Safe Yeast. Up with the sun. [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting Warner’s Safe Yeast and depicting a white mother with a sick infant and an African American woman nanny who suggests using Warner’s yeast. Shows the mother with her brown hair tied up in a bun and attired in a long-sleeved, striped pink dress with yellow pleats at the bottom and white lace at the collar and cuffs of the sleeves. She cradles in her arms an infant wrapped in a white blanket with two yellow stripes. She looks down at her son standing in the right. He is attired in an orange, long-sleeved shirt with a white collar, a yellow skirt and leggings, and black shoes. He asks, “Mamma, what’s the matter with baby?” She replies that, “Baby’s very sick.” The boy holds up a cannister labeled “Safe Yeast” and states, “Dinah says Warner’s Safe Yeast is the best thing she knows of, to raise him.” In the right, Dinah stands looking on, attired in a yellow bonnet, red earrings, a yellow, short-sleeved dress with a white collar and red tie, and a white apron. In the bottom right is a large cannister of Warner’s Safe Yeast. Image also includes a blue and green rug, fireplace andirons, and in the background a windowpane with a blue vase with yellow flowers. Outside the window the sun comes up and reads, “up with the sun.” Hulbert Harrington Warner (1842-1923) founded a patent medicine business in Rochester, N.Y. in 1878. He created Warner’s Safe Yeast in 1885. In the Panic of 1893, he was unable to cover the company's debts, and the business failed., Title from item., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Text printed on recto: Precocious Youngster: Mamma, what’s the matter with the baby? Mamma: Ah, Darling, Baby’s very sick, I’m afraid we won’t be able to raise him. Precocious Youngster: Try this Mamma, Dinah says Warner’s Safe Yeast is the best thing she knows of, to raise him., Gift of David Doret.
We have the nicest styles of men, boys & childrens' clothing at the Globe Clothing House no. 25 N. Eutaw St. near Lexington [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting the Globe Clothing House in Baltimore and depicting a caricature of a fashionably dressed African American man carrying a cane. Shows an African American man attired in black dress shoes, white socks, black pants, a white collared shirt and bowtie, a red waistcoat, and a green jacket with tails. He opens his mouth in a smile as he struts carrying a cane in his right hand. The trade card is shaped like an artist's palette with colorful paints in the left. The Globe Clothing House opened on 25 N. Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD in 1882. Austin J. Kuhns & Co. acquired the store in September, 1885., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Card is shaped like an artist's palette., Gift of David Doret.
We never fade!! J. & P. Coats best six cord 200 yds 50 [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting J.&. P. Coats thread and depicting a caricature of an African American boy sitting on an oversized spool of thread in a field. Shows the boy seated and with his legs straddling a giant spool of black thread labeled, "J&P Coats best six cord 200 yds 50." He says “we never fade!!” and points his finger at the sun, which has a face and a concerned expression with a downward turned mouth. The boy is barefoot and attired in a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows; a multi-colored tie and belt; and red pants rolled up to the knees. In the foreground, two black crows look at the thread. A house is visible in the right background. 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., Advertising text printed on verso: Fast Black Spool Cotton. Does it wear? Does it wash? When a textile fabric must be dyed a pure, rich, deep black, the question that presents itself to the dyer is: “Will these goods be washed in ordinary soap and water, or will they be dipped in some powerful acid, like aquafortis, sulphuric, or muriatic acid?” It they must withstand every-day wear and tear; he will not be so foolish as to fix his black by aid of powerful acids, but will treat the goods mildly, and thus secure superior strength and endurance. In like manner, a druggist will not put a rubber stopper in a bottle filled with sugar and water; he will naturally use an ordinary cork, and save the rubber for resisting violent acids. It is well to look with suspicion on all Acid Tests applied to Spool Cotton. To resist acids, the dyer must use acids at peril of rotting the thread. Intelligent people do not wash their clothes in acid baths. J. & P. Coats’ Black will hold its color as long as any fabric on which it can be used., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
Wedding of the twins [graphic] : Universal, perfect and elegant stoves and ranges. Manufactured by Cribben, Sexton & Co., Chicago, Ill.
Racist trade card promoting stove manufacturer Cribben, Sexton & Co. and depicting a genre scene with African American caricatures originally created for Harper’s Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." Figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. Shows the sisters getting married a parlor. The twins are attired in white, short-sleeved wedding dresses with ruffles at the bottom and veils. The groom at the left, a squat man, is attired in beige pants; a white waistcoat with a gold pocketwatch chain; a collared shirt; and a black jacket, while the groom at the right, a tall man, is attired in blue striped pants; a white shirt; and a black tie and jacket. An African American reverend attired in a black suit stands in front of them and officiates while holding an open bible. The twin's parents stand behind the couples. The father is attired in white pants, a shirt, and a waistcoat, with a black jacket and bowtie. The mother is attired in a brown dress with a white hat decorated with a bow and sash. Behind them watching the nuptials is a woman, attired in a white mob cap and a blue dress, seated in a wooden chair. She holds a boy in her lap, attired in a green pants and a beige jacket. Three other people view the ceremony through a doorway. In the left is a woman attired in a beige dress with a white apron and a cap; in the center is a man attired in a blue collared shirt; and in the right is a woman attired in a beige dress. A table with a cake and a decanter with glasses is visible behind the reverend. Henry Cribben and James A. Sexton founded the stove manufactory Cribben, Sexton & Co. in Chicago in 1873. The Company closed in 1965., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: Davison & Steinhilfer, Dealers in stoves and hardware, and a full line of universal perfect & elegant stoves and ranges always on hand, Strawberry Point, Iowa., Gift of David Doret.
The wedding party off for Europe. And they have all got on the neat $2.50, gaiters made to measure at the Co-operative Shoemakers, arnt they splendid. 220 & 222 S. Halsted St. [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting the Working Shoe Makers Co-Operative Union and depicting a scene with African American caricatures originally created for Harper’s Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." Shows the twins, attired in yellow hats decorated with a red feather and long-sleeved yellow dresses with a white collar and a red belt, standing on the deck of the ship with their husbands. The husband in the left is attired in a white collared shirt, a blue jacket, red pants, and black shoes. The other twin’s husband in the right is attired in a blue hat, a white collared shirt, a green jacket, red and white striped pants, and black shoes. The couples, newly married, are “off for Europe” and look over the ship to say goodbye to the people on the dock. In the foreground, a number of African American men, attired in hats and suits, and women, attired in hats and dresses, talk amongst themselves and wave goodbye. In the left, a man stands up over the crowd, attired in a black hat, a red jacket, and yellow pants, and throws a bouquet of flowers at the couples onto the deck. The Working Shoe Makers Co-Operative Union was active in the 1880s in Chicago, Ill., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: The Working Shoe Makers. Co-Operative Union 220 & 222 S. Halsted Street, The Cheapest Custom Made Shoe Store in the City. Button & Congress Gaiters, to measure. Ladies’ Button & Laced Gaiters, to measure. Half soleing & heeling 1.00 Ladies 75 cts, Craddock & Auston, Managers., Gift of David Doret.
"Wes don got de "Domestic," we has!" [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting the Domestic Sewing Machine Company and depicting a comic genre scene of an African American couple who has acquired a sewing machine. The figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. In the center is a man and woman in a blue-colored cart being pulled by a galloping brown horse. The man, attired in a top hat; a blue jacket; a white collared shirt; and green checked pants, strains and leans forward as he holds the reins. The woman, attired in a yellow dress with black polka dots and a pink bonnet, leans back and exclaims in the vernacular that "wes don got the Domestic, we has!" She raises her left hand in the air and holds a white handkerchief. A sewing machine is visible inside the cart. In the far right a barefooted boy attired in a straw hat; a white collared shirt; and brown pants rolled up to his calves, possibly their displaced son, runs beside the wagon. In the top right corner is an inset illustration of a Domestic Sewing Machine Co.'s sewing machine. William S. Mack & Co. and N.S. Perkins founded the Domestic Sewing Machine Company in 1864 in Norwalk, Ohio. The White Sewing Machine Company bought the company in 1924., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: "It stands at the head. The light running "Domestic" No. 4 Family. The best. The model machine. Domestic Sewing Machine Co." Includes an illustration of a Domestic sewing machine., Gift of David Doret., Library Company holds duplicate copy [P.2017.95.49].
"Wes don got de "Domestic," we has!" [graphic].
Racist trade card promoting the Domestic Sewing Machine Company and depicting a comic genre scene of an African American couple who has acquired a sewing machine. The figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. In the center is a man and woman in a blue-colored cart being pulled by a galloping brown horse. The man, attired in a top hat; a blue jacket; a white collared shirt; and green checked pants, strains and leans forward as he holds the reins. The woman, attired in a yellow dress with black polka dots and a pink bonnet, leans back and exclaims in the vernacular that "wes don got the Domestic, we has!" She raises her left hand in the air and holds a white handkerchief. A sewing machine is visible inside the cart. In the far right a barefooted boy attired in a straw hat; a white collared shirt; and brown pants rolled up to his calves, possibly their displaced son, runs beside the wagon. In the top right corner is an inset illustration of a Domestic Sewing Machine Co.'s sewing machine. William S. Mack & Co. and N.S. Perkins founded the Domestic Sewing Machine Company in 1864 in Norwalk, Ohio. The White Sewing Machine Company bought the company in 1924., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of advertised business., Advertising printed on verso: "It stands at the head. The light running "Domestic" No. 4 Family. The best. The model machine. Domestic Sewing Machine Co." Includes an illustration of a Domestic sewing machine., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: J.Y. Sigafus, Sewing machines, organs, and pianos, cheap for cash. Stroudsburg, PA., Gift of David Doret., Library Company holds duplicate copy [P.2017.95.50].
W.H. & S.V. Lines [graphic].
Racist trade card showing an African American man facing the left and depicted in bust-length. The man is attired in a straw hat, from which three chicks peek out, and a collared shirt. He is depicted with exaggerated features., Title from item., Advertising text on verso: Boots, shoes, rubbers, trunks & bags. Good goods! Low prices! All the novelties. Buying direct in large lots to supply our seven stores enables us to sell cheaper than other dealers. Stores at Rochester, Schenectady, Ithaca, Amsterdam, Elmira, Lockport, and Geneva, N.Y. W.H. Lines, S.V. Lines, Jr., Text printed on recto: Injured innocence. I hain't seen nuffin of yer chickens! Do yer took me for a thief? Do yer see any chickens 'bout me? Go' way dar, white man! Treat a bo 'spectable if he am brack!, Gift of David Doret.
Which wi[ll let go] first, the dog or the darkey [graphic].
Racist, trade card specimen depicting caricatures of two African American men stealing watermelons from a farm. Shows the barefooted, African American man, attired in a long-sleeved shirt and ragged pants, carrying a watermelon under each arm as he tries to get over a wooden fence. He has a fearful expression on his face as a dog has ripped and holds the back of his pants in its mouth. Another barefooted, African American man, attired in a long-sleeved shirt and striped pants, opens his mouth in alarm as he has fallen over the fence and landed face down with his legs in the air. The pieces of a smashed watermelon lie on the ground beside him. In the right background is a house and a white man, attired in a hat and carrying a rifle, moving towards the fence., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
[White woman being carried on a candy stick by a white man jockey and an African American man] [graphic].
Racist, trade card specimen depicting a white woman sitting on a candy stick being carried by a white man jockey and an African American man. Shows the blond-haired, white woman, attired in a white hat decorated with a green band and red feather; spectacles; a white collared shirt; a red bowtie; and a green jacket and skirt, sitting on top of an oversized, striped red and yellow candy stick. She holds reins in both of her hands that are wrapped around the white man jockey, attired in a white and yellow striped jockey cap; a white collared shirt; a blue bowtie; a red jacket; beige breeches; and black boots, who is carrying the front of the candy stick on his right shoulder. The African American man, portrayed in caricature and attired in a white top hat with a blue band; a white bowtie; a blue jacket; a yellow waistcoat and pants; white socks; and buckled shoes, carries the back end of the candy stick on his right shoulder., Title devised by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Whoa! Aunty! [graphic] : Compliments of Goodwin brothers, wheel-wrights.
Racist trade card promoting wheelwrights the Goodwin Brothers and depicting caricatures of African Americans picking cotton on a plantation. In the left, an African American man, attired in a hat, a blue plaid shirt, blue and white striped pants, and brown shoes, kneels on the ground and picks cotton off of a plant. To his left is a large basket overflowing with cotton. In the right, two barefooted African American boys, attired respectively in beige pants rolled up to the knees and a blue shirt and blue pants rolled up to the knees and a white shirt, each hold the end of a rope (probably a jump rope). They look in alarm and exclaim “Whoa! Aunty!” as an African American woman who has tripped on the rope flies in the air. The woman, attired in a white shirt with blue polka dots, a blue plaid shirt, and black shoes, throws both her hands in front of her with her mouth open as she falls toward the ground. Her basket full of cotton is flung through the air. In the background are four other cotton pickers, one man carries a basket on his right shoulder and a woman raises both her arms up. Brothers James K. Goodwin (1844-1910) and Charles W. Goodwin (1853-1943) were wheelwrights in Manchester, New Hampshire., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Series number printed on the recto: 450., Advertising text printed on the verso: Goodwin Brothers, manufacturers of wheels and carriage wood work of every description. Also dealers in hubs, spokes, rims, shafts, bodies, seats, carriage gear &c. Hubs turned and mortised. Sawing and planing to order. Carriages built to order, complete. Special attention given to repairing. 441 Elm Street, Hodge’s Building, Manchester, N.H. J.K. Goodwin. C.W. Goodwin., Gift of David Doret.
Who's dar? [graphic].
Racist, trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American man eating honeycomb in a bear’s cave. Shows the barefooted African American man portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a red collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and blue pants with the cuffs rolled up to his knees. He sits on the ground inside a cave and smiles as he holds a large piece of honeycomb in his hands. In the right are many large pieces of honeycomb. In the background, the back of a bear is visible climbing out of the cave through an opening above and to the right of the man's head., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Series number printed on recto: 24., Copyright statement printed on recto: Copyright., Gift of David Doret.
Willard & Lane's improved Eagle Stove Polish better than any made [graphic] / Carroll.
Racist trade card promoting Willard & Lane’s Eagle Stove Polish and depicting caricatures of an African American woman and two African American boys using stove polish. Shows the African American woman, portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a hat decorated with a ribbon, a white, short-sleeved dress, and slippers, standing and carrying a brush in her left hand. She looks with concern to the left at the two boys sitting on the floor. In the left, the barefooted boy, attired in a short-sleeved white shirt and shorts, sits on the floor with his legs stretched out. The barefooted boy in the right, attired in a white, long-sleeved shirt and white pants with a patch, applies stove polish with a brush on him. In the foreground is a box labeled, “Willard & Lane’s Improved Eagle Stove Polish.” A stove is in the center of the room. Abel Lyman Willard (1829-1892) opened an apothecary and drug store in 1855 in Taunton, Mass. In circa 1874, he founded the firm Willard & Lane with A.F. Lane, manufacturing Eagle Stove Polish., Title from item., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
With the season's greetings [graphic].
Racist, holiday greeting card depicting a caricature of an African American man. Shows the bust length portrait of the man facing right with his eyes looking at the viewer. He is portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a white hat with a brown band, gold earrings, a white collared shirt with a gold pin, a yellow and red bowtie, and a white jacket with a red flower boutonniere., Title from item., Publication information from the copyright statement: Raphael Tuck & Sons Copyright., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Wm. M. Smith, 474 Broad Street. [graphic].
Racist trade card depicting a snowy scene with several African American figures. At the center of the image is an African American man attired in a long button-down coat with a hood walking past a group of children. He stands with his left hand in his pocket and holds a cane in his right hand. Small hosues, bare trees, a fence, and several people are visible in the background. Three children in the right foreground of the image look up at the man in the center and adog in the left of the image runs in front of him. The figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. William M. Smith owned a clothing store in Newark, New Jersey in the late 19th century., Title from item., Advertising text on verso: 2424. Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-four Customers, whose names and measurements are registered on our books, will attest to the superiority of the "Domestic Shirt" over all others in make, material, fit, and economy. Factory attached to the Store, No. 474 Broad Street opposite Orange St. where the public are cordially invited to examine our Shirts in every stage of manufacture. N.B. The Otto Gas Engine Furnishing the power to run our machines is a marvel of mechanical ingenuity. Wm. M. Smith, 474 Broad Street, Opp. Orange Street., Gift of David Doret.
The wooing of the twins [graphic] : Universal, perfect and elegant stoves and ranges. Manufactured by Cribben, Sexton & Co., Chicago, Ill.
Racist trade card promoting stove manufacturer Cribben, Sexton & Co. and depicting a genre scene with African American caricatures originally created for Harper’s Weekly in 1878 by Sol Eytinge that satirized the courtship and marriage of and the start of families by "The Twins." Figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. Shows the two couples sitting in wooden chairs. The twin sisters are identically attired in yellow dresses with red polka dots and white collars. In the left one sister holds a fan as she coyly looks and smiles to the man seated to her right. He is attired in black shoes; blue and white striped pants; a white collared shirt with red tie; and a green jacket. His hands are on on his knees. In the right the other sister touches her chin with her finger as she leans towards the man seated opposite her. Her suitor is attired in black shoes; red and white striped pants; a white shirt; and a black jacket with tails. In the center behind the couples is a mantel with cups, plates, and bowls placed on top. Inside the mantel is a stove with a kettle on it. In the right background, the parents of the twins are sitting in chairs. The father, attired in a blue jacket and beige pants, reads a newspaper. The mother is attired in a red dress. Henry Cribben and James A. Sexton founded the stove manufactory Cribben, Sexton & Co. in Chicago in 1873. The Company closed in 1965., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: Sayles & Conover, Dealers in stoves and hardware, A full line of universal, Perfect and elegant stoves and ranges always on hand. Valparaiso, Indiana., Gift of David Doret., Forms part of a series [P.2017.95.37 & P.2017.95.38].
Yes you! [graphic].
Racist, trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American man minstrel playing a banjo. Shows the African American man minstrel portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a white collared shirt, a blue bowtie with white polka dots, a white jacket with orange polka dots and tails, yellow pants with blue and white stripes, and black shoes. He lifts his left leg up and sticks his tongue out as he strums on the banjo., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Series number printed on recto: 58., Gift of David Doret.
“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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