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1/2 merit
Reward of merit cut from sheet of merits typically accumulated by students to be redeemed for a larger certificate or fancy card from their teacher. Contains ornamental border., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler., Described in Patricia Fenn and Alfred Malpa, Rewards of merit (Charlottesville, Va.: Ephemera Society of America, 1994), 110.

34th Street [sic], entrance to University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
Depicts the Memorial Tower connecting the dormitories, constructed 1894-1911 after designs by Cope & Stewardson., Founded as a charity school in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. Original school buildings located at 4th and Arch Streets, then moved into the Presidential Mansion at 9th and Chestnut Streets in 1802. The mansion was cleared away in 1829 and two larger university buildings were constructed. Expanded to a much larger West Philadelphia campus in 1875., Divided back., Accession numbers: P.9076.23 and P.9105.17., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

[4300 Fleming Street, northwest corner of Roxborough Avenue, Philadelphia.]
Exterior view looking west at the three story corner grocery store owned by Frank Hummel. A table advertising "Old Dutch Cleanser" sits in front of the shop facing Roxborough Avenue and a wooden stand rests underneath the shop window facing Fleming Street. A side entrance enables access to upper floors above the grocery store along the southeast flank facing Roxborough Avenue. A one story shed occupies the lot north of the grocery store on Fleming Street., Title from manuscript note on verso., Real photo. Divided back. AZO stamp box with diamonds in corner., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

5 merits. Punctuality. Attention. Dilligence.
Reward of merit designed as a bank note. Contains pictorial details of instruments of learning, including a paint palette, lamp, books, and a globe, within a decorative border., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler., Described in Patricia Fenn and Alfred Malpa, Rewards of merit (Charlottesville, Va.: Ephemera Society of America, 1994), 110.

[900 South 60th Street, West Philadelphia.]
Depicts row homes along the 900 block of south 60th Street, near Carpenter Street in West Philadelphia., Divided back., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

A. E. Brown & Co., manufacturers of children and infants' shoes, Orwigsburg, Penna. A. E. Brown. J. A. Paul. P. W. Fegley.
Advertising blotter containing a caricature of "Our Commercial Traveler" (i.e., a traveling agent for wholesale merchants). Shows a gentleman sales agent caricatured with a large head, mustache, side burns, and prominent nose, attired in a suit and top hat, and carrying a valise and umbrella., Manuscript note on recto: Property of Jho. Shower, Orwigsburg, Pa., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

A. L. Gerhart & Co.'s commission & forwarding warehouse, No. 365 Market Street.
Bill of lading for the Philadelphia shipping warehouse containing two vignette wood engravings. Images show a steam locomotive, and a horse-drawn canal boat., Completed in manuscript for Mr. Schrack shipping "1 bbl oil" to Brubacker & Co., dated September 22, 1846 and signed by A.L. Gerhart., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

A. S. Renner, carriage builder, Perkasie Station, N.P.R.R. Bucks Co., Pa.
Trade card containing images of a convertible carriage and a coach., Printed in red ink., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

A. Wright & Nephew, Vine Street Wharf, Delaware.
Bill of lading for the Philadelphia shipping warehouse containing two vignette wood engravings. Images shows a steam locomotive, and a horse-drawn canal boat., Completed in manuscript for C. Schrack shipping 1 box glass, 1 tin [illegible], 1 bbl oil to H.L. [Emmons, Wilkes Barre?], dated September 30, 1846 and signed L.B.C., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

Academy of Music postcards.
Exterior views of the Academy of Music, built 1855-1857 based on designs by LeBrun & Runge., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

Academy of Natural Science postcards.
Contains views of the Academy of Natural Sciences built 1868 after designs by James Hamilton Windrim. Images depict the exterior of the museum before major renovations and additions, and an interior view of the Audubon bird hall., Contains 2 postcards printed in color and 2 printed in black and white., Sheet numbers: 27A01A and 27B01A., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

Acker Quality Shop postcards.
Primarily includes interior views of Acker Quality Shop showing various departments and restaurants. Depicts the confectionary department, Caillers Swiss Chalet, the Men's Dutch Kitchen and the refreshment fountain. Also includes views of the central staircase and the front and east facades., Philadelphia souvenir post card monogram of Independence Hall on verso., Accession numbers: P.9490.3 - 7 and P.9587.5., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

Acker Quality Shop postcards.
Primarily includes interior views of Acker Quality Shop showing various departments, specialty booths and restaurants. Depicts cigar, confectionary, perfumery, and food departments; specialty booths for Japanese tea and Moorish coffee; restaurants including Caillers Swiss Chalet, the English Inn Balcony, the Men's Dutch Kitchen and the refreshment fountain. Also includes views of the central staircase, the library and flower shop, and the front and east facades., Contains 14 postcards printed in black and white., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

Adams & Co's express. Eastern, Western, and Northern package express, for the conveyance of merchandise, specie, baggage, &c, &c, and insurance effected, whenever required on any package, to its full amount of value.
Bill of lading for the Philadelphia branch (est. circa 1843) of the rail express service company started by Alvin Adams of Boston in 1840. Contains vignette showing an "Adams & Co. Express" train crossing over a stone bridge under which a horse-drawn wagon travels. In the background, a ship sails and in the foreground, two men watch the train from a valley., Name of proprietors (Alvin Adams, W.B. Dinsmore, E. S. Sanford, E. S. Shoemaker) and office locations (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond) printed below and to side of image., Contains N.B. explicating that Adams & Co. are "alone responsible for the loss or injury of any article or property of any description entrusted to their care...", Completed in manuscript for J. S. Myers shipping one tin box to Wm. Gadsby, Washington, DC., dated March 17, 1852, signed: For the Proprietors, [D Nussing?]., Numeric calculations inscribed on verso., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler., Small section of bottom edge torn off.

"All Aboard!" car on Philadelphia and West Chester Trolley.
Depicts a Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company trolley car on the tracks., Numbered 134 on verso., Sheet number: 158B01., Undivided back. Post marked 1907., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

Allemannia Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. Jos. Abel, president. G.W. Hammer, secretary.
Advertising blotter containing a view of a fire company attending to a blaze at a large, possibly municipal, building. Shows firemen utilizing steam engines and hoses to pump water onto the flames, and ladders to scale the building. Scene bordered in lower left corner by horn and lantern details. Allemannia was chartered in 1868., Printed below title: Insure with the Oldest Agency Company of Western Pennsylvania. Time Tried and Fire Tested. Insure Your Dwelling With This Company., Stamped on recto: Guiles & Wensell, Agents, No. 103 N. 2d. Street, Harrisburg, Pa., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

Allen & Needles, wholesale dealers in oil & guano. Agents for Kingsford & Sons starch. No. 41 South Water St. & No. 42 South Wharves, Philadelphia.
Pictorial envelope containing an oval-shaped cameo stamp in upper left corner for the partnership established about 1861. Allen & Needles operated until the early 1870s., Title from cameo stamp., Contains on recto: ink-stamp postmark [illegible] PA Sep 8 and cancelled three-cents stamp printed in red ink and depicting George Washington., Addressed in manuscript to: R.J. Jackson, Lapidum, Harford Cy. Md., Numeric calculations in ink on verso., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

Amateur newspaper collection
Collection of 131 amateur newspapers (225 issues) from sixteen states. Holdings range from single issues up to eight issues. Most of the newspapers were purchased, and the collection has increased through donations. The collection is open to new additions., Many newspapers discuss amateur journalism and amateur journalism societies., "The advent of the small, toy press, moreover, ushered in the golden age of amateur publishing during the 1870s. Because subscription lists were large and because exchanging papers was an important element in amateur journalism, the hobby spread from the Northeast across the nation, creating a mass culture for adolescents who shared the experience of reading the same stories and debating the same issues. ... Although many of the papers of the 1840s and 1850s generally imitated their adult counterparts by reprinting selections from other periodicals, the juvenile papers of the 1870s were firmly committed to original work. Bereft of stylistic sophistication--metaphor, symbol, character development, and, sometimes, plot--the amateur papers and miniature novels provided a forum for young people's thinking as they used a toy to mark the longer time between childhood and adulthood. Because they were novice writers, the authors often copied or, more precisely, plagiarized plots and characters created by their favorite adult authors: Captain Mayne Reid, Horatio Alger and, especially, Oliver Optic. Nevertheless, in their so-called adaptations of adult work, the amateur editors made significant alterations in characterization and plotting to suit their own perceptions." From Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society: http://www.faqs.org/childhood/In-Ke/Juvenile-Publishing.html viewed March 27, 2012.

American & Howe pin companies' adamantine pins.
Pin label containing pictorial details, ornate borders, and filigree. Details include urns, gargoyles, and a vase. American Pin Company established in 1846 and Howe Manufacturing Company established in 1833 operated the only pin manufactories in the United States in Connecticut by 1848., Printed on flaps: American & Howe Pin Cos' 5 Adamantine Pins., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

American Hotel, S. M. Heulings proprietor, Chestnut Street bet. Fifth & Sixth, opposite Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Pictorial envelope advertising the American Hotel and containing a view of "Independence Hall, Directly Opposite the American Hotel" on the verso. Image also shows the Bailly statue of George Washington and pedestrian traffic, including couples on promenade and in conversation., Title from printed return address., Upper right corner removed., Contains ink-stamp postmark: Philadelphia Oct 3 8 AM., Addressed in manuscript to: Mr. Wm. Fulmer, Bloomsberry, New Jersey., Accompanied by illustrated letterhead completed in manuscript to Mr. Wm. Fulmer ("Dear Bro.") from A.M. Henkel, dated October 2, 1876 describing a wedding trip, including a visit to the Centennial Exhibition. Illustration duplicates illustration on corresponding envelope. [P.2011.10.69a], Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.

Anthony J. Drexel statue postcards.
Depicts the bronze seated figure of Anthony J. Drexel designed by Moses Jacob Ezekiel in 1904. Originally located in West Fairmount Park near Horticultural Hall, but later moved to Drexel University's campus at 32nd and Market Streets. Commissioned by Drexel's business partner, John H. Harjes of Paris., Contains 4 postcards printed in color and 4 printed in black and white., Sheet numbers: 88A01 and 88B02., Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.

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