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- Title
- Official first day of issue. Honoring Martin Luther King, 1929-1968. Distinguished civil rights leader. Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Black Heritage USA Series
- Description
- ArtCraft "First Day Cover" (i.e., designed envelope with a stamp affixed and cancelled on the day the stamp was issued) containing vignette illustrations depicting Martin Luther King, Jr. Shows a bust-length, left-profile portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a view from behind King during his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., August 28, 1963. View includes a mass of people in the background., Title from item., Date supplied from research and content., Logo of printer printed in lower left corner: Text "ArtCraft" set on a paint palette with brushes inserted through the hole for the artist's thumb., Image caption: "I Have A Dream.", Contains ink-stamp postmark: Atlanta, GA Jan 13 1979 3030A and cancelled "First Day of Issue" Black Heritage USA color-printed 15-cent stamp after the design of Jerry Pinkney and depicting a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. and an inset of a view of King and several men and women walking at a protest march. The King stamp issued in 1979, was the second issued for the Black Heritage Series begun in 1978 by the U.S. Postal Service to recognize "the contribution of Black Americans to the growth and development of the United States.", Contains mailing label., The Washington Press ArtCraft brand was introduced in 1939 for the printing of First Day Covers. The firm stopped producing ArtCraft First Day Covers in 2016.
- Date
- [1979]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - envelopes - King [P.2019.80.5]
- Title
- Official first day of issue. Honoring Harriet Tubman, 1821-1913. Abolitionist. Nurse. Escapded slave. Black Heritage USA Series
- Description
- ArtCraft "First Day Cover" (i.e., designed envelope with a stamp affixed and cancelled on the day the stamp was issued) containing vignette illustrations depicting Harriet Tubman. Shows a half-length portrait of Harriet Tubman and a view of Tubman with Black persons of all ages, their belongings, and horse-drawn carts on a snow-covered clearing., Title from item., Date supplied from research and content., Logo of printer printed in lower left corner: Text "ArtCraft" set on a paint palette with brushes inserted through the hole for the artist's thumb., Image caption: She Guided More Than 300 Slaves to Freedom., Contains ink-stamp postmark: Washington. DC. Feb 1 1978 20013 and cancelled "First Day of Issue" Black Heritage USA color-printed 15-cent stamp after the design of Jerry Pinkney and depicting a portrait of Harriet Tubman and an inset of a view of Tubman and three Black persons riding a donkey-drawn wagon. The Tubman stamp issued in 1978, was the first issued for the Black Heritage Series begun in 1978 by the U.S. Postal Service to recognize "the contribution of Black Americans to the growth and development of the United States.", Mailing label removed., The Washington Press ArtCraft brand was introduced in 1939 for the printing of First Day Covers. The firm stopped producing ArtCraft First Day Covers in 2016., Gift of George R. Allen, 2022.
- Date
- [1978]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - envelopes - Poor [P.2019.80.6]
- Title
- Official first day of issue. Honoring Salem Poor, Gallant Soldier, distinguished patriot of Bunker Hill, Valley Forge and White Plains
- Description
- ArtCraft "First Day Cover" (i.e., designed envelope with a stamp affixed and cancelled on the day the stamp was issued) from the "Contributors to the Cause "series issued for the United States Bicentennial. Contains illustration after John Trumbull’s historical painting based on his eyewitness account of the Battle of Bunker Hill while serving as a commissioned officer during the American Revolution. Depicts American Major General Joseph Warren’s death proceeding the Americans’ retreat from the hill and includes the figure of Salem Poor, who has also been identified as another Black soldier, Peter Salem, in the context of the painting., Title from item., Date supplied from content., Logo of printer printed in lower left corner: Text "ArtCraft" set on a paint palette with brushes inserted through the hole for the artist's thumb., Image caption: Salem Poor received commendation for his heroics during the Battle of Bunker Hill., Contains ink-stamp postmark: Cambridge, MA. Mar 25 1975 02139 and cancelled "First Day of Issue" color-printed U.S. 10-cent stamp "Contributors to the Cause. Salem Poor. Gallant Soldier" depicting a half-length portrait of Poor with a rifles in hand. Poor was an enslaved African-American man who purchased his freedom in 1769 and became a soldier in 1775., Contains printed address., The Washington Press ArtCraft brand was introduced in 1939 for the printing of First Day Covers. The firm stopped producing ArtCraft First Day Covers in 2016., Gift of George R. Allen, 2022.
- Date
- [1975]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - envelopes - Poor [P.2022.42.3]
- Title
- The nation honors a great American. "From slave cabin to hall of fame." Booker Washington Bookplace, Virginia. U.S. Post Office established February 12, 1948
- Description
- Illustrated envelope containing a composite image depicting a portrait of Black educator Booker T. Washington, a view of a log cabin, and a view of a classical-style building., Title and date from item., Date supplied from research and content., Image caption: She Guided More Than 300 Slaves to Freedom., Contains ink-stamp postmark: Booker Washington Birthplace Va. Feb 12 1948 5PM and cancelled (Opening Day Cancellation) violet color-printed 3-cent stamp after the format of the Famous American Scientists Series of 1940 and depicting a bust-length portrait of George Washington Carver, Director of Agriculture at Tuskegee Institute., Inscribed in ink: [Pntd?] Washington Pitt [?], Addressed in type: Patricia Chapman, Newfield, N.J., Accompanied by four circulars titled: "Team Work ... by Dr. Booker T. Washington" (2 copies); "Atlanta Exposition Address Delivered by Booker T. Washington, September, 1895, Atlanta, Georgia"; and "Gems of Wisdom. Thoughts from Booker T. Washington's Philosophy That Have Rendered Invaluable Service to Mankind.", Gift of George R. Allen, 2022.
- Date
- [1948]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *ephemera - envelopes - Nation [P.2022.42.4a-e]
- Title
- A luxury fleet featuring newest pullman refinements at low travel cost! Pennsylvania Railroad Broadway Limited (All-Room Train). The General New York-Philadelphia-Chicago. "Spirit of St. Louis" New York-Philadelphia-St. Louis. Liberty Limited Washington-Baltimore-Chicago. The Pittsburgher (All-Room Train) New York-Pittsburgh. The Golden Triangle Pittsburgh-Chicago. Many types of Pullman private accommodations, modern section sleepers on all but Broadway Limited and The Pittsburgher-all room trains
- Description
- Poster showing an interior view of a luxury pullman car to advertise the Pennsylvania Railroad. Shows several white men and woman passengers relaxing in the car. In the left, a Black man server, serves drinks to two women and a man seated at a booth. Across from them, in the right, an older man sits in an arm chair, and smokes a cigar, and holds a paper in his lap. An older woman sits on the arm of his chair. Behind them, two women converse, one standing. In the far background, two men stand at a bar. Image also shows a train window. The server wears a white smock shirt and black pants. The men passengers wear suits. The women passengers wear a dress or suit jacket and skirt and/or hats., Title from item., Date inferred from content., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1945]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department miscellaneous posters [P.2284.103]
- Title
- Joyous birthday
- Description
- Racist, metamorphic birthday card depicting a caricatured portrayal of a Black man taxi driver and a Black man passenger, riding in a taxi. Scene, with the card closed, shows the exterior of a yellow taxi with blue and checkered trims. The passenger and driver, depicted with exaggerated and minstrelized features, including wide eyes and a circular mouth, look out their respective rear and front windows, and toward the viewer. The passenger wears a bowler hat and the driver is in a uniform, including a cap. A suitcase is strapped to the top and a a spare tire is attached to the rear of the vehicle. Scene, with card opened, shows the rear door of the car open and the passenger, attired in a pink plaid suit, seated on a blue car seat, and holding a pot with three flowers on his lap. The trim of the taxi is pink., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Printed in the vernacular on inside front cover: When yo' Birf'day rolls around. May it find yo' Up to Snuff,' And may it bring de best ob joys. Now ain' dat Fare enuf?, Printed on verso: Made in U.S.A., Manuscript note on verso: Hoping you have many more Happy and Joyous Birthdays to come. Ruth., RVCDC, Gift of James Hill.
- Date
- [ca. 1935]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Cards - Birthday [P.2021.26.2]
- Title
- Minstrel show. Wentworth Town Hall. March 26th - 8:15. Adults .25. Children .15. Orchestra - dancing
- Description
- Mixed media poster containing a clipped, bust-length, racist caricature depicting "N.D. Johnson" above manuscript text promoting a minstrel show, probably in Wentworth, N.H. Clipped image shows a man in black face, with an exaggerated broad smile, and looking to the left with his eyes. He wears a top hat, red bow, a white shirt with wide lapels and a "shiny" star-shaped pin at the chest, and a tuxedo jacket., 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., Contains pasted, clipped photomechanical print captioned: N.D. Johnson., C. Belyea is possibly Charles Moses Belyea (1904-1980) of Grafton, New Hampshire., RVCDC, Description of Blackface minstrelsy from Dorothy Berry, Descriptive Equity and Clarity around Blackface Minstrelsy in H(arvard) T(heater) C(ollection) Collections, 2021.
- Creator
- Belyea, C.
- Date
- [ca. 1925]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC - Advertisements - Minstrel [P.2022.57.2]
- Title
- Chil dren of all nations. A series of 50
- Description
- Series of pop out cigarette cards depicting waist-length portraits of children (boys and girls) of different nationalities attired in their "native" costume. Includes Arabia (boy); Australia (boy); Belgian Congo (boy); Belgium (girl); Bulgaria (boy); Burma (girl); Denmark (girl); Egypt (girl); England (boy); Greece (girl); Holland (girl); Hungary (boy); Italy (girl); Ireland (girl); Mexico (boy); Natal (girl); New Zealand (girl); Norway (girl); Palestine (girl); Patagonia (girl); Poland (girl); Portugal (boy); Rumania (girl); Russia (girl); Scotland (boy); Siam (boy); Spain (girl); Sweden (girl); Tahiti (girl); Tibet (girl); Tunis (girl); Turkey (girl); United States (girl); and Wales (girl). The Ogden Branch was originally founded by Thomas Ogden as the Ogdens Tobacco Company in 1860. In 1901, American Tobacco Company bought Ogden's Tobacco Company and it in turn was bought by Imperial Tobacco Co. in 1902. Ogden started to include cigarette cards in its packaging in 1894., Date inferred from pop out format. Series issued in 1924 as pop outs., Printed above images: Ogden's Cigarettes., Title from series title on items., Versos contain explicative statements describing the depicted children's appearance, social life, and customs., Gift of George Allen., RVCDC, Description reviewed 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1924]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Cards [P.2016.56.1-34]
- Title
- True blue
- Description
- 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.
- Date
- 1919
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC - Soldiers [P.2016.61]
- Title
- Colored man is no slacker
- Description
- Poster, possibly a modern reproduction, commemorating the service of African American men during World War I. Shows a young African American couple, including an infantry man in uniform, looking at each other, in a slight embrace, and holding their left hands. The woman wears a blue, calf-length frock with a white Puritan collar and white cuffs and black and white boots with heels. Her hair is pinned under. Her companion wears a tan uniform, including a campaign hat, jacket, jodhpurs, gaiters, and boots. They stand on a pathway lined with flower bushes and potted flowering plants that leads to a portico. In the background, a troop of African American soldiers, including a soldier bearing the American flag, marches. Rows of trees are visible in the distance., Title from item., Range in publication date inferred from medium and copyright statement: [copyright symbol of "c" in circle] 1918 By E. G. Renesch, Chicago., Name of publisher from copyright statement., Description revised 2022., Access points reviewed 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1918 - ca. 1950]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Framed graphics [P.2016.28]
- Title
- Tobias Gilmore House, Raynham, 1781-1918. "Toby" Gilmore, born in Africa, was a patriot of the American Revolution
- Description
- 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1918]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - souvenirs & keepsakes [P.2021.15]
- Title
- Down where the cotton blossoms grow
- Description
- Postcard depicting a group portrait of African American cotton pickers, predominantly women and children, in a cotton field. Show the workers stopped from their work and posed toward the viewer. One of the women holds a baby. A wooded area is seen in the background., Date inferred from postmark: New Orleans, May 13, 1911, 9AM., Addressed in manuscript to: Miss Ester Wilson, 318 N. Jardin St., Shenandoah, Penna. Signed H.F.M., Contains cancelled one-cent stamp printed in green ink and depicting Benjamin Franklin in profile., Printed on verso: Made in U.S.A., Gift of George R. Allen., Divided back., Lipsher Specialty Co. operated 1909-1914 and published views of and around New Orleans.
- Date
- [ca. 1911]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Non-Pennsylvania [P.2013.65.20]
- Title
- Sugar cane plantation
- Description
- Postcard depicting a group portrait of male African American sugarcane workers, including several boys, posed in a sugarcane field. Most of the workers, stand and hold canes, while two boys sit on reaped cane in the foreground. A wooded area is seen in the background., Date inferred from postmark: New Orleans, May 13, 1911, 9AM., Addressed in manuscript to: Mr. John Wilson, 318 N. Jardin St., Shenandoah, Penna. Signed H.F.M., Contains cancelled one-cent stamp printed in green ink and depicting Benjamin Franklin in profile., Gift of George R. Allen., Divided back.
- Date
- [ca. 1911]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Non-Pennsylvania [P.2013.65.19]
- Title
- Chew House Germantown
- Description
- Exterior view of the colonial residence built 1763-1767 by master carpenter Jacob Knor for Philadelphia attorney Benjamin Chew at 6401 Germantown Avenue. Shows the facade of the two-story stone building with a pediment over the front door, shuttered windows, and dormers and chimneys on the roof. View includes the west wing of the estate house. Chew House, also known as Cliveden, was the site of the turning point in the Battle of Germantown in 1777. The Chew family enslaved people of African descent in the city of Philadelphia and in Germantown during the 18th and 19th centuries. The estate was the Chew family residence until 1972 when it was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation., Title from manuscript note on verso: Chew House Germantown. [43?] Ross. [#H.B.?] Pencil., Date inferred from aesthetic style of drawing., Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell, 2018., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1910]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell - Watercolors & Drawings [P.2018.61.10]
- Title
- Washington birthday greetings
- Description
- Postcard containing an interpretation of Christian Schussele's 1864 painting "Washington and his Family" that was also issued as an engraving. Shows a domestic family group portrait with George and Martha Washington seated at a table, near which their step grand-children Nelly and William stand. A map rests on the table, and Washington holds a book in his lap. In the background, William Lee, an African American man enslaved by Washington who worked as his valet including during the Revolutionary War, enters the room holding a note on a tray. In the right foreground, Washington's overcoat and sword rest on a chair., Date inferred from postmark: Mass., Dec. 1910., Addressed in manuscript to: Mr. Ralph Osgood, Oak St., Springfield, Mass., Inscribed in lower left corner on verso: Cores. from Ethel., Contains cancelled one-cent stamp printed in green ink and depicting Benjamin Franklin in profile., Divided back., Gift of John Serembus, 2013., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1910]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Non-Pennsylvania [P.2013.66]
- Title
- Marriage certificate. This certifies that [blank] of [blank] and [blank] of [blank] united in holy matrimony according to the ordinance of God and the laws of [blank] at [blank] on the [blank] day of [blank] A.D. [blank]. Witnesses [blank] [blank]
- Description
- Marriage certificate containing a scene with an African American bride, groom, and reverend, pictorial details, and an ornamented border. Scene depicts the bride, in the left, in right profile, standing, and attired in a long-sleeved white wedding dress and bridal cap with floor length veil draped down her back. She holds a large bouquet from which ribbons stream and she bows her head slightly forward. In the right, the groom, in left profile, stands, attired in a dark suit with morning jacket and a boutonniere adorning the lapel. His head is slightly bowed. Between them, facing the viewer, stands an older reverend, attired in a clerical waistcoat and pants. He is balding with tufts of grey hair by his ears. He holds a Bible at his midriff. Ferns adorn the background. Pictorial details, surround the scene and text of the certificate, and include two Black putti; a vignette depicting the clasped hands of a Black bride and groom; and tropical greenery. The ornamented border is composed of ribbons and a chain link., Title from item., Name of publisher inferred and date from copyright statement: copyrighted 1910 P.P. and F. Co. Chi., Description of print (No. 1900) included in 1911 trade catalog for the Consolidated Portrait and Frame Co., p. 135a. Description reads: Good Luck Marriage Certificate. This certificate was printed and designed especially for the negro race. There is no other certificate so far as we know, exclusively for them., RVCDC, Purchased with partial funds from the Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch Women's History Fund.
- Date
- 1910
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC - Certificates - Marriage [P.2023.7]
- Title
- [Bust-length portrait of Abraham Lincoln]
- Description
- Bust-length portrait of the sixteenth president surrounded by an oval frame. Lincoln, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a black jacket, faces right., Title supplied by cataloger., Name of artist and date supplied by accompanying label: The One Hundredth Birthday Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln, February 12, 1909. In this engraving of Abraham Lincoln by William E. Marshall, the management of the Hotel Majestic, Philadelphia, presents a masterpiece which well portrays the countenance, thoughtfulness, weight of care and sorrow of the martyred President. Before this engraving we seem to stand in his presence, as no finer or more inspiring portrait of Lincoln exists., Contains the embossed seal of the Hotel Majestic, Philadelphia., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of materials related to Abraham Lincoln. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Created postfreeze.
- Date
- 1909
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *portrait prints - L [5792.F.95a]
- Title
- [Folk art portraits of two African American women and two African American men]
- Description
- Folk art bust-length portraits of two African American men and two African American women, portrayed in racist caricature, shown in a row, alternating woman, then man. In the left, the woman, wearing her hair in two braids tied with blue bows on either side of her head that stick out, with red lips, and attired in an off-the-shoulder blue dress with ruffles, faces forward with her eyes looking left. Beside her the man, with red lips and attired in a white collared shirt, a pink tie, and a black jacket, slightly faces left and his eyes look at the woman. The woman, wearing her hair tied in multiple braids, with pink lips, and attired in a pink, ruffled dress, looks to the left. In the right, the man, with pink lips and attired in a blue bowtie, a white shirt with blue stripes, and a black jacket, faces left and looks at the woman., Title supplied by cataloger., Gift of Mrs. S. Marguerite Brenner, 1984., 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.
- Date
- [1909]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Drawings & Watercolors - Unidentified - Faces [P.9057.28]
- Title
- High Street in 1799 at present Market Street Philadelphia, Pa
- Description
- Founder's Week postcards commemorating the 225th anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia. Copies of William Birch's engraved view of High (Market) Street from Ninth depicting a detachment of the First City Troop of Philadelphia drilling on horseback. The troop promenades up the busy street where several horse-drawn carts and a dray travel and several pedestrians, including an African American man and boy (in the right), watch the guard and/or stroll the tree-lined sidewalks. A market shed is seen in the distance. The First City Troop, one of the oldest continually mounted U.S. military units, was organized in 1774 to defend against British invasion. The troop used a variety of arenas to perform drills including circuses, riding schools, and various public grounds. Founder’s Week celebrated the 225th anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia, October 4-10, 1908. There were numerous parades and activities with each day having a special designation, including Religious, Military, Municipal, Industrial, Children’s and Naval, Historical, and Athletic and Knights Templar Day., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1908 by P. Sander, N.Y., Series no.: 254-1., Divided backs., Gift of Clarence Wolf, 1984., 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- 1908
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Streets - [P.9049.43 - 44]
- Title
- Mrs. Lena Mason's Chautauqua meetings, Aug. 1st - Sept. Phila, Pa
- Description
- Postcard showing an African American Chautauqua meeting. Depicts African American men, women, and children gathered near several tents. In the foreground, an African American woman and man, possibly Mrs. and Mr. Mason, stand and look at the viewer next to a wooden chair with a hat on top of it. Chautauqua meetings, developed from the Lyceum Movement, were traveling tent shows providing education and entertainment to early 20th-century audiences., Title and date from item., Photographic paper company's imprint on verso: Mermont Photo Paper Co., New York., Purchase 2001., 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.
- Date
- 1908
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Events [P.9933.9]
- Title
- Charge of the colored troops - San Juan
- Description
- Commemorative print of the Spanish-American War depicting members of the African American regiments of soldiers during the Battle of Kettle Hill, generally known as the Battle of San Juan Hill, on July 1, 1898. Shows, in the left and foreground, African American soldiers, three with head wounds, lying on the ground, on their knees, back, and side. They are portrayed with blood flowing from their wounds, and two likely portrayed to have been killed. Behind and near the men, their fellow soldiers charge, carry an American flag, aim and shoot, and/or engage in hand-to-hand combat with Spanish soldiers, many of whom lay or fall injured and/or dead. In the background, a military fort and charging Spanish soldiers under gun fire and explosions are visible. View also shows firearms, a drum, wagon wheel, and a crate laying in the grass of the battleground. The Spanish American War was the conflict between Spain and the United State originating with the Cuban War of Independence. Cuba gained independence and the United States acquired the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands from Spain. The regular army's four Black troops (9th and10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry) and thousands of Black men volunteers served during the war. African American troop's service during the war caused controversy within the African American community which still did not have equal civil rights as citizens of the United States. Nearly thirty Black soldiers from the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 24th and 25th Infantry were killed during the battle., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1907 by James Lee Co. Chicago., Printed in lower right: 3838.
- Date
- 1907
- Location
- *GC - Spanish American War [P.2023.32.3]
- Title
- The darktown fire brigade - saved!
- Description
- Comic print using racist imagery to satirize African American men firefighters. Shows a brigade of eight African American firefighters during a rescue of an African American family from a burning wooden house. Flames and smoke extend from the right side of the roof of a two-story residence. In the center foreground, two firefighters, one not wearing a helmet, hold open a striped blanket. A woman attired in a white nightgown and holding her gown down with one hand and a fan with the other is midair and about to drop, feet first, into it. In the left, another firefighter runs out of the doorway of the building and with a woman over his shoulder. She wears a white cap and night gown. In the right, a fourth firefighter sprays water from a hose into the body of a man in a white nightshirt stuck in a hole in the roof. His head and chest poke through the hole and his legs project out through an upper floor window. The firefighter uses a hose that extends from a fire engine marked "Niagara."It is being pumped by four other firefighters in the right background. The firefighters stand on barrels and push the lever of the water pump on the engine. In the far right distance, another firefighter attends to a donkey. The firefighters are attired in red shirts, blue pants, and black boots. Four men wear helmets, one man wears a top hat, and two men are bare-headed. The men and women figures are portrayed with wide eyes and lips, and large feet. The rescued family members are bare foot. The Darktown series of over 100 prints was originally issued mid 1870s-1890s. Thomas Worth was the artist of several of the prints in the reported popular and profitable series. Joseph Koehler reissued the prints in the early 1900s., Title from item., Reprint of number from "Darktown" comics series originally published in 1884. Joseph Koehler purchased over 200 lithographic stones, including the "Darktown" series, from the Currier & Ives firm following its dissolution in 1907., Contains copyright statement: Copyright 1884, By Currier & Ives, N. Y.
- Creator
- Currier & Ives
- Date
- [ca. 1907]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC - Genre - Darktown [P.2019.55.4]
- Title
- Arnold mansion postcards
- Description
- Depicts the front facade from the garden and a detailed view of the pediment over the front doorway. Includes interior views of the right and left sides of the entrance hall, the great chamber, the parlor, and a bedroom., Contains 1 postcard printed in color and 9 printed in black and white., 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., Purchase 1984. Accessioned 2005., Accession numbers: P.2005.3.26 - 32, P.9048.5, P.9048.217 and P.9048.303., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- 1905-1926
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Residences A - M - [various]
- Title
- " Wish you'd hush"
- Description
- Racist postcard depicting an African American boy looking exasperated at the crying African American baby beside him. The children are shown from the waist up and are bare-chested. The older boy has a glistening substance around his mouth and on his cheeks. The baby holds, possibly, ice in their hands., Title from item., Publication information and date from copyright statement: Copyrighted, 1905, and published by Knaffl & Bro., Knoxville, Tenn., 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.
- Date
- 1905
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Genre [P.9725.3]
- Title
- Véritable extrait de viande Liebig La case de l'oncle
- Description
- 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1904]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards - Liebig [P.2018.49.4a-f]
- Title
- Chew Mansion postcards
- Description
- Exterior views of front and side facades of the colonial residence built 1763-1767 by master carpenter Jacob Knor for Philadelphia attorney Benjamin Chew at 6401 Germantown Avenue. Also depicts the entrance drive to the Chew grounds. Chew House, also known as Cliveden, was the site of the turning point in the Battle of Germantown in 1777. The Chew family enslaved people of African descent in the city of Philadelphia and in Germantown during the 18th and 19th centuries. The estate was the Chew family residence until 1972 when it was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation., Contains 11 postcards printed in color and 1 printed in black and white., Accession numbers: P.9048.66, P.9048.70, P.9048.186, P.9048.200, P.9048.221, P.9048.239, P.9048.369, P.9048.374, P.9048.381, P.9049.68 - 69 and P.9526.3., Purchase 1984; Gift of Laura L Robb, 1997., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- 1900-1940
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Residences - A - M - [various]
- Title
- [Johnson Homestead postcards]
- Description
- Contains images of the Johnson Homestead, showing exterior views of front facade of the former residence of John Johnson 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., Date inferred from content., Contains 3 postcards printed in color and 4 printed in black and white., Accession numbers: P.9048.219 - 220, P.9048.376, P.9048.387, P.9049.73 - 74 and P.9577.18., Purchase 1984, 1998., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- 1900-1910
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Residences - A - M - [various]
- Title
- The military and historical portrait group of the officers of the Third North Carolina U. S. V. Infantry in the war with Spain, commanded by Colonel James H. Young. The first negro regiment ever organized and entirely officered by colored men
- Description
- Commemorative print containing a collage of portraits (after photographs) of members from the North Carolina regiment, one of the only African American commanded regiments, which was mustered into service July 23 1898. Sitters attired in uniforms. Portraits depict Maj. Andrew J. Walker; Maj. A. J. Haywood; Maj. J. E. Dellinger; Dr. David A. Lane; Lieut. Col. C. S. L. A. Taylor; Col. James H. Young; Chaplain Henry Durham; Adjutant E. E. Smith; 1st Lieut. Marcus W. Alston; Capt. James E. Hamlin; Capt. J. T. York; Capt. Joseph J. Hood; 1st Lieut. M. T. Pope; Capt. David J. Gilmer; Capt. William A. Carpenter; Capt. R. H. Alexander; Capt. P. H. Smith; Capt. S. O. Mason; Capt. Thos. Leatherwood; 1st Lieut. J. C. Graham; 1st Lieut. P. H. Haywood; 1st Lieut. H. S. Christmas; 1st Lieut. W. T. Powell; 1st Lieut. E. L. Watkins; 1st Lieut. H. T. Scott; 1st Lieut. H. L. Joyner; 1st. Lieut. J. W. B. Murphy; 1st Lieut. Harrison B. Brown; 2nd Lieut. H. H. Taylor; 2nd Lieut. Jacob J. Jones; 2nd Lieut. Gray J. Tool; 2nd Lieut. William E. Mitchell; 2nd Lieut. I. F. Moore; 2nd Lieut. T. L. Taylor; 2nd Lieut. J. I. Allen; and 2nd Lieut. Samuel F. Taylor. Also contains battle and camp scenes; an American eagle with a shield; biographies of the depicted officers, predominately businessmen and professional; and a brief history of the regiment captioned "A New Epoch In Our History.", Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Published and copyrighted, 1899. By Thomas L. Leatherwood, Asheville, N.C., Printed lower right corner: Agents Wanted in every Town, State or Country, to handle this Beautiful Souvenir Portrait Group., Accompanied by inscribed office stationery "From the Desk Of" Leon Candeub., Lib. Company. Annual report, 2005, p. 67-69., Gift of Helene Candeub, 2005., 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Creator
- Kurz and Allison Art Studio
- Date
- 1899
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - Spanish American War [P.2005.23]
- Title
- Three Black crows
- Description
- 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.
- Date
- 1899
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Genre [P.9725.2]
- Title
- Uncle Tom's Cabin. On the Levee
- Description
- 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.
- Date
- 1899
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - Entertainment [P.9219]
- Title
- [Incomplete set of "Series C" of "Hidden Book Titles" rebus puzzle card game]
- Description
- Incomplete set of card game (9 of 15 cards) to which "ladies and gentlemen" couples interpreted the pictures on each card to name the title of the book (depicted as a rebus) and for additional credit, the name of the author. Some imagery is racialized. Includes No. 4 showing a framed portrait of a bride + "of" + a lamb + "R" + a three-quarter length image of the left profile of a Black man in a hooded robe holding out one arm and holding a staff with the other = The Bride of Lamermoor; No. 6 showing a map of the Southern portion of the U.S. as well as the Philippine Islands + a cluster of addressed envelopes = American Lands and Letters; No. 8 showing the front profile of a black cat = The Black Cat; No. 9 showing two capital letter Y's + "and" + two lower case letter y's = Wise and Otherwise; No. 10 showing an oblong-shaped globe turned to the side with Greenland, America, South America, and New Zealand visible = The Wide, Wide World; No. 11 showing an open chest + "R"+ a desk on which a series of books with titles beginning "Tales" stand = Old Chester Tales; No. 12 showing a lantern out of which a ray of light shines + a man using a manual lawn mower + "NA" = Ramona; No. 13 showing the front profile of a very round hog + "Rt" + the Pigot Diamond captioned "Exact Size of Pigot Diamond" = The Great Hogarty Diamond; and No. 14 depicting a woman with sunken cheeks lying up in bed and with a tray of food on her lap + an eye + a newspaper ad for a "Blacksmith" = Iliad. One of a series of four "Hidden Book Titles" games, including Series A with thirty cards, and series B and C with fifteen cards, and Series D (Literati) with fifty-five cards., Publication information based on copyright statement: Copyright Oct., 1899, by the Hidden Book-Title Publishing co., Philadelphia, Pa., Housed in envelope., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program., RVCDC
- Date
- Oct., 1899
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - games & toys - Hidden [P.2021.35.1a-i]
- Title
- Afro-American historical family record
- Description
- Blank African American genealogical certificate containing a family tree surrounded by portraits of the first twenty-four U.S. presidents; portraits of prominent African American men and women religious, political, and educational leaders; and eleven vignettes contrasting life in the South of the enslaved versus the free. African American portraits include Frederick Douglass flanked by Washington and Lincoln; Judson W. Lyons, Register of the Treasury; Miss Lucy C. Laney, Founder of the Haines Institute; Booker T. Washington; H.M. Turner, Bishop of the A.M.E. Church; T. Thomas Fortune, editor New York Age; Hon. John M. Langston, diplomat; Madam Sissiretta Jones, performer and singer; Miss Hallie Q. Brown, educator and African American women's rights activist; Prof. Mary V. Cook, Principal of the State University, Louisville, KY; Miss Ida B. Wells, editor and author; Hon. John R. Lynch, U.S. Paymaster and ex-Congressman; Dr. Henry Fitzbutler, founder of the Louisville National Medical College; and L.H. Holsey, Bishop of the C.M.E. Church. Vignettes depicting slavery include the last auction of enslaved people in Savannah; enslaved cotton pickers working the field; enslaved people dancing and playing instruments "as children were taught in the dark days of slavery"; and an enslaved family in front of their “hut.” Contrasting post-emancipation scenes include a view of Tuskegee Institute; a view of "progressive farming as taught at Tuskegee Institute"; a group portrait in front of a "school house erected by a Tuskegee graduate"; the Victorian house of R.R. Church, a free man; and Spanish-American War battle scenes of African American regiments assisting the Rough Riders, including at San Juan Hill. Also contains the white eye of Providence below the title., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1899, by J.M. Vickroy, Terre Haute, Ind., Printed on recto: Branch Office Terre Haute, Ind., Purchase 2002., 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., Vickroy, a prominent Indiana fine arts publisher, specialized in genealogical and fraternal order certificates.
- Date
- 1899
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - African American Heroes [P.2002.16]
- Title
- A bran new coon in town
- Description
- Racist, satiric postcard depicting an African American family (portrayed as racist stereotypes) welcoming a “new” member, a baby. Shows the grandfather standing and weighing the infant on a hand held scale, as the grandmother, attired in a head kerchief, a floral shirt, a skirt, and an apron, cradles the baby’s head. In the right, the father smiles as he stands leaning down with both hands clutching a small table. In the center, a young boy sits at the table eating as he looks up at the baby. In the left, the mother sits smiling beside a stove as she pours water from a kettle into a cup., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright, 1898, and published by Knaffl & Bro., Knoxville, Tenn., Originally published in an 1898 edition of Leslie's Weekly as part of "The Blackville Gallery" series under the title "Weighing the Christmas Baby.", RVCDC, Accessioned 1999., 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.
- Date
- 1898
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP postcards - Genre [P.9725.1]
- Title
- [Incomplete set of racist playing card game Game of In Dixieland. No. 1118]
- Description
- Incomplete collection of playing cards from the racist card game "Game of In Dixieland. No. 1118" issued by the Fireside Game Co. of Cincinnati, the subsidiary company established in 1896 by executives of the U.S. Playing Card Company. Advertised by the publisher as "life-like reproductions of characteristic sketches from the Sunny South," the captioned and lettered cards depict stereotyped and caricatured portraits and scenes of African American men, women, and children and African American southern life. The object of the game was to compile all the cards with the same letter into a book, with the winner holding the most books. Cards include: "A1. The Crossing Sweeper." Scene depicts an African American boy street sweeper on a street corner. He is attired in oversize jacket and pants. He also wears a cap and holds a broom. "A3. In Clover." Scene shows three young African American boys, attired in worn long-sleeve shirts and pants, seated on a log and eating quarters of a watermelon. The boy in the middle wears a bucket hat. Stacks of watermelon, including the remaining quarter of the one being eaten by the children rest at their feet. "A4. Picking Cotton." Scene shows an African American boy in a field of cotton, bent over, and picking a cotton boll. He wears a cap, long-sleeved shirt, and loose ankle-length pants. He is barefoot. Men picking cotton and a cart are visible in the background. "B2. Picking Up a Living." Portrait shows an African American girl holding a large satchel over her left shoulder. She wears a checkered, long-sleeved dress, and floppy hat. "B3 '"Jest A Restin’."' Portrait shows a young African American man seated on a crate next to a barrel and a second crate. He wears a domed cap; loose, long-sleeved jacket; cropped pants; and rolled-down boots., "D4. Heavily Laden." View shows two young African American girls, attired in ankle-length shift dresses, and aprons, and carrying buckets on their heads. Girl in left, balances the bucket on her head, and her apron contains a hole at the chest. The girl in the right holds the bucket on her head with her hands. They are bare foot and stand near the brick wall of a mill. "E1.A Georgia Charmer." Bust-length portrait shows an African American woman, slightly smiling, and her right hand resting on the side of her chin. She wears a light-colored blouse with slightly puff sleeves; a short-brimmed, straw hat; and bracelet. "F2. The Coquette." Full-length portrait shows a young African American woman, her hand on her hip, bare foot, and standing in front of the door to a log cabin. She wears a kerchief on her head, a shirtwaist, belt, and calf-length skirt. "F3 '"Look pleasant, please."' Reproduction of a drawn view shows an African American man taking a photograph of an African American woman, three African American children, and a dog on a beach. The women and children, attired in summer dresses and jumpers, sit and stand on a log and the photographer stands by a makeshift camera and removes the lens cap. The photographer wears a hat, overalls, and a long-sleeved shirt., "G2. A Genuine Brunette." Full-length portrait shows a very young African American girl, bare foot, attired in a shift dress, and seated on a step. She frowns slightly and she clasps her hands in her lap. "G4. Learning to Walk." View shows two, very young, African American girls, in blousy dresses, standing side by side on a sidewalk and in front of the brick wall of a building. "H3. The Virginia Pine Chopper." Full-length portrait shows an older African American man, with a white beard, seated on a stump, holding an ax over his left shoulder. He also has the handle of a tin pail over his left wrist and holds a walking stick in his right hand. He is posed in a dirt yard laden with sticks. Stacks of logs and a wooden fence are visible in the background."I2. A Mississippi Beauty." Half-length portrait shows a young African American woman, her left hand resting on the side of her chin. She looks slightly to the right and has a slight smile. Her hair is pulled back and somewhat teased at the crown. She wears a shirtwaist and checkered, apron dress., "J2. A Hidden Nest in the Bushes." View shows two African American boys seated on their knees in a field and eating slices of watermelon. They wear wide-brimmed caps, long sleeved shirts, and pants. Boy in right also wears a jacket. “J3. On the Wharf.” View shows an African American man and woman seated on the edge of a wharf. The man attired in a long-sleeved shirt, vest, pants, and cap, sits with his feet dangling over the edge. The woman attired in a shirtwaist, skirt, and cap sits with her feet on the wharf landing. Sailing vessels are visible in the background. "K3.'"Mos’ to de end ob de road."' Full-length portrait shows an older African American man, with a beard, seated on a chair, in front of a crumbling brick wall. He wears a worn jacket, vest, shirt, and pants. A hat with kindling rests at his bare feet. He holds a walking stick that he rests between his legs. "L3. Among the Virginia Pines." View shows a log cabin, in the distance, along a dirt road lined with dry underbrush and a few trees, some barren. A woman stands in the yard of the cabin. Fireside Card Co. was dissolved in 1908 and U.S. Playing Card Co. began to issue educational card games., Publication information from copies included in the World Web Playing Card Museum. Publication date inferred from copyright date included on box covers., Card letter printed in upper left corner., Copyright statement printed on 8 of the cards: Copyright ’96 by L.D. Baldwin., Gift of Jennifer Woods Rosner., Housed in phase box., Many stained and in poor condition., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- Fireside Game Co.
- Date
- [1897]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department albums [P.2019.47]
- Title
- No. 15 South 4th St., 1831
- Description
- Advertisement depicting the three-and-a-half story hotel at 15 South Fourth Street operated, as indicated by a placard above the door, by Horatio Wade, the proprietor from 1831 until 1833. Elegantly dressed white guests rest and read inside near the first floor windows and converse in front of the hotel. On the sidewalk, well-dressed white men, women, and children pedestrians stroll. An African American man, probably a hotel porter, pushes a wheelbarrow of luggage. The Indian Queen Hotel established in 1771, the building altered several times until razed in 1851, was until the mid-19th century incorrectly identified as the site where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence., Later copy of an Evans watercolor created for Philadelphia antiquarian Ferdinand Dreer circa 1880 probably based on lithographic trade card for the Indian Queen Hotel published by Childs & Inman in 1831 (Wainwright #184)., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1975, p. 6-11., Accessioned 1982., 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.
- Date
- 1896
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Evans watercolors [P.8933.6], http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/evans/files/plc336.html
- Title
- The British surrendering their arms to Gen. Washington after their defeat at York Town in Virginia October 1781 To the defenders of American independence, this print is most respectfully inscribed by their fellow citizen, J[oh]n. F[ran]cis. Renault, Assistant Secretary to the Count de Grass, and Engineer to the French Army at the Siege of York
- Description
- Reproduction of commemorative print purchased by subscription after the painting exhibited in America by French-born painter, John Francis Renault. Depicts an historically inaccurate, allegorical scene of the decisive surrender at the close of the American Revolution. Shows Lord Cornwallis offering his sword to the Duke de Lauzun who defers the weapon to General Washington. Image includes: the American, French, and British military officers convening on a knoll near a neoclassical two-column monument with an inscribed urn guarded by female muses and a child holding the U.S. Constitution; Washington's African American valet and horse; and an allegorical scene of a goddess, portrayed as a white woman, firing lightning bolts upon an overturned Roman chariot. Identified officers depicted are: Lauzun, General Knox, General Nelson, General Lafayette, Washington, Major General Lincoln, Count Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Colonel Hamilton, Cornwallis, Lt. Colonel Abercrombie, Naval Captain Symmonds, Lt. Colonel Dundas, and Lord Chewton., Title from item., Copyrighted by the National Bureau of Engraving and Manufacturing Co., Printed on recto: Entered according to Act of Congress the 28th day of January, 1818., Original print advertised with an accompanying "Plan" in the February 10, 1824 edition of "The New England Palladium & Commercial Advertiser.", National Bureau of Engraving and Manufacturing operated from 1877 until the early 1900s under variant names., LCP holds original edition of accompanying plan. See "Plan of Yorktown and Virginia and Adjacent Country..." (Philadelphia, 1824), drawn by Renault and engraved by Benjamin Tanner. (LCP 308 M 23)., See Library of Congress' An Album of American battle art, 1755-1918. (Washington, D.C.: The U.S Government Printing Office, 1947), #29. (LCP Print Room Uy 14, 8413.Q)., Accessioned 2000., Description of 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., Tanner, Vallance, Kearny, & Co. was a short-lived partnership between Philadelphia engravers Benjamin Tanner, John Vallance, and Francis Kearny from 1818-1819. William Allen worked as an engraver in Philadelphia in 1818.
- Date
- [ca. 1895], January 28, 1818
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - American Revolution [P.9845]
- Title
- [Racist and sexist metamorphic New Years Day card depicting a man kissing a series of women, including an African American woman depicted in caricature]
- Description
- Racist and sexist metamorphic trade card showing an older man in a tuxedo, holding a bouquet of roses, and kissing a "rotating" series of women through a "window." Only the women's heads are visible. The women include a white woman with auburn hair in a top knot and adorned with a rose; a young white woman with blonde, puffed, chin-length hair and adorned with matching blue bows; a white woman with raven-colored hair, pulled up, and adorned with a bridal veil; a white woman with pulled up cherry-blonde hair and adorned with blue flowers; and an African American woman, wearing a kerchief, hoop earrings and depicted with caricatured and exagerrated features. The man has grey hair and a dark-haired, pencil mustache and also wears a monocle., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from fashion of figures depicted., Greeting printed inside: Here's a nosegay sweet and fair, Lilies, roses, rich and rare. Try each in turn then take a rest, And choose the one you love the best. They're charming, ah I thought you'd say so, Make up your mind pray don't delay so. That SHE'll be faithful, fond, and true, The odds are FIVE to ONE on you! E.E.G. With [fond love and] best Wishes for a Happy New Year, To [Mrs. ? ? ?]., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1895]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Cards - New Years [P.2019.23.2]
- Title
- The election day in Philadelphia
- Description
- Print from an unfinished plate by Philadelphia engraver Alexander Lawson, after the 1815 painting (owned by the engraver) titled "Election Scene. State House in Philadelphia" by his friend and genre painter, John Lewis Krimmel that was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Exhibition of 1816. Depicts the rowdy immoral atmosphere during the afternoon of a Philadelphia election at the State House on Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Voters arrive, complete and switch votes, and block the polls as politicians and campaigners, including former mayor John Barker, lobby for votes and engage in debate. A band and patriotic float parade down the street; a tavern quarrel occurs; two young African Americans attempt to rob a distracted woman peddler; an oyster vendor does a brisk business; and mothers and couples stroll and children play. Flags are displayed on the buildings, including Peale's Museum., Title from duplicate print at Henry Francis Dupont Winterthur Museum., Plate deposited by artist's daughter at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1887 from which 42 prints were produced between 1888 and 1904., Anneliese Harding's John Lewis Krimmel. Genre artist of the early republic (Winterthur, Delaware: The Henry Francis Dupont Winterthur Museum, 1997), p. 83-90., Milo Naeve's John Lewis Krimmel: An artist in federal America (Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1987), p. 118-119., LCP exhibition catalogue: Made in America,, Accessioned 1992., 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.
- Creator
- Lawson, Alexander, 1773-1846, engraver
- Date
- [ca. 1894]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ***PhPr-Gov't Buildings-Independence Hall [P.9380]
- Title
- Battle of Olustee, Fla Feby 26' 1864 - Union: (Gen. Seymour) 8' U.S., 54" Mass., 1' N.C. Col'r T[roop]. Loss: 193 k'd, 1175 'd, 460 miss'g - Conf. (Gen. Finnegan) Loss: Abt 660
- Description
- Commemorative print depicting the participation of African American troops in the only major battle fought in Florida during the Civil War. Shows an African American regiment from the 8th U.S. Colored Infantry advancing against Confederate troops hunkered down behind fortifications in the left distance. The troop is led by a white officer on horseback. Behind a single cannon, the first line of men has their guns drawn and aimed. Two rows behind is the African American flag bearer. He holds an American flag with a gold streamer reading "8 U.S. Inf[antry]." Two rows of African American soldiers advance from behind him. Dead soldiers and two dead horses lie to the advancing troop's left. A white soldier uses one of the dead horses as a shield while firing. To the far rear of the advancing troop, a white officer on horseback gives directions to another white officer on foot. An African American soldier assists an injured fourth white officer who holds his hand to his head as they walk toward the officer on horseback. In the far left foreground, African American soldiers survey the scene, fire a rifle, prepare a rifle to fire, and lie dead near an overturned dray and ammunitions locker., In the right background, white troops man cannons as a bomb blasts near them. Palm and pine trees as well as train tracks line the clearing in which the battle ensues. Smoke billows from the many gun and cannon blasts. The Battle of Olustee was fought on February 20, 1864 in Baker County near Olustee Station on the Florida, Atlantic, and Gulf Central Railroad. Union troops, led by Brigadier General Truman Seymour, met reinforced Confederate troops under the command of General Joseph Finnegan when on an expedition to capture Florida. Union troops entered the battle piecemeal, were barraged, and were forced to retreat to Jacksonville. Reserve forces from the Massachusetts 54th and the 35th United States Colored Troops provided cover. Union forces never fought Confederate forces from behind fortifications, nor in a clearing as portrayed in the Kurz & Allison print. The Battle of Olustee was the second bloodiest battle of the war for the Union., Name of publisher and date from copyright statement: Copyrighted 1894 by Kurz & Allison - 76 & 78 Wabash Ave., Chicago., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., Description review 2022., Access points reviewed 2022., Kurz & Allison, a Chicago firm known for sensational views, was established in 1880 by lithographer Louis Kurz and Alexander Allison. Through the 1890s, Kurz & Allison issued several popularly marketed views of the Civil War. Many documented African American participation in the war.
- Creator
- Kurz & Allison
- Date
- 1894
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - Civil War - Campaigns & Battles - Olustee [P.2017.51]
- Title
- Historical The plan for the organization of the Sunday School Union of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was presented by Rev. C. S. Smith to the Council of Bishops at their annual meeting in Cape May, N. J. August 11, 1882. The bishops approved of the plan, and the Rev. C. S. Smith was appointed corresponding secretary. At the General Conference, which met in Baltimore, MD. May, 1884, the Union was adopted as one of the general departments of the church, and the Rev. C. S. Smith was unanimously elected corresponding secretary of the same. The building now owned and occupied by the Union was purchased February 28, 1888, at a cost of $9,000. The building is situated on the north side of the public square in the city of Nashville, Tenn., and is a handsome five story structure with a solid stone front. The printing department was organized February, 1889, and is known as the publishing house of the A. M. E. Sunday School union. The first book ever issued by a Colored publishing house in the history of the world was issued by the Union, September, 1890, with the title, "Poor Ben." The first Children's Day to be observed in the A. M. E. Church took place on the 4th Sunday in October, 1882
- Description
- Print commemorating the ten year anniversary of the Sunday School Union containing half-length portraits of the president, and founder of the Sunday School Union, and three-quarter length portraits of the four regional queens of Children's Day 1891. Shows Bishop D[aniel] A. Payne D.D. L. L. D. President of A. M. E. Sunday School Union, an avid proponent of higher education for African Americans; Rev. C[harles] S. Smith. Founder of the A.M.E. Sunday School Union and organizer of Children's Day; Miss Amelia Boddy, Philadelphia, Pa. Eastern Queen; Miss Ida Jenkins, Independence Mo. Western Queen; Miss Mamie Pettiford, Franklin, Ind. Northern Queen.; and Miss Minnie Mabrey, Vicksburg, Miss. Southern Queen. The young women wear crowns, sashes, and flowers and hold scepters. Also contains a central vignette showing the exterior of the publishing house and a border comprised of flowers, ferns, and greenery. Children's Day was devoted to the interest of the children in the church, and included donations, special programs, and exercises such as original poetry, hymns, and African American history lessons., Title from item., Accompanied by original mailer tube containing label printed: Lithograph. Handle with Care. From the A. M. E. Sunday School Union Publishing House, Nashville, Tenn. *albums (flat) [P.2006.27b], Purchase 2006., 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.
- Creator
- A. M. E. Sunday School Union
- Date
- 1891
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC - Religion [P.2006.27a]
- Title
- S.P. Chase
- Description
- Bust-length portrait of the abolitionist leader, Ohio Senator, statesman, Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Chase, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, waistcoat, jacket, and judge's robe, faces slightly left., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Artist's signature in pencil below image., Published in Hampton L. Carson, The Supreme Court of the United States: it's history (Philadelphia: John Y. Huber Co., 1891), opp p. 389., Gift of Beatrice Garvan, 1994., 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.
- Creator
- Rosenthal, Max, 1833-1918, etcher
- Date
- [1891]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - Chase [P.9476.94]
- Title
- Benjamin F. Butler
- Description
- Right profile, bust-length portrait of the Massachusetts governor, abolitionist legislator, and Civil War Major General. Butler wears a mustache and is attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie, a waistcoat, and a jacket. Butler, while commander of Fort Monroe, Virginia declared freedom seekers as "contraband of war," providing the impetus for Congress to enact the Confiscation Act of 1861., Title from item., During the Civil War, the U.S. government declared African American freedom seekers as "contraband of war.", Accessioned 1982., 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - B [P.8911.103]
- Title
- Charles Sumner
- Description
- Bust-length portrait of the Massachusetts senator, abolitionist, reformer, and civil rights advocate. Sumner, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie with white polka dots, and a black waistcoat and jacket, sits slightly facing left., Title from item., Accessioned 1982., 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - S [P.8911.931]
- Title
- B.F. Wade
- Description
- Half-length portrait of the abolitionist Senator from Ohio. Wade, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, a waistcoat, and a jacket, sits in a wooden chair and faces left. Wade fought for the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act, was a partisan of the 14th Amendment, and was a supporter of the Freedman's Bureau and numerous civil rights bills., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Accessioned 1982., 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.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - W [P.8911.1116]
- Title
- D. Wilmot
- Description
- Bust-length portrait of the young Pennsylvania legislator, best known as the author of the "Wilmot Proviso," the unpassed 1846 bill which would have prohibited the extension of slavery into the annexed territory of Mexico. Wilmot, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a black jacket, faces slightly left., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - W [P.8911.1036]
- Title
- A Brown study
- Description
- Full-length portrait study, possibly used as a book illustration, depicting a young African American girl standing in front of a wheelbarrow. The girl, attired in a brimmed hat, a white collared shirt, a jacket, a skirt, and shoes, holds the handle of the wheelbarrow with her right hand and holds a rock in her left hand as she looks at the viewer. Behind her, steps leading to a porch stocked with supplies in wooden crates and sacks are visible. Sheets hang on a clothesline over the porch., Title from item., Probably Helen P. Gatch (1861-1942), a turn-of-the-century pictorial photographer whose prize-winning photographs were widely published and exhibited., Gift of Mrs. S. Marguerite Brenner, 1984., 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.
- Creator
- Gatch, Helen M., photographer
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - photographer - Gatch [P.9057.158]
- Title
- Northwest corner of Eleventh and Pine Streets. Demolished 1889. Present site of the Gladstone
- Description
- View depicting the commercial Philadelphia street corner with the grey wood shack of Michael Traynor, licensed tavern and oyster house, for sale. Storefronts include a stove and heater manufactory; a store selling birds; Schriber, tin and sheet iron worker; a "segar" store; and a lager beer hall. Street trolleys are partially visible to the far right and left. Several pedestrians, predominately African Americans, walk the sidewalks. Individuals board and depart the trolleys. The Gladstone, erected between 1889 to 1890, was the city's first apartment hotel. In the nineteenth century, the neighborhood, known as Washington Square West, contained one of the city's largest populations of African Americans., Title from item., Commissioned by Philadelphia antiquarian Ferdinand Dreer., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1975, p. 6-11., Purchase 1975., 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.
- Creator
- Evans, B. R. (Benjamin Ridgway), 1834-1891, artist
- Date
- 1883, circa 1890
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Evans watercolors [P.2298.121], http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/evans/files/plc121.html
- Title
- [Thomas H. Wilkinson watercolor views of Philadelphia]
- Description
- 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.
- Creator
- Wilkinson, Thomas H., 1847-1929, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1890-ca. 1895]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell Collection - Watercolors and Drawings - Wilkinson [P.2017.8.2-18]
- Title
- [Thomas H. Wilkinson watercolor views of Philadelphia]
- Description
- 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.
- Creator
- Wilkinson, Thomas H., 1847-1929, artist
- Date
- [ca. 1890-ca. 1895]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell Collection - Watercolors and Drawings - Wilkinson [P.2017.8.2-18]
- Title
- Photographing the baby
- Description
- Trade card after an 1870 Sol Eytinge Harper's Weekly illustration with white figures depicting a racist, caricaturized genre scene to promote the coach varnish firm Clarence Brooks & Co. Scene shows a white photographer taking the portrait of an African American toddler in hi studio. The African American figures are portrayed with caricatured and exagerrated features. In the right, the white photographer stands next to his camera and tripod. He holds a cloth in his right hand, at his side, and a yellow-colored, monkey-like string puppet in his raised left hand. He wears a beard and is attired in a long brown jacket and blue striped pants. Between him and his young sitter is a framed advertisement above maroon paneling on an olive-colored wall. The advertisement reads: "Clarence Brooks & Co., Fine Coach Varnishes, Cor. West & West 12th Sts." In the left, the African American girl sits stiffly on a plush, green arm chair. Her eyes are opened wide in a surprised expression. She wears a sleeveless pink dress with blue bows at the shoulders. Behind her, in the doorway, are two African American women. The younger woman, likely to be perceived as the girl's mother, peers around from the left of the doorway. She wears a stylish hat, white blouse, and red bow at her neck. An older woman, likely to be perceived as the girl's grandmother, stands in the right of the doorway. She wears a brown-colored bonnet with a large bow around her chin and a brown-colored dress and shawl. Clarence Brooks established his varnish business in 1859 as Brooks and Fitzgerald, later Clarence Brooks & Co. In the early 1880s the firm issued calendars illustrated with African American caricatures in genre scenes, often after Sol Eytinge Harper's Weekly illustrations., Title from item., Publication date inferred from dates of activity of publisher (1888-1892) as cited in Jay Last, The Color Explosion (Santa Ana: Hillcrest Press, 2005)., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program (Junto 2015)., Housed with the Emily Phillips Advertising Card Collection., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
- Creator
- National Bank Note Co.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Brooks [P.2016.17.1]