Collection consists of approximately one hundred items, primarily advertising ephemera, relating to the Centennial Exhibition, held in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park in 1876 to celebrate America’s one-hundredth anniversary of independence and to showcase the strengths of the country’s industry, manufactures, agriculture, and art. Materials include circulars, price lists, advertising cards, stationery, and pamphlets for goods and services, including washboards, ironing tables, saws, springs, sewing machines, mills, mowers, reapers, horse shoes, and hotel accommodations. Other documents include souvenir view books and guidebooks for visitors, maps, a Centennial Board of Finance letterhead, a Centennial award seal, programs, and admission tickets. Several of the items contain illustrations, such as views of the Centennial buildings, and depictions of products. Some advertisements promote foreign businesses from countries, including Belgium, Russia, Great Britain, Holland, Austria, France, Germany, and Spain., Approximately seventeen of the items include manuscript annotations of dates (e.g. "11.2.76" and "Nov 9/76"), possibly made by Centennial visitors to record dates of attendance at the fair. A concert program for Seibert Hall [11423.F.21] contains a lengthy manuscript annotation on the verso., Various printers include Allen, Lane & Scott; Craig, Finley & Co.; Thomas S. Dando; Duross Brothers; G. S. Harris & Son; Heppenheimer & Maurer; Thomas Hunter; Ketterlinus; Lehman & Bolton; Loag; William Mann; Phillip Frey & Co.; Potsdamer & Co.; Theodore Leonhardt & Son; and Times Printing House., Select link above for on-line finding aid and exhibition., Gift of David Doret., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Books and oversize material housed separately in stacks., 11423.F.14 is probably the separated cover of a handbill, and not an advertising card.
Date
1855-1882, bulk 1876
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret Collection Centennial Ephemera [11423.F; P.2010.21.6-14], Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *Doret Collection Centennial Ephemera - 4th Floor [11423.F], Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1875 Visitors 11423.F.10 (Doret), Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1876 Chick 11423.F.35 (Doret), Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1876 Chick 11423.F.36 (Doret), Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1876 Pocket 11423.F.11 (Doret), http://www.lcpimages.org/centennial/
