Search results

Title: Trexler & Hartzell
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American woman curtsying toward the viewer. The woman is attired in an elaborate bonnet with faux pink flowers, pink ribbons, white frills, and a yellow chinstrap. She is also attired in a pink dress with a pattern of pink, blue, and green flower bouqets, red ribbons, a red faux flower, and a wide neckline. She dons white gloves with yellow cuffs on both hands and holds up the hem of her dress to reveal a white petticoat and red shoes. The woman is depicted with exaggerated features. Trexler & Hartzell was a newspaper firm in Allentown, Pennsylvania that sold paper and was owned by B.F. Trexler and Wilson J. Hartzell. The business founded in 1870 and operated throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries., Title from item., Text printed on verso: Trexler & Hartzell will be ready for business in their new quarters by Monday, August 31st. A prize to every purchaser of school books., Text printed on recto: Who me?, Series no. 58 printed in right corner of recto., Date inferred from perpetual calendar., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Trexler [P.2017.95.174]

Title: The love drop
Description: Racist, card depicting a genre scene of an African American woman fortune teller with three white women clients. Shows the elderly African American woman, attired in a red head kerchief, spectacles, a yellow shawl, a long-sleeved white dress, and a white apron, sitting on a green, wooden chair and tea reading. She pours tea out of a cup, and it drips into a small bottle. A saucer is on the floor below. The illustration’s title, “The Love Drop” refers to a tea leaf reader’s term for the last drop that falls from the cup, which would supposedly provide a glimpse into affairs of love. In the right, three young white women look on at the fortune teller. The blond-haired white woman, attired in a hat decorated with flowers and a long-sleeved pink dress with black decorative ribbons, sits on the floor on a rug with her parasol next to her. To her right, seated on a wooden chair, the brown-haired woman, attired in a hat decorated with a black ribbon and red flowers and a yellow dress with black lace accents, leans forward holding her parasol in both hands underneath her chin. Sitting on the chair’s right armrest, the blond-haired woman, attired in a green dress decorated with black ribbons, looks on. Behind the women is an open hearth with a black pot hanging above the fire. A clothesline of laundry hangs in front of the hearth. In the left is a table with a red tablecloth and a shelf above it that has a copper coffeepot and plate. There are cups and saucers on the floor and a round container possibly of red knitting. A chair is visible in the far right., Title from item., Text printed on recto: The Love Drop. From Painting by Harry Roseland., Publication information and date from the copyright statement: Copyright 1903 by Harry Roseland., Gift of David Doret.
Date: 1903
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Greeting Cards, etc. - Love [P.2017.95.249]

Title: [The love drop]
Description: Racist post card depicting a genre scene of an African American woman fortune teller with three white women clients. Shows the elderly African American woman, attired in a red head kerchief, spectacles, a yellow shawl, a long-sleeved white dress, and a white apron, sitting on a green, wooden chair and tea reading. She pours tea out of a cup, and it drips into a small bottle. A saucer is on the floor below. The illustration’s title, “The Love Drop” refers to a tea leaf reader’s term for the last drop that falls from the cup, which would supposedly provide a glimpse into affairs of love. In the right, three young white women look on at the fortune teller. The blond-haired white woman, attired in a hat decorated with flowers and a long-sleeved pink dress with black decorative ribbons, sits on the floor on a rug with her parasol next to her. To her right, seated on a wooden chair, the brown-haired woman, attired in a hat decorated with a black ribbon and red flowers and a yellow dress with black lace accents, leans forward holding her parasol in both hands underneath her chin. Sitting on the chair’s right armrest, the blond-haired woman, attired in a green dress decorated with black ribbons, looks on. Behind the women is an open hearth with a black pot hanging above the fire. A clothesline of laundry hangs in front of the hearth. In the left is a table with a red tablecloth and a shelf above it that has a copper coffeepot and plate. There are cups and saucers on the floor and a round container possibly of red knitting. A chair is visible in the far right., Title supplied by cataloger based on P.2017.95.249., Date inferred by the date of the original painting., Text printed on verso: Post card. This side for address only. Place stamp here. United States, Cuba, Canada and Mexico one cent. Foreign two cents., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1903]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Greeting Cards, etc. - Love [P.2017.95.249a]

Title: A mistaken identity
Description: Racist trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American woman striking a passing white man with the back of her hand. Shows the woman portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a hat, a striped dress, a polka dotted apron with a patch, and black shoes, carrying an umbrella in her left hand and hitting a man with her right hand. In the left, the man lifts his right leg and his left hand up as he jumps in alarm after being struck., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. - Mistaken [P.2017.95.205]

Title: I'm yo' valentine chile!
Description: Die cut Valentine card depicting a racist caricature of an African American woman carrying a basket of eggs. Shows the barefooted African American woman portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a blue bonnet with white polka dots, a blue plaid shirt, a white apron, and a blue and white striped skirt. She smiles at the viewer and speaks in the vernacular, “I’m yo Valentine chile,” as she holds a basket full of eggs in both of her hands., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret and Linda G. Mitchell.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Greeting Cards, etc. - I'm yo' [P.2017.95.247]

Title: [African American woman at the window with a white cloth on a clothesline]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American woman at the window with a white cloth on a clothesline. Shows the African American woman portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a red, patterned head kerchief; a blue and red shawl; and a blue shirt. She leans her elbows on the sill of the open window and rests her head in her hands as she looks directly at the viewer. Outside of the window is a white cloth hung with clothespins on a clothesline. The exterior of the building is red brick., Title devised by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 14 [P.2017.95.225]

Title: [African American woman dancing]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting a caricature an African American woman dancing. Shows the woman portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a red hat decorated with flowers, gold bracelets, a dress composed of a yellow, blue, and white pattern with a red and black sash and flowers at the waist, orange stockings, and yellow shoes. She holds her skirt up with her hands and lifts her right leg up in a dance step., Title supplied by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 24 [P.2017.95.235]

Title: [African American woman with a cat]
Description: Scrap depicting a racist caricature of an African American woman with a cat. Shows the bust-length portrait of a young African American woman with a red flower in her hair and attired in gold hoop earrings, a gold ring, and a brown, long-sleeved dress with white cuffs and a white, lace collar. She looks at the viewer with her right hand on her chest. A white cat is perched on her right shoulder. In the foreground and right background are pink flowers and long, green leaves., Title supplied by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Scraps - Scrap 5 [P.2017.95.258]

Title: [African American woman playing the harp]
Description: Die-cut scrap depicting a racist caricature of an African American woman playing the harp. Shows the woman attired in a white headband with her hair tied atop her head, a yellow dress with a white collar and decorated with blue ribbons, red earrings, green gloves, and blue dress shoes. She is seated and smiles as her fingers pluck the strings of the harp., Title supplied by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Scraps - Scrap 28 [P.2017.95.280]

Title: [African American woman with gold earrings]
Description: Circular shaped scrap depicting a racist caricature an African American woman with gold earrings. Shows the bust-length portrait of the woman facing to the right. She is attired in an orange and red striped shirt with a white collared shirt underneath it, a gold pin or button in the center of the collar, and gold hoop earrings., Title supplied from cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Scraps - Scrap 10 [P.2017.95.263]

Title: Beauty on the street- front view. J.T. F[ritch], jobber & dealer in tobacco cigars, snuff, pipes &c. Main Street, Kurtztown, PA
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American woman walking her dog. The woman is attired in an elaborate feathered wide-brimmed top hat, a form-fitting jacket with a ruffled collar, a long skirt, petticoat, and boots. The woman holds an umbrella in her right hand and her dog's leash in her left. The dog appears to urinate behind a pole. The woman is depicted with exaggerated features. J.T. Fritch was a businessman based in Kurtztown, Pennsylvania who was trained as a printer, became a cigar manufacturer and dealer, and embarked on several other business ventures during the late 19th and early 20th centuries., Title from item., Printed in blue ink., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Tobacco [P.2017.95.176]

Title: The Union Pacific Tea Co
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an interior scene with two African American women, a toddler, and a cat. One woman, who is thin and gaunt, stands and is attired in a long dark colored robe, a shawl, a head scarf, and shoes. The other woman, who is larger, is seated in a rocking chair and attired in a long sleeved dress, an apron with a star pattern, a headwrap, and shoes. The toddler is seated on the floor in the background. A broken chair and framed picture of a person kneeling are visible in the background of the image. A cat is seated on the floor in the foreground. All of the African Americans in the illustration are depicted with exaggerated features., Title from item., Text printed on recto: "Aunty Fat, and Auntie Lean.", List of firm's branches printed on verso., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Union [P.2017.95.178]

Title: Let Dinah Black tell you the story
Description: Racist mechanical, fold-out advertisement for black enamel depicting a caricature of an African American mammy figure "Dinah" on the exterior. The figure is portrayed with a red headwrap, red hoop earrings, and exaggerated features. The interior of the advertisement includes the caricature as the illustration of the "I'se Dinah Black" trademark in the center of the print. Several vignette images depicting various tools and appliances, including a radiator, iron fence, pencil sharpener, heater, and shears border the logo and advertising text. Maloney Oil & Manufacturing was established by Martin Maloney in Scranton, PA in 1874. He started the firm with profits from an earlier grocery business. Standard Oil Company acquired Maloney Oil in 1929., Title from item., Printed on recto: Printed in U.S.A. No. K46., Date inferred from content and dates of operation of business advertised., Distributor's imprint stamped on back of fold out: Maloney Oil & Mfg. Co. 141 Meridian St. Scranton, PA., Advertising text printed on back of fold out: Made by the makers of Kyanize - It's Good., Advertising text printed on inner panels of fold out: Use Anywhere. Stovepipe Rusty! That looks slack. Refine it with Dinah Black. When passing children scar the fence, Get Dinah Black for thirty cents. For Heaters, Farm Tools, Implements, Dinah Black is just immense! To make old engines glow with pride Dinah Black serves far and wide. Outdoor iron rusts with ease, So Dinah Black it, if you please. Shears and shovels, plows and carts, Dinah Black keeps bright their parts. Indoors, outdoors; high or low Dinah Black will make things glow. No benzine - small chance of fires - that's Dinah Black all over. Buyers. Only the name and label is improved - we couldn't improve the product, which is the same as we sold before under the name, Black Dazzle and made according to our own secret formula. The same old reliable black enamel for stove pipes, heaters, and al wood and iron work, indoors or out. On with ease and dry in a day. The Good Black Enamel On Anything., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1920]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Maloney [P.2017.95.114]

Title: A cotton ball
Description: Racist trade card depicting a view personifying cotton as a young African American woman. Shows the woman dancing with a large ball of cotton atop her head worn in the manner of a head dress. The woman leans to her left and kicks her right leg up as she pulls up the bottom of the skirt of her dress. The edge of her underskirt is visible. She is attired in a yellow dress patterned with black dots, a white kerchief tied around her neck, a red and white striped underskirt, and black shoes. Forestry is visible in the background. C. Meyer Jr. was a New York based fertilizer manufacturer who operated in the late 19th century., Title from item., Publication information from copyright statement: Copyright 1886. L.P. Griffith & Co. Baltimore., Advertising text printed on verso: The "Acme" Fertilizers Are Strictly Complete Manures of the Highest Grade, Guaranteed Bone Basis. Positively No Rock or Kainite Used. Guaranteed Analyses. Manufactured by C. Meyer, Jr., P.O. Box 26, Maspeth, L.I. Pure Ground Bone. Sulphate of Potash. Muriate of Potash. Dissolved Bone Black. Sulfate of Ammonia. Text surrounds table listing suitable grade (No. 1 and No. 2) of manure for specific crops, including potatoes, peas, cabbage, and corn, and the percentages of ammonia, available phosphorous acid, and actual potash of the grade of fertilizer., Gift of David Doret.
Date: 1886
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Meyer [P.2017.95.125]

Title: [Set of six African American caricature trade cards advertising Franz Aman, wine, liquor, and lager beer saloon, no. 727 North Second Street, Philadelphia]
Description: Set of racist trade cards, some captioned, depicting African American male and female caricatures and stereotypes. Figures portrayed with malproportioned facial features. Captioned cards include "A New Coon in Town" showing an African American dandy, with a cigarette in his mouth, and attired in a grey bowler, purple jacket with flower boutonnière, red stiff-collared shirt, blue checkered pants, and red socks accessorized with yellow gloves, a monocle, and an umbrella; "Bones" showing an African American minstrel performer, attired in a ruffled clown collared shirt and red jacket with tails while playing sticks above his head and side kicking; and "Did you see me" showing a comic African American male figure, holding his bowler in the air and with one foot extended toward the viewer ("Did you see me" written on the sole of his foot). Uncaptioned cards depict an African American minstrel figure, attired in a ruffled collared shirt, seated, and holding a tambourine on his knee (probably originally captioned 'I don't do this for a livin"); an older African American woman, attired in a bonnet, shawl, and apron, resembling a cook and smoking a pipe (probably originally captioned "Just like the old me"); and a curvaceous African American woman attired in a red hat, square neck, knee-length dress, sash, and red stockings while side stepping. Cards advertise the saloon operated by Franz Aman at the address listed 1886-1888, a period when "Coon" songs were a fad. The "Bones" and "Tambourine" figures were often a part of the standard first act of a three-act minstrel performance, Title supplied by cataloger., Two of the six cards contain slightly legible captions printed over with gold ink.
Date: [ca. 1886]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards - Aman [P.2014.26.1]

Title: Dr. W. W. Wogan
Description: Racist trade card promoting dentist Dr. William W. Wogan and depicting a caricature an African American woman dancing. Shows the woman portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in floral headband, red hoop earrings, green gloves, a pink dress with a white collar and white lace petticoat, and white shoes. She holds her skirt up with her left hand and sticks her left foot forward in a dance step. She tilts her face to the left and curves her right arm up. William W. Wogan (1864-1934) was a dentist in York, Pa., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Go to Dr. Wogan, to have your teeth extracted. Full sets of teeth from $5.00 to $10.00. All kinds of work done as cheap as elsewhere and satisfaction guaranteed. 12 W. Market Street, York, PA., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Wogan [P.2017.95.193]

Title: Lines Bros., the largest retail dealers in the state! Proprietors of ten shoe stores. Buffalo store- 95 [Seneca St.]. Boots, shoes & rubber goods. Low prices. Plain figures
Description: Racist trade card depicting a comic scene between an African American woman and African American man. Shows the woman hitting a man in the face with the back of her right hand. She clutches an umbrella in her left hand. The man falls backwards with his arms and legs splayed out. The woman is attired in a long striped dress, a dot-patterned apron, and a hat with a flower adornment. She is portrayed with exaggerated features., Title from item., Date inferred from 1884 Buffalo City Directory., Image caption on recto: A mistaken identity., Adverstising text on verso: Lines Bros., Largest Retail Dealers in the State Proprietors of Ten Shoe Stores! Buffalo Store, No. 95 E. Seneca St., Boots, Shoes & Rubber Goods. Stores at Troy, Albany, Geneva, Elmira, Buffalo, Lockport, Rochester, Amsterdam, Schenectady, and Canandaigua., Place of publication inferred from place of business advertised., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Lines [P.2017.95.108]

Title: "They all do it"
Description: Racist trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American man kissing a caricature of an African American woman on a bench in front of a house while people look on. Shows the African American man, attired in a hat, a white collared shirt, a waistcoat, a black jacket, plaid pants, and shoes, sitting on a bench. He carries a stick in his left hand and wraps his right arm around the African American woman’s neck and kisses her cheek. The woman, attired in a long-sleeved dress and apron, sits next to the man on the bench. She holds a flower in her hand on her lap and smiles. In the house behind the bench, a man, a woman, and a boy look down and smile at the couple from the second story window. In the left, a boy, attired in a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants with a suspender, sits on the wooden fence with his back turned to the viewer. In the foreground is a dog scratching its ear., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. - They [P.2017.95.209]

Title: [Two African American women domestics baking bread]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting caricatures of two African American women domestics portrayed with exaggerated features baking bread. In the left, shows an African American woman, attired in a striped head kerchief, hoop earrings, a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and a brown skirt, standing behind a table. She mixes dough in a large bowl with her right hand and reaches her left hand to a bag of flour. In the right, another African American woman, attired in a white and gray striped shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a white apron, and a dark green skirt, smiles at the viewer as she holds up a large loaf of bread., Title supplied by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 16 [P.2017.95.227]

Title: Buy clothing for self & boys of Tefft & Boswell, the great Oak Hall clothiers, No. 70 E. Main-St. Amsterdam, N.Y
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American woman walking past a white man. The woman is attired in a straw hat, a dot-patterned dress with a ruffled collar, and flat shoes. She holds a basket filled with flowers in her right arm. The white man is attired in a checker-patterned suit and a top hat. He holds an upturned cane in his right hand and tips the brim of his hat with his left hand. Tefft & Boswell was a clothing business in Amsterdam, New York owned by H.J. Boswell and founded in 1883., Title from item., Text printed on recto: "Lord a massa I done gone made a mash!", Series no. 414 printed in right corner on recto., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Tefft [P.2017.95.173]

Title: Dey's de irons to make de angels' robes white and smooth in de colored folk's heaven
Description: Racist trade card illustration promoting Mrs. Potts' Cold Handle Sad Iron and depicting three African American winged angels. In the foreground is an African American woman attired in a white headwrap, along-sleeved white dress, and white flat shoes. She stands with her arms wide and holds irons in both hands. In the left is a smaller boy angel who stands with his hands on his hips and in the right is an identically posed girl angel. All three figures are depicted with exaggerated figures. A box of text is superimposed over the woman angel's torso. Three irons are depicted on verso along with a disembodied hand demonstrating the detachable handle., Title from item., Advertising text printed on verso: Mrs. Potts' Cold Handle Sad Iron. Advantages: A cold detachange walnut handle, are lined with nonconducting cement. Heat quicker than other irons. Retain the heat longer. Require no holder or cloth. Do not burn the hand. Are double pointed, iron both ways, the best in use, cheap., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: Smith, Seltzer & Co., Sixth & Market Sts, Philadelphia, PA., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Mrs. Potts [P.2017.95.135]

Title: Beauty on the street--front view E. B. Hall, druggist. Established 1852. Wellsville, N.Y
Description: Racist trade card promoting druggist E.B. Hall and depicting an African American woman, portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a brimmed hat with decorative feathers, an elegant, long-sleeved dress with ruffles, gloves, who carries a tiny purse. She walks down the street carrying a parasol in her right hand and her small dog's leash in the other. Edwin B. Hall opened his drug in Wellsville, N.Y. in 1852., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Purchase 2001., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Hall [P.9984.3]

Title: Two souls with but a single thought
Description: Lantern slide formerly owned and probably used in art lessons by Philadelphia painter, photographer, and art teacher, Xanthus Smith of a racist depiction of African Americans in caricature by comic artist, Thomas Worth. Depicts a young and dapperly-dressed African American couple eating a piece of watermelon on a porch as the parents of one of the couple watches them from a doorway. Seated on a bench, the woman, wearing her hair tied up with a pink ribbon and attired in a blue shirt with buttons down the center, a white skirt with ruffles at the bottom, red and black checked stockings, and black shoes, sits beside the man, attired in a gray bowler hat, a white shirt with stripes, a gray waistcoat, gray and black striped pants, and black shoes. They hold a large slice of watermelon up together and bite from it while looking at one another. In the left, the mother, attired in a blue and pink plaid head kerchief, a pink and black striped shirt with a white lace collar, and a pink skirt, and the father, attired in a white collared shirt, a black waistcoat, and black pants, looks on at the couple from an open doorway. A banjo hangs from the post of the porch in the right. In the background, trees and the night sky is visible., Title from label on mount on verso., Gift of Edna Andrade, 1994., 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Lantern Slides-Smith, Xanthus [P.9471]

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: Compliments of Bechler's notion and variety store, 44 Irving Street, Rahway, N.J
Description: Trade card promoting the notion and variety store in Rahway, New Jersey of possible George Bechler and depicting a racist caricature of an African American nanny. The woman smiles and is attired in a short-sleeved, orange dress with red stripes, blue and white checked apron, and red head kerchief. She stands with one hand on her hip while the other holds a screaming white baby attired in a white layette to her other hip. In the foreground is a picket fence with a sheet draped in front with words advertising Bechler's store. Green foliage comprises the background., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date inferred from the attire of the figures depicted., Advertising text printed on recto: Compliments of Bechler's notion and variety store, 44 Irving street, Rahway, N.J. Just opened!, Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Bechler [P.2017.95.12]

Title: Vickery's Aunt Sally baking powder
Description: Trade card illustration depicting a snowy scene. Two white boy, a woman, and a dog stand by a sled. They are under a large barren tree and near the steps of a house. Visible in the background are trees, a body of water and mountains. On the verso, there is a racist illustration of an African American woman holding a tray of biscuits. A speech bubble near her head reads, "Dar's no use talking, Missus' Vickery's Aunt Sally am de best fur biscuits and cakes." Vickery & Co. manufactured Aunt Sally's Baking Soda and was likely founded in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1875. The company's founder, George H. Vickery later moved to Philadelphia after a fire destroyed his business., Title from item., Partially visible advertising text printed on verso: Presented with each box. Vickery's Aunt Sally baking poser, trade mark patented. The secret told. [...] put a laundry gloss on your shirts [...] Buy a bottle of Aunt Sally Harsh Gloss and see how it is done. You [...] with it, it puts that shiny gloss., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Vikery [P.2017.95.183]

Title: Willard & Lane's improved Eagle Stove Polish better than any made
Description: Racist trade card promoting Willard & Lane’s Eagle Stove Polish and depicting caricatures of an African American woman and two African American boys using stove polish. Shows the African American woman, portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a hat decorated with a ribbon, a white, short-sleeved dress, and slippers, standing and carrying a brush in her left hand. She looks with concern to the left at the two boys sitting on the floor. In the left, the barefooted boy, attired in a short-sleeved white shirt and shorts, sits on the floor with his legs stretched out. The barefooted boy in the right, attired in a white, long-sleeved shirt and white pants with a patch, applies stove polish with a brush on him. In the foreground is a box labeled, “Willard & Lane’s Improved Eagle Stove Polish.” A stove is in the center of the room. Abel Lyman Willard (1829-1892) opened an apothecary and drug store in 1855 in Taunton, Mass. In circa 1874, he founded the firm Willard & Lane with A.F. Lane, manufacturing Eagle Stove Polish., Title from item., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1875]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Willard [P.2017.95.190]

Title: Wm. M. Smith, 474 Broad Street
Description: Racist trade card depicting a snowy scene with several African American figures. At the center of the image is an African American man attired in a long button-down coat with a hood walking past a group of children. He stands with his left hand in his pocket and holds a cane in his right hand. Small hosues, bare trees, a fence, and several people are visible in the background. Three children in the right foreground of the image look up at the man in the center and adog in the left of the image runs in front of him. The figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. William M. Smith owned a clothing store in Newark, New Jersey in the late 19th century., Title from item., Advertising text on verso: 2424. Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-four Customers, whose names and measurements are registered on our books, will attest to the superiority of the "Domestic Shirt" over all others in make, material, fit, and economy. Factory attached to the Store, No. 474 Broad Street opposite Orange St. where the public are cordially invited to examine our Shirts in every stage of manufacture. N.B. The Otto Gas Engine Furnishing the power to run our machines is a marvel of mechanical ingenuity. Wm. M. Smith, 474 Broad Street, Opp. Orange Street., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Smith [P.2017.95.160]

Title: Corn Picking. Population 1,542,180. Area in sq. miles 59,475
Description: Racist trade card promoting Arbuckle Bros. coffee and depicting African Americans in a field harvesting corn. Shows an African American woman, attired in a straw hat, a green, long-sleeved shirt, a yellow shawl, and a red skirt, smiling as she picks corn off of a stalk in the foreground. In the left, an African American man, attired in a straw hat, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, brown pants, and brown shoes, looks at the viewer as he carries corn in his arms. In the background, two more farm laborers are visible. Brothers John and Charlie Arbuckle, Arbuckle Bros., established their factory and warehouse in Brooklyn in 1881 after they invented a machine that roasted, ground, and packaged coffee into bags. Their first national brand was patented under the name Arbuckle’s Ariosa. The company succeeded into the 20th century. Following John’s death in 1912 the company declined and was broken up by the Arbuckle family in the late 1930s., Title from item., Publication information and date from the copyright statement: Copyright 1889 Arbuckle Bros. N.Y., Print trimmed., Description of Colorado printed on verso. Sections of text missing. "[Colo]rado. east and west of 380 miles, a breadth o[?] square miles, or 66,512,000 acres, divided [?] are still unsurveyed 40,657,679 acres; i[?] mountain range, the foot hills, and the [?] [nor]th and south through the centre of the [?] [ra]nges, with many peaks over 13,000 fee[t] [?] immense mountains, are the “Parks,” [?] natural feature of Colorado. These co[?] [?] tion of 9,000 to 10,000 feet above the se[a]. [T]he principal ones being the North and [?] White and Green rivers, most of which[?] navigable. The South Platte has a fa[?] [?] Denver, and one of the canons of th[e] [?] [?] a rule, severe, with heavy falls of snow [?] plains and in the valleys, the mildness [?] as to render Colorado the paradise [?] and are glad to find that “Arbuckles” [?] 65,196 females, of whom 154,537 were [?] [?]rth, white, 191,126; colored, 3,201.", Gift of David Doret.
Date: 1889
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. - Corn [P.2017.95.199]

Title: [African Americans picking cotton with a cotton compress]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting African Americans picking cotton on a plantation. In the left foreground, shows an African American man, attired in a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and shoes, carrying a basket on his back filled with cotton. In the right, two African American children sit on the ground and fill a basket with cotton. In the background, is a large, wooden compress or cotton press. An African American man, with a basket of cotton at his feet, puts cotton into the compress. Another man stands in the right of the stairs leading to the compress with a basket of cotton. In the right background is a building and two women crouching on the ground and another man standing. In the top of the card is an additional illustration depicting a pine tree falling over. In the foreground is a bird on a branch, and a house is visible in the background., Title supplied by cataloger., Publication information and date from the copyright statement: Copyright by Robinson Eng. Co. Boston U.S.A. 1881., Gift of David Doret.
Date: 1881
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 28 [P.2017.95.239]

Title: [African American woman on a balcony talking on a tin can telephone to an African American man minstrel]
Description: Die-cut trade card specimen shaped like a top hat and depicting racist caricatures of an African American woman on a balcony talking on a tin can telephone to an African American man minstrel. Shows the African American woman, attired in a yellow dress, leaning over the balcony of a palatial building, while holding a tin can telephone on a string to her right ear. On the ground, the African American man minstrel is portrayed with exaggerated features and attired in a white top hat with a black band, a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, a white waistcoat, a black jacket with tails, red and white striped pants, and black shoes. He stands holding the other end of the tin can telephone to his right ear. A banjo lies at his feet., Title supplied by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 29 [P.2017.95.239x]

Title: [African American domestics holding a white sheet]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting caricatures of two smiling African American domestics portrayed with exaggerated features and holding a white sheet. In the left, shows an African American man, attired in hoop earrings; a blue and white striped collared shirt; a red vest; purple pants; yellow striped socks; and black shoes with buckles, holding two corners of a white sheet in his hands. A red and green feather duster lies on the ground at his feet. In the right, an African American woman, attired in a yellow head kerchief with red dots; hoop earrings; a white, beaded necklace; a white, short-sleeved shirt; a pink vest; a blue skirt; white socks; and yellow shoes with red bows, holds the opposite two corners of the sheet. A broom rests against her right shoulder., Title devised by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 5 [P.2017.95.216]

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: Use Queen Anne Soap I'se a waiting
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting a full length portrait of an African American woman walking a small brown dog. The woman is attired in an elaborate orange, yellow, and green feathered bonnet, a blue and red dotted and frilled dress with white and blue details, a pendant, white and yellow fingerless gloves, red stockings, and black heeled shoes. She holds the dog's leash and a red and blue fan in her left hand and a blue parasol in her right hand. Visible behind her is a large yellow ribbon which is attached to the back of her dress. The woman leans forward while jutting out her backside and stands with her right foot in front of her left. The woman is portrayed with exaggerated features. Queen Anne Soap was owned by the Detroit Soap Company, which in 1915 was acquired by the Buffalo-based Lautz Bros. & Co., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of advertised business., Advertising text on recto: Purest and best in the world., Series number on recto: 58., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Queen [P.2017.95.145]

Title: On the o high o! Compliments of Goodwin brothers, wheel-wrights
Description: Racist trade card promoting wheelwrights the Goodwin Brothers and depicting caricatures of African Americans on a wooden barge “on the o high o,” i.e. Ohio River. In the right, two men stand and row using long oars. The man in the left is attired a hat, a blue jacket, and blue plaid pants, and the man in the right is attired in a hat, a white shirt, and green pants. In the left is a man seated on a stool playing a fiddle attired in a hat, a white jacket, and blue pants. The man in the center, attired in a hat, a green plaid shirt, and blue pants, dances with his left leg and arm raised up. Another man, attired in a hat, a white shirt, and blue pants with a straw in his mouth, watches the dancer while lying on the barge on his stomach propping his head up with his elbows. Behind the fiddler a woman, attired in a green head kerchief, a blue dress with polka dots, and a beige apron, claps her hands and taps her foot to the music. In the far left is a house with a man standing against the wall, and a boy that runs toward the barge. In the background is a white steamboat on the river. Brothers James K. Goodwin (1844-1910) and Charles W. Goodwin (1853-1943) were wheelwrights in Manchester, New Hampshire., Title from item., Date from the history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on the verso: Goodwin Brothers, manufacturers of wheels and carriage wood work of every description. Also dealers in hubs, spokes, rims, shafts, bodies, seats, carriage gear &c. Hubs turned and mortised. Sawing and planing to order. Carriages built to order, complete. Special attention given to repairing. 441 Elm Street, Hodge’s Building, Manchester, N.H. J.K. Goodwin. C.W. Goodwin., Series number printed on the recto: 450., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Goodwin [P.2017.95.73]

Title: Lines Bros., the largest retail dealers in the state! Proprietors of ten shoe stores. Buffalo store- 95 E. Seneca St. Boots, shoes & rubber goods. Low prices. Plain figures
Description: Racist trade card depicting a comic, genre scene between a new white father and an African American woman caregiver. Shows the young, African American woman holding to her chest three white babies wrapped in blankets. The babies' father stands across from her and exclaims "Did any of them get away?" In the background, the new white mother is visible laying in a bed with a blanket up to her chin. The African American woman wears a cap adorned with a ribbon, an apron, and a long skirt. The white man wears mutton chops and is attired in an evening coat over a suit with a bowtie.The figures are depicted with caricaturized and exaggerated features., Title from item., Image caption on recto: Excited Father - "Did Any of Them Get Away." "Triplets'", Advertising text on verso: Lines Bros., Largest Retail Dealers in the State Proprietors of Ten Shoe Stores! Buffalo Store, No. 95 E. Seneca St., Boots, Shoes & Rubber Goods. Stores at Troy, Albany, Geneva, Elmira, Buffalo, Lockport, Rochester, Amsterdam, Schenectady, and Canandaigua., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Lines [P.2017.95.109]

Title: Muzzy's corn starch
Description: Trade card promoting Elkhart Starch Company and depicting a racist genre scene of an African American woman domestic servant serving a white family at the dinner table. Shows in the center of the image the man and woman couple and child seated at a table. In the left, a man with brown hair and attired in a black jacket; a white collared shirt with a yellow bowtie; a yellow waistcoat; white pants with blue stripes; and black shoes, looks down and reads the newspaper he is holding. In the right, the blonde-haired woman, attired in a long-sleeved blue and white dress, rests her left hand on the table and looks towards the African American woman. The African American woman, attired in a blue striped dress, stands behind the table and carries a steaming pan of food. To the left, a blonde-haired child, attired in a white, short-sleeved shirt, reaches their hands up toward the pan of food. On the table are plates and cutlery. A.L. Muzzy built the Muzzy & Sage Mill in Elkhart, Indiana in 1870. Albert R. Beardsley (1847-1924) purchased the mill in 1878 and founded the Elkhart Starch Company. The Company was bought by the National Starch in 1893., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Elkhart [P.2017.95.58]

Title: Frank Miller's crown dressing Yes missus dat am de Crown of Dressing shua!
Description: Racist trade card depicting an African American maid shining a white woman's boots. The African American woman is depicted in profile and holds a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in her left hand. The white woman holds up the skirt of her dress to reveal her left boot. The maid is attired in a head wrap, a dress with the sleeves rolled, an apron, and flat shoes. The white woman is attired in a ruffled, dark-colored dress, flowers in her hair, and leather boots. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing sits atop an ornamented table. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown dressing is also printed on the verso. A tassel is visible above the bottle and a curtain is visible behind it. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Printed in red ink., Distributor's imprint printed on recto: John Cottrill, boots, shoes, trunks, &c, Wallingford, Conn., Advertising text printed on verso: Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in 4-oz. bottles, with wire, sponge, and cork. Gives a rich gloss, with a deep and durable color. While most dressings crack the leather, the Crown does not injure it in the least, and for ladies' and children's boots and shoes is rapidly displacing all others., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1870]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.130]

Title: The "Gem" freezer
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American woman maid serving two bowls of freshly churned ice cream on a tray to two white children sitting at a table with a white tablecloth. The girl is attired in a yellow dress with a white and purple ruffled collar and a white ribbon in her hair. She sits with her hands folded. The boy is attired in a long sleeved purple shirt and a white bib. He holds a spoon in his right hand and reaches his left hand out toward the maid. The maid is attired in a red headwrap, gold hoop earrings, a white collared shirt with a bowtie, a blue long sleeved dress, and a white apron. On the verso of the trade card is a black and white illustration depicting a "Gem" freezer. The "Gem" freezer was manufactured by the North Brothers Manufacturing Company, which was based in Philadelphia and owned by Selden Gladwin North, Ralph H. North, and Frank H. North. The company was founded in 1878 and became a major manufacturer of various kitchen appliances., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of business., Note written in manuscript on verso., Advertising text printed on verso: The "Gem" freezer. The best in practical use, because convenient, compact in size, use for smallest amount of ice and salt, run easily, freeze quickly, produce smoothly frozen creams or desserts with little bother and less work. The Pails have electric-welded wire hoops, guaranteed not to break or fall off; the cans are made of heavy tinplate with drawn steel bottoms that are guaranteed not to fall out or break and do not leak, the strongest and most durable freezer can made; the automatic twin scrapers by their positive action insure perfect scraping of frozen particles from side of can as rapidly as formed without injury to can or scrapers. All inside parts are heavily coated with pure block tin, and outside parts all thoroughly galvanized. A recipe book with complete directions for making over 100 ice creams, water ices, sherbets and other desserts packed in each freezer. W.E. Sturges, Phoenixville, PA., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - North Bros. [P.2017.95.141]

Title: The Redwood portable range, Spicers & Peckham, makers of highest grades only. Providence, R.I
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an interior scene with an African American woman delivering a loaf of bread to a well-dressed white woman. The African American woman is attired in a large yellow and green hat with a wide brim, a white bonnet with a green ribbon tied underneath her chin, a red shawl draped across her shoulders, a green and yellow long sleeved dress, a green apron, and brown shoes. The white woman is attired in a yellow dress lined with white and a blue ribbon attached to the back. She wears a blue hairpiece and holds a white fan in both hands. Visible in the background are a set of drawers, on top of which sits a large vase with flowers and cattail plants, and a larger partially obscured drawer in the right of the image with a large decorative plate, a vase, and an urn on top of it. A bordered image featuring a Redwood stove is superimposed over the drawer in the right. The African American woman is depicted with exaggerated features., Title from item., Several lines of partially legible advertising text printed on verso., Text printed on recto: "Don't buy you kitchen stove honey, till you have seen The Redwood.", Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Redwood [P.2017.95.146]

Title: A tale of the Rising Sun stove polish
Description: Racist trade card circular advertising Rising Sun Stove Polish. Depicts four scenes in which a white woman, identified as Mrs. Smith, buys cheap ineffective stove polish from a "crafty shopkeeper" and proceeds to purchase the more effective Rising Sun Stove Polish. In the background of the scenes in Mrs. Smith's kitchen is her African American housekeeper, Dinah. Also depicted in the scenes are Mrs. Smith's friend Mrs. Jenkins, her husband Mr. Smith, and a small white dog. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Jenkins are attired in elaborate and colorful dresses, hats, and hair pieces. In the scene titled "The wretched household," Dinah frowns and is attired" in a yellow dress with the sleeves rolled, a white apron, yellow shoes, white socks, and a yellow headwrap. She holds a brush in her left hand. In the scene titled "The happy home," Dinah smiles and is attired in a blue and white dress with a yellow skirt visible beneath it, black flat shoes, and a red and white cap. She holds a brush in her left hand and raises it triumphantly. In both scenes, she is depicted with exaggerated features. Rising Sun Stove Polish Company was founded in Canton, Massachusetts by Elijah Morse in 1864., Title from item., Text printed on recto: The crafty shopkeeper. "It's just as good!" the shopman - he was a vile deceiver. And Mrs. Smith, unused to guile, alas, was a believer. And on the rascal's oily words and lying tongue depended, and bought the swindling compound that the shopman recommended. The wretched household. Next day wise Mrs. Jenkins called on Mrs. Smith, her neighbor, and found the house all upside down, herself distraught with labor: the fire unkindled in the stove, and Dinah vainly trying to black the stove with that vile stuff her mistress had been buying. The dinner not commenced to get, and Mr. Smith expected, each moment home - no wonder that his wife appeared djected. Wise Mrs. Jenkins gazed in tears upon the scene - said she - "For all your troubles, dear, I know a sovereign remedy.", Text printed on verso: The beautiful chromo. Wise Mrs. Jenkins and her friend a little ramble took, and at a splendid chromo in a window took a look. Said Mrs. Jenkins (verbum sap), "'twill all your cares abolish, if you will use the best of all - the Rising Sun Stove Polish." The happy home. "Home, home, sweet home," entranced we gaze upon the peaceful scene, a happy home where everything is quiet and serene. Within the polished stove the fire is burning bright, and on old Dinah's face appears a smile of a calm delight. Kind reader, heed the moral taught, and then our story's done - no stove polish is "just as good" as is the Rising Sun., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Rising Sun [P.2017.95.149]

Title: Standard screw fastened boots & shoes are the best in the world
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting two African American men and one African American woman. The woman walks arm in arm with one of the men; both figures are well-dressed. The man is attired in a black hat, a white collared shirt, a blue jacket, gloves, striped pants, and black heeled shoes with the Standard logo. He holds a flag promoting the Standard brand in his left hand and a flower in his right. The woman is attired in a hat, a white dress with blue dots and a bow at the collar, gloves, blue and white striped tights, and blue heeled shoes. The man in the left of the image is attired in black tattered clothing and worn out shoes that expose his toes. All of the figures are depicted with exaggerated features., Title from item., Text printed on recto: "Go way Ephraim, Ise got a new beau now dat wears Standard Boots!", Advertising text printed on verso: Remember and buy only Standard Screw Fastened Boots and Shoes. They surpass all others., 1882-1883 calendar printed on verso., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1882]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Standard [P.2017.95.165]

Title: Frank Miller's crown dressing Yes missus dat am de Crown of Dressing shua!
Description: Racist trade card depicting an African American maid shining a white woman's boots. The African American woman is depicted in profile and holds a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in her left hand. The white woman holds up the skirt of her dress to reveal her left boot. The maid is attired in a head wrap, a dress with the sleeves rolled, an apron, and flat shoes. The white woman is attired in a ruffled, dark-colored dress, flowers in her hair, and leather boots. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing sits atop an ornamented table. A tassel is visible above the bottle and a curtain is visible behind it. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Several lines of advertising text printed on verso; text is not visible., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1870]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.128]

Title: Frank Miller's crown dressing Yes missus dat am de Crown of Dressing shua!
Description: Racist trade card depicting an African American maid shining a white woman's boots. The African American woman is depicted in profile and holds a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in her left hand. The white woman holds up the skirt of her dress to reveal her left boot. The maid is attired in a head wrap, a dress with the sleeves rolled, an apron, and flat shoes. The white woman is attired in a ruffled, dark-colored dress, flowers in her hair, and leather boots. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing sits atop an ornamented table. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown dressing is also printed on the verso. A tassel is visible above the bottle and a curtain is visible behind it. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Printed in red ink., Advertising text printed on verso: Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in 4-oz. bottles, with wire, sponge, and cork. Gives a rich gloss, with a deep and durable color. While most dressings crack the leather, the Crown does not injure it in the least, and for ladies' and children's boots and shoes is rapidly displacing all others., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1870]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.127]

Title: J. & P. Coats thread. Come in Topsey out of the rain. You’ll get wet. Oh! it won’t hurt me missy I’m like Coats black thread de color won’t come off by wettin
Description: Racist trade card promoting J.&. P. Coats thread and depicting a caricature of an African American woman domestic washing outside in the rain. Shows an African American woman in the left, attired in a white, short-sleeved shirt, a white and yellow checked apron, a red skirt, and black shoes. She stands outside in the rain and places her right hand on an oversized spool of thread labeled, “J.&P. Coats best six cord 200 yds 40,” which sits on top of a wooden stool. Behind the woman, a pipe fills a wooden wash tub with water. In the right, a blonde-haired, white woman, attired in a blue dress with a white collar and bow tie and a red sash below the waist, white stockings, and black shoes, stands at the door inside the house. She lifts her right hand to the domestic and says, “come in Topsey out of the rain. You’ll get wet.” The African American woman replies in the vernacular, “Oh! It won’t hurt me Missy. I’m like Coats black thread. De color won’t come off by wettin.” Brothers James Coats, Jr. (1803-1845) and Peter Coats (1808-1890) established the firm J.&P. Coats, a thread manufactory. Their brother Thomas Coats (1809-1883) joined the firm soon after. By 1840, three quarters of the British company’s business was with the United States. In 1896, the firm merged with thread manufacturer Clark & Co. and formed J. & P. Coats, Ltd. In 2015, the firm was renamed, “Coats Group.”, Title from item., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Fast Black Spool Cotton. Does it wear? Does it wash? When a textile fabric must be dyed a pure, rich, deep black, the question that presents itself to the dyer is: “Will these goods be washed in ordinary soap and water, or will they be dipped in some powerful acid, like aquafortis, sulphuric, or muriatic acid?” It they must withstand every-day wear and tear; he will not be so foolish as to fix his black by aid of powerful acids, but will treat the goods mildly, and thus secure superior strength and endurance. In like manner, a druggist will not put a rubber stopper in a bottle filled with sugar and water; he will naturally use an ordinary cork, and save the rubber for resisting violent acids. It is well to look with suspicion on all Acid Tests applied to Spool Cotton. To resist acids, the dyer must use acids at peril of rotting the thread. Intelligent people do not wash their clothes in acid baths. J. & P. Coats’ Black will hold its color as long as any fabric on which it can be used., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - J. & P. Coats [P.2017.95.88]

Title: Smith Brothers chemically pure Borax
Description: Racist trade card advertising soap manufacturers the Smith Brothers and depicting the white woman head of house with three of her women housekeepers while they use Borax to complete various tasks in the kitchen. In the center, the mistress of the house, attired in a red dress with a white collar and cuffs, applies Borax onto a white cloth held by a white housekeeper. In the left, a white housekeeper sprinkles Borax over a group of cockroaches on the floor in front of the stove. In the right, the African American woman housekeeper, portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a white head kerchief with red polka dots, a yellow dress with red stripes, white stockings, and tan shoes, stands before a wash basin with her hands in the soapy water. Behind her a clothesline full of white sheets hang. Brothers Frank and Julius Smith established Smith Brothers Borax in 1874. In 1888, Frank Smith incorporated his new company, Pacific Coast Borax., Title from item., Date inferred from date of operation of advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso provides directions and various uses for Smith Brothers' Borax, including washing, starching, preventing moths, removing cockroaches, dressing ulcers, wounds, bruises, sprains, and chilblains, removing inflammation, bathing, arresting fermentation and cleaning clothes., Distributor's imprint print on verso: Githens & Rexsamer, 40 and 42 South Front Sts., Philadelphia., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Smith Brothers [1975.F.751]

Title: [Double-sided proof print containing a racist caricature of an African American mother and her children and a comic genre scene with a bookmaker]
Description: Left panel depicts an African American mother, portrayed in racist caricature, with her three children in the doorway of a home in the country. The mother, attired in a red headkerchief with white polka dots, a white shirt with pink polka dots and the sleeves rolled to the elbows, a green skirt, and a white apron with blue stripes, stands smiling with her arms crossed. Sitting in front of her are three young barefooted children attired in pink short-sleeved dresses. The children suck on the tubes of their nursing bottles. A small black dog, a cat with two kittens, and a pig gather and watch children. At the right of the door, a barrel rests under a drain pipe. A food tray lies nearby, and a horseshoe hangs above the door. The right panel shows "Joe McK.. Bookmak[er]" accepting bets, seated at his table, outside a stadium. The older white man bookie, attired in a gray bowler hat, a white collared shirt, a red polka dot vest, blue and white striped pants, and yellow shoes, smokes a cigar and accepts money from a young white man waiting at the head of the line. Also shows the backs of men leaving the bookie and headed toward the "Grand Stand" visible in the background., Title supplied by cataloger., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1905 by J. Hoover & Son Phila., Printed lower left corner: 2039., Gift of S. Robert Teitelman, 2007., 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.
Creator: Hall, Bernhard, 1859-1935, artist
Date: 1905
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1905 Proof [P.2007.23.8]

Title: The Universal clothes wringer
Description: Metamorphic trade card promoting the American Wringer Company's Universal Wringer. Depicts a racist "before and after" scene with and without the product. The before scene shows an African American laundress "Dinah" wringing clothes by hand over a tub. She states in vernacular speech that "de wringing am awful." A white woman chastises her to "look at these torn clothes." She holds up a square shaped cloth with tears. A clock is visible in the background. The women are shown as bust-length. Dinah wears a kerchief, an open collared shirt, and her sleeves are rolled up. The after scene shows a smiling "Dinah," wringing laundry with a "Universal" clothes wringer under the happy gaze of her employer. The women reach a hand out to one another. Dinah wears a high ruffled collar shirtwaist with a bow at her neck, long sleeves, an apron, and kerchief. A clock rests on a sideboard in the background. The American Wringer Company was established about 1861 and operated until at least the early 20th century. The company often provided a clock as a premium to purchase their laundry equipment., Title from item., Date inferred from attire of figures depicted., Text printed on recto: Oh mistis de wringing am awful, always tear de clothes 'spect dat I neber get through. What Dinah, six o'clock and not done yet! And look at these torn clothes. "What Dinah! Finished washing so soon! Why it's only three o'clock." "Hi golly! Mistis, been done dese two hours dis chile hab no more trouble, since you done got dis wringer. Neber tear de clothes neder., Advertising text on verso: The Universal Wringer Has the Following Points of Superiority. 1. Rolls of Solid White Rubber. 2. Rowell's Double Cog-wheels. 3. Two Independent Pressure Screws. 4. Double cogs at both ends of each Roll. 5. Folding Apron or Clothes Guide. 6. Rocking Springs of wood and rubber. N. P. Baker, Dealer in General Merchandise, Sunapee, N. H., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - American [113420.D]

Title: I'm a masher
Description: Set of five collecting cards depicting African Americans, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque facial features, to satirize womanizing, courtship, marriage, and fatherhood. Includes (1) "I'm a Masher" showing a dapperly-dressed African American man, attired in a derby hat, a red bow tie with yellow polka dots, a yellow waistcoat, a blue jacket, and a watch fob, holding up a swagger stick, as well as cigarette that he smokes; (2) "I've Made a Mash" showing the "masher" in a close embrace with a stylishly-dressed African American woman, attired in a red dress with black polka dots, gold drop earrings, and yellow gloves; (3) "I'm Married" showing the couple on promenade with the woman, attired in a red dress with a yellow bow, a yellow and red hat, and white gloves, and the man, smoking a cigarette, and attired in a green bowler hat, a red ascot with shiny cravat pin, a blue jacket with a yellow flower boutonniere, a matching yellow with gray striped waistcoat and pants, and red gloves; (4) 'Home Sweet Home" showing the man, attired in a white collared shirt and blue-striped pants, seated with a look of anguish and surrounded by his six small children; (5) "Dady's [sic] Dead" showing the children as older and dancing around their father's grave adorned with a headstone inscribed "To the Memory of the Masher." Masher was a later 19th-century slang term for a womanizer, known for garish clothes and a vulgar manner., Copyrighted., Series no. printed in upper right corner., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., Chicago Picture Co, a Chicago publishing firm of advertising card and novelties, was active circa 1881-circa 1883.
Creator: Chicago Picture Co.
Date: [ca. 1882]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Genre [P.2012.25.1-5]

Title: "De breddren and sisters will now relate dere experience."
Description: Set of five collecting cards depicting African Americans, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque facial features and speaking in the vernacular, satirizing African American church life. Includes (1) "De Breddren and Sisters Will Now Relate Dere Experience" showing a white-haired African American minister at his pulpit before a small congregation of mostly African American women, attired in kerchiefs, and seated in pews; (2) Sister Hannibal. - "Oh Breddren and Sisters, Ise an Awful Sinner" showing Sister Hannibal standing up and confessing among the other congregants; (3) Sister Snowball. - "Yes, Breddren and Sisters, Dats So, I Kin Testify Dat Sister Hannibal is an Awful Sinner. I knows It" showing Sister Snowball standing, her hands clasped across her stomach, while Sister Hannibal, sits and frowns, and the minister rests his hand on his head; (4) "Sister Snowball, You Am a Liar" showing the "sisters" fighting among the other parishioners, who are in various states of commotion; (5) "De Congregation Am Dismissed" showing white men police officers escorting the congregation out of the church, including an unconscious Sister Hannibal in a handcart. Images also show the church interior and exterior, including windows, steps, and a tree., Title from item., Date of publication inferred from date of copyright, Series no. printed in upper left corner., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., RVCDC, 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., Sammis & Latham was a New York publishing firm active in 1882 that issued comic card sets and juvenile novelty items.
Creator: Sammis & Latham
Date: 1882
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Genre [P.2012.24.1-5]

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