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- Title
- [Asian decorative motifs]
- Description
- Illustrated trade card depicting Asian decorative motifs, including bamboo, a crane, and a fan. In the left a dragonfly flies over a stalk of bamboo. In the center is a large Asian character, possibly meant to be Chinese, surrounded by a geometric border. In the right, a crane stands on one leg among reeds and a hand-held fan is spread open., Title supplied by cataloger., Date based on medium and content., 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 - Misc [1975.F.1034]
- Title
- Omai a native of Ulaietea, brought into England in the year 1774 by Tobias Furneaux esqr. commander of his majesty's sloop Adventure Humbly inscribed to the Right Honble John Earl of Sandwich, first commissioner for executing the office of the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain and Ireland; &c. &c. &c. By his lordship's most devoted humble servant, Fras. Bartolozzi
- Description
- Full-length portrait of Mai (known as Omai in Britain,) a young indigenous man from Raiatea, who became the second Pacific Islander to visit Europe. Mai is depicted with long, black hair, barefooted, attired in a white robe, and has tattoos on his hands. He holds a feather taumi (gorget) in his right hand and a carved wooden headrest, which may have doubled as a stool, under his left arm. Mai acted as an interpreter to James Cook and joined the crew of the H.M.S. Adventure, traveling to London in 1774. During his two-year stay in England, he became admired by London high society and painted and sketched by a number of artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds, William Hodges, William Parry, and Nathaniel Dance. Mai returned to Tahiti in 1776., Title and date from item.
- Creator
- Bartolozzi, Francesco, 1727-1815, engraver
- Date
- October 25, 1774
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **portrait prints - O [(3)5750.F.180a]
- Title
- A joyous Christmas and a happy New Year Geo. Remsen Jr. & Co., Stationers & engravers, 815 Arch St. Phila
- Description
- Trade card promoting engraver and stationer Geo. Remsen Jr. & Co. and depicting racist caricatures of a Chinese woman and two Chinese men. In the right, a Chinese woman, wearing her hair up with decorative pins and a flower and attired in a blue, off-the-shoulder dress, sits in a red chair and holds a bouquet of pink flowers. In the center, the Chinese man, wearing a beard and a queue hairstyle and attired in a purple tunic and green pants, stands with his arms folded. In the left, the Chinese man, wearing a goatee and queue hairstyle and attired in a red tunic, pink-and-white striped pants, and black cloth slip-on shoes, stands in front of the woman with his hands out. Also in the scene are a small dog and a red dragon., Title from item., Date inferred from calendar printed on verso., Text printed on verso: "Geo. Remsen Jr. & Co., Stationers & engravers, 815 Arch St., Philadelphia" with a monthly calendar for 1880., RVCDC.
- Date
- [1879]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - Geo. Remsen Jr. & Co. [P.2015.56.299]
- Title
- R. Totani, importer of Japanese goods, 127 S. Eleventh Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Description
- Envelope for Reachero Totani's Japanese goods business located at 127 South 11th Street, Philadelphia. Envelope for Totani's business with decorative lines bordering the left corner. Addressed to Mrs. Alfred G. Baker, 1818 Spruce St., City [ie. Philadelphia]. Postmarked Philadelphia, PA, 1893 and has a one-cent stamp with a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Reachero Totani married a white woman named Elizabeth in 1889 in New York City and is listed in the 1891 New York directory as a clerk. He is listed in the Philadelphia directories from 1893 to 1895 with his business as "Japanese goods" and "china." In Philadelphia, he was also an active member of the Japanese Club, a dinner club comprised of Japanese men that met monthly. Henrietta Rush Fales Baker (1838-1897) married Alfred Gustavus Baker (1831-1892) in 1862. Alfred was president of the Franklin Fire Insurance Company and then became the director of the Southwark National Bank. When Henrietta died, she left an estate of two million dollars., Title from item., Date inferred postmark date.
- Date
- [ca. 1893]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - envelopes - Totani [P.2025.60]
- Title
- Wanamaker’s ladies’ & gents’ dining rooms, 42 N. 8th St., bel. Arch, Geo. W. Wanamaker
- Description
- Trade card promoting Wanamaker's restaurant and depicting a Chinese man serving tea to a Chinese man and woman on a balcony. In the left, the man, wearing his hair in a queue and attired in a cap, long-sleeved tunic, pants, and black, slip-on shoes, hands a steaming cup and saucer of tea to a seated man. The man, wearing a mustache and attired in a cap and long-sleeved robe, sits holding a paper in his left hand and rests his feet on a footrest. In the right, the Chinese woman, wearing her hair up in a bun and with decorative pins and attired in a long-sleeved dress with a collar, sits and holds a fan in her left hand. A building is visible in the background., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the lithographer and advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Wanamaker’s ladies’ and gents’ dining rooms, 823 Market St., & 42 S. Second St., Philadelphia. Geo. W. Wanamaker, Prop’r. [Over.], RVCDC
- Creator
- Craig, Finley & Co.
- Date
- [1875]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - Wanamaker's [P.2015.56.919]
- Title
- Laque de Chine
- Description
- Trade card promoting druggist John H. Sheehan & Co. and depicting a scene of two Chinese men painting. In the left, show the Chinese man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a blue cap, blue robe, and blue, slip-on shoes. He sits on a bench in front of an easel and paints. In the right, the Chinese man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a green, patterned robe, stands and lacquers a vase. Also in the room are a red lantern, screen, and side table with a blue jar. In the background is a river with boats and a pagoda on the shoreline., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Text printed on verso: John H. Sheehan, Dealers in Drugs, Medicines, Pefumery and Toilett (sic) Articles, 167 Genesee Street, Utica, N.Y., Gift of William H. Helfand., RVCDC, See related: P.9828.6766.
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - Sheehan [P.9828.6777]
- Title
- Sharpless & Sons, Philadelphia
- Description
- Trade card promoting dry goods merchant Sharpless & Sons and depicting a Chinese boy sitting on an oversized fan. Shows the boy, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a blue robe with red trim and a green sash around the waist, green stockings, and slip-on shoes, sitting with his back to the viewer on a large fan. The gold hand fan is decorated with a bird and flowers. Chinese characters are written in the left. Sharpless & Sons were importers, jobbers, and retailers of dry goods that operated from 801, 803, 805, & 807 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Purchased 2015., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - Sharpless [P.2015.56.774]
- Title
- McCless 1417 Chestnut St., (above Broad), fine arts! French plate mirrors
- Description
- Trade card promoting fine art dealer and mirror merchant J.E. McCless and depicting a caricaturized Japanese man pointing to a sign with the advertising text. In the center, the man, wearing a chonmage hairstyle and attired in a purple kimono with white and green trim, a black jacket with gold trim, and sandals stands and points to a wooden sign with advetising text., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of business advertised., Purchased 2015.
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - McCless [P.2015.56.576]
- Title
- [Scene on Atlantic City boardwalk near Lindley's baths]
- Description
- Scene depicting the busy Atlantic City boardwalk with many promenaders. Several businesses line the boardwalk including a photographic studio, Adams Bath Houses, Lindley's Baths, and Shimamura & Company. Through the glass storefront window at Shimamura & Co., numerous vases and framed works are visible. Men, women, and children promenaders include two African American girls attired in white dresses and hats; three women attired in Japanese kimono carry parasols and one carries a fan; members of a band; and a white boy carrying a sign for "Cleveland's Iron Pier." In the left, a large American flag flies. An observation tower with people is seen in the background. Shingo Shimamura, along with several Japanese partners including Y. Mayebara, and Takemura, opened Shimamura and Co. in 1888 at Tennessee Avenue and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City. The store sold Japanese art and decorative arts. In 1906, Shimamura opened another store at 579 Broadway, New York City., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from attire of the people., Purchase 1989., 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. 1895]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - unidentified - Cities [P.9260.590]
- Title
- Day's soap does it Washee, washee, see him rub on his washboard in the tub; see him wash and smile with glee for he's from hard labor free; with Day's soap his work is done when his rivals just begun
- Description
- Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyrighted 1887 by Day & Frick., Racist metamorphic trade card showing a caricaturized Chinese man laundry worker washing a sheet on a wash board in a washtub. Includes a tab that when pulled lifts the washer's arms up and down to reveal the text "Day Soap" on the wash board. The man wears his hair in a queue and is attired in a long-sleeved, blue collared shirt with buttons down the front, blue pants, and slip-on, cloth shoes. He smiles and looks to the right. The tub rests on a table beside a bar of soap, labeled “Day’s Soap.” On the ground behind the table is a basket of laundry. Sheets hang on a drying line. In the background, the wall has Chinese-stylized decorations including a gold wallpaper depicting birds and fish and a purple and gold wall hanging that reads, “Day’s Soap.” Peter Day founded the Day & Frick soap manufactory firm in 1886. He retired as president of the firm in 1917., Purchased with funds from the Walter J. Miller Trust for the Visual Culture Program., RVCDC, John D. Avil founded the Avil Printing Company (also known as John D. Avil & Co.) in West Philadelphia and managed it from the early 1860s until his death in 1918.
- Date
- [1887]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Day's [P.2012.62.8]

