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Title: [Man dressed in a clown costume, Manayunk]
Description: Full length portrait of a man costumed in a multi-color striped clown suit, with a ruffled collar and cone-shaped hat. He stands outside against the stone wall of a house., Modern reference prints available., Gift of Richard R. Frame.
Creator: Berry, Frank, b. 1863, photographer
Date: ca. 1907
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department 4x5 Glass Negatives - Berry [P.8986.54]

Title: Philadelphia Carnival. Easter Monday Night April 18th 1881 at the Academy of Music
Description: Ticket depicting a festive scene for the Philadelphia Carnival Bal Masque organized by the Maennechor Society, the city's German singing society. Scene depicts a man masquerading as a jester in a red costume breaking out of an egg-shaped prop (adorned with the date and location of the event) that lies on the back of a man costumed as a clown. The clown is attired in a white ensemble and is prone, lying on his stomach, and propped up by his hands. The clown wears a pointed hat, ruffled collar, wide-sleeved shirt, and blue-striped pants. Another jester, attired in a red head dress, blue shirt, and tan leggings, stands and watches to the left of the cracking egg from which his fellow jester propels himself. Above the standing jester, a putti pulls up a green drape with gold trim. In the right, in front of the clown and jester in red, a man with long blonde hair and costumed in colonial-era attire bows. He holds a tri-corn hat in his hand and wears a dark-brown coat, blue pantaloons, red shoes, and a flowing gold cape. In the right background, stands a group of male and female spectators costumed as a renaissance man, scullery maid, bald-headed clown, wizard, knight, and Quaker couple. The Maennerchor Society's Carnival Bal Masque began about 1864 and continued throughout at least the 1890s. The Carnival was usually a charity event and included masquerade, music, singing, dancing, and tableaux., Title and date from item., Contains gilt border., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program (Junto Fund 2015).
Date: [1881]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Tickets - P [P.2017.92.1]

Title: [African American boy shoe shine being kicked by a white boy clown]
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting a white boy clown kicking an African American shoe shine boy from behind. In the right, the white boy, attired white clown costume with a white cap decorated with a blue ball, a white shirt with ruffles at the neck and waist, white pants with a ruffle at the cuffs, white stockings, and blue shoes, carries a jump rope in both hands. He smiles at the viewer and kicks his left foot propelling the shoe shiner into the air. The shoe shiner is attired in a blue jacket with tails, white pants, black stockings, and brown shoes. His top hat, shoe shining stool, and open can of shoe polish fly away from him., 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. 27 [P.2017.95.238]

Title: Mechanical target and gun. Mutual Novelty Manufacturing Co., 813 Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa
Description: Illustrated flier for "comic head" mechanical target issued by the Mutual Novelty Manufacturing Company. Contains image of target (Patented Aug 28 1877), which includes the racist, comic head of an African American clown, portrayed in caricature with a slack jaw and grotesque features, and pictorial details of the "Target Arrow" (Pat. Sep. 5 1876). Flier also contains vignette of "Toy Target Arrow For Boys and Girls." Shows a child's hand pulling the arrow through an egg-shaped barrel. Vignette surrounded by advertising text reading "Throws the Arrow very accurately, and affords hours of amusement for both young and old. Made of hard wood, finely polished, beautifully colored. Price, per gross, $35.00 nett. Sample, by mail, 50 cts." Mutual Novelty Manufacturing Co. operated until at the least the 1920s., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Several lines of advertising text printed below image explicating the size, construction, price, and shipping of toy, and advertising potential of "Target and Envelope." Text also includes the solicitation that "Agents can earn over $30,000 weekly, and Canvassers from house to house more than $3.00 daily, selling our different Novelties. We would like to make you an Agent, and if you send out Sub Agents you can make upwards of $2,000 yearly.", Purchased with funds from the Walter J. Miller Trust for the Visual Culture Program., 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 Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date: [ca. 1877]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Ph Pr - 8x10 - Advertisements - M [P.2013.36.4]

Title: Sanford's new Opera House Race Street, between Second & Third Sanford's complimentary benefit, on Saturday evening, Dec. 17th, 1864 on which occasion a bill of rare attraction will be presented. Sam Long, the great clown will sing his last new songs. Larry Tooley, renowned dancer, will appear--together with Sanford's Troupe! ... Nino Eddie! in his great act of the tight rope. Miss Julia Sanford in her grand dance. Programme. ... Sanford's dramatic effect of "Villikins and his Dinah!" ... Brother Josh and Gus ... To conclude with Sanford's version of Uncle Tom's cabin ... Cinderella for the holidays! Look out for the "Frightened family." Cards of admission, 25 cents Orchestra seats, 50 cts Private boxes, dress circle, $5 Private boxes, family circle, $4 & $3 Office will be open from 9 to 2 o'clock, for the sale of secured seats and boxes, without extra charge. Doors open at quarter before 7 o'clock. To commence quarter before 8
Description: The company includes: F. Basquin, Sam Long, J.M. Mortimer, Fulton Myers, H.J. Raynor, J.P. Reese, Eddie Rivers (a.k.a. El Nino Eddie), Julia Sanford, S.S. Sanford, W. Schaffer, Larry Tooley, Jake Wallace, and J. Williams., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War.
Creator: Sanford's Opera House (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Date: [1864]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare PB Phi Sanford 1864 (26)5761.F.72b (McAllister)

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