Search results

Title: [Lewis?] Mill, foot of Flying Hill
Description: View showing the stone mill at the end of a dirt road near the base of a small mountain in a rural area. In the foreground, a cart sits on the side of the road near a residence with a picket fence. A man stands in the road in front of the residence. A second residence is visible in the background., Title from partial label pasted on verso., Distributor's label pasted on verso: From James Cremer's Stereoscopic Emporium, 18 South Eighth St., Philad'a. Photo-miniatures in every style. Family groups taken for the Stereoscope., Yellow mount, trimmed., Manuscript note on verso: No. 55[crossed out]; No. 63 Mill, Front of Flying Hill., Cremer, a Philadelphia photographer and leading stereograph publisher, used distributor's labels on competing publisher's views or on his own inferiorly photographed prints., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Date: [ca. 1870]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Cremer - Industry [P.9137.2]

Title: [Full-length portrait of an unidentified older African American woman on a porch]
Description: Full-length portrait of an unidentified African American woman standing on the covered porch before the open doorway to her home. The woman, attired in a bonnet, a long-sleeved collared dress, an apron, and shoes, has her arms at her side as she smiles and looks at the viewer. She stands in front of a wooden rocking chair. On the porch, in the left, is a wooden rocking chair and a wooden crate with a milk pail and ladle on top of it., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred by attire of the sitter., Gift of Marjorie G. Battles, 1979., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date: [ca. 1900]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - misc. - unidentified female [P.8502.129]

Title: Miss Pork.
Description: A woman has a pig's head. A pig stands behind her. "Pig" is an animal epithet, and "pork" refers to an uncultured person., Text: My dear Miss Pork, though fair and lovely -- / All entrancing you may be, / I really blush while thus I own / That I am not fond of P-I-G., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Album
Description: Album of genre scenes depicting European life in the country. Several contain children and animals, who are often in rural and buccolic settings. Includes plate 19 showing a Gypsy boy, with a monkey on his shoulder, and accompanied by two dogs walking past a farm; plate 20 showing a figurine peddler dropping his wares when frightened by a mother dog protecting her pups at a rustic family homestead; plate 3 depicting a woman, a rifle over her shoulder, guiding the horse of a Zouave soldier away from his fellow troops; plate 2 depicting a woman, with a book, possibly a Bible under her arm, walking with two boys past two men working in their garden; plate 5 showing a family in a canoe fishing with a net; plate 6 showing young hunters stealing the game of their napping companion; plate 7 depicting a young farm girl asleep near a picnic basket and a dog while her elders build hay huts in the background; plate 8 depicting a gypsy violinist with his dog near a stone wall and under the gaze of a barefoot peasant boy and girl; plate 9 showing a girl wading near an unhappy duck family in a river below a mountain range accompanied by a young male companion seated on the shore; plate 10 showing two young farm women attending to rabbits in the doorway of a hutch; plate 11 showing a peasant woman, carrying a bundle of wheat, and with a girl on a dirt road who watch a man, with a specimen box, seated near his net and holding a snake; plate 12 showing a wife in traditional costume leading a mule carrying her peasant husband and their child and a large bundle; plate 13 showing a father and his two young girls ice fishing with their dog and a picnic basket; plate 14 showing two girls gathering fire wood near a frozen river and with their dog; and plate 14 showing a girl making a floral wreath near another girl petting a dog attended by a boy on a hillside below a castle-like structure., Also includes plate 16 showing a toddler boy in a gown and socks walking to his mother seated next to his father in their rustic home; plate 17 depicting an older peasant boy and young woman attempting to wake a peasant girl sleeping on a hay bale in a farm field; an unnumbered plate showing an older boy disrobing for a swim beside a dog and a younger boy leaning on a pier near the ocean; and plate 4 showing a girl standing near a boy petting a dog laying near a tree on which a hunter's bag, rifle, and cap hang., Inscribed on front free endpaper: Maggie A. Fleming, June 1850., Title stamped on front cover., Green morrocco binding., Plate numbers printed in upper right corner of all, except one print. Bound out of order., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Forms part of Helen Beitler Graphic Ephemera Collection., Gift of Helen Beitler and the estate of Helen Beitler.
Date: [ca. 1850]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helen Beitler Graphic Ephemera Collection - album [9475.F]

Title: Summer scene in the country
Description: Genre print depicting a scene of leisure in front of a large Victorian-era, Italianate home and garden enclosed by a stone and iron-work fence. In the foreground, an elegantly-attired couple (the woman on sidesaddle) rides on horseback on a dirt road, while within the fenced grounds, a woman in wide-brimmed hat tends a rose garden across from a young girl petting a sheep. In the background, a man stands at the main entrance and a woman on a side porch of the house and look toward the couple in the road. In the far left, a man grooms a horse in front of a small stable and near a flock of chickens. The dirt road winds its way past grazing cattle, shrubbery and other homes, toward a body of water in the distance. Sailboats are visible on the water in the right background., Not in Wainwright., Joseph Hoover, a prolific producer of chromolithographed parlor prints, located to 804 Market Street in 1864., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 245, Smithsonian Institution NMAH H&CL - Harry T. Peters America on Stone Collection [DL *60.2642], Digital image shows Smithsonian copy. LCP copy acquired after 2010.
Date: [ca. 1868]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department **GC - Genre [P.2013.22], Smithsonian Institution | NMAH Home and Community Life Collection SI NMAH H&CL - Harry T. Peters America on Stone Collection [DL *60.2642]

Title: Country Pumbkin.
Description: The "country pumbkin" is shown from the waist up. He carries a green pumpkin (or other squash) and wears a green top hat, blue jacket, and red vest. His mouth is open, either yawning or yelling. "Pumpkin" is a derogatory term for an important person., Text: Oh you poor corn-fed country Elf, / Behold the picture of thyself. / Hither come to make love's vows, / Better stay at home and feed your cows. / A city life will never do / For a stupid Hound like you, / Go hoe your corn and feed your swine / And keep your pumpkin for a Valentine., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Country Storekeeper.
Description: The storekeeper daintly holds a napkin in one hand and pours coffee on the table with the other. He is thin, has thick catfish-like whiskers, and opens his mouth either yelling or shocked. A vase and a book are on the counter in front of him. A "codfish" was a wealthy New Englander whose family fortune originated in maritime business., Text: Magnificent merchant! you much I admire, / O! you prince of the counter -- you odd fish! / No doubt in the future I'll see you aspire / To a place 'mong the regular codfish., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Country Bumpkin.
Description: A short and stout country bumpkin smiles and carries a pitchfork. The sender rejects the recipient's romantic advances because of his occupation., Text: My country chuck, go turn your hay, / And do not put me in a splutter, / By asking me to go away / With you, to make your cheese and butter., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Country Girl.
Description: The country girl wears a low-cut gown, and she holds a basket of fruit in her lap and pares a piece of fruit. The valentine suggests that she is fickle and possibly sexually promiscuous., Text: Now's the time, sweet girl, for paring, / But, like your onions, I'm a pun-gent; / Ah! I fear you're too ensnaring, / And not content would be with one gent., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Farmer.
Description: A farmer gives grain to a small bird. He has moles and errant facial hairs. The valentine puns on the meanings of green and implies that the recipient is inexperienced and a bad farmer., Text: A farmer's life's the life for me, / A farmer's lad I mean to be; / So sweet to go, at early morn, / And give the little chicks their corn; / To milk the pigs, and shear the cows, / And see the 'punkins' on the boughs; / To gaze on all the lovely scene, / And be, just like the landscape, green., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: [Scrapbook of original and printed art works]
Description: Scrapbook containing predominantly original amateur art work, including watercolors, pencil works, and crayon drawings. Also contains engraved illustrations, photographic reproductions of paintings and sculptures, and lithographs. Subjects of the imagery include landscapes and marinescapes; scenes of rural life; portraiture of animals (birds, elephant, pig) and people; figure studies; allegorical figures; the work of Horatio Stone and Hortense Hazard; costume plates from "La France de nos jours" (1860); and religious and sentimental (courtship) scenes. Printed and inscribed titles include The Lion in Love; Masque d'Omphale; Polixene; Pâtre De Se. Saveur; Costumes Des Maconnaises; Costumes Des Bressannes; Une Bacchante; The Risen Redeemer; The Holy Family; The Trusty Servant; The Widow (painted by Smith's cousin J. L. Fisher); Blackbird and Thrush in Covert; Ceres; "The Highland soldier bidding adieu to his love"; "Pig-Pig-Pig"; La Maitress du Titian; and Japan Rose. Scrapbook also includes a crayon rubbing of the monumental brass on the tomb of Sir John Ratcliffe and Dame Alice at Crathwaite Church (Keswick, Cumberland); a series of French etchings satirizing the military; a photograph of the "Arsenal at Vienna"; and a trade card for the Interlaken Grand Hotel Victoria., Title supplied by cataloger., Few items removed., Many items contain corresponding inscriptions (often illegible) by the artist or inscriptions on verso by Smith explicating provenance., Various artists and engravers including P. Planat, H. Richter, W. Froden, Maurice, H. Moses, Hanlon, and G. Fairman., Various printers and publishers including George Baxter, Ducarme, Langlume, Auguste Bry, LeBlond & Co., Leighton Bros., Destouches, and Smith, Elder, & Co., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator: Smith, Mary Rebecca Darby
Date: [ca. 1830-ca. 1874]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare 4-Alcove 2 [Is 6 1518.Q, vol. 2]

Title: [Country place of worship]
Description: Genre scene from a children's moral instruction book showing a man, children, and horses at leisure outside of a small church building within a grove of trees. In the right foreground, an African American man lies against a log, arms crossed, head down, and dozes near three, saddled horses bridled to a tree. Behind him, two white boys sit in the grass beside a dog and look over a book. In the right background, two, saddled horses are bridled to a tree near two white boys and a girl in conversation. In the left background, three, saddled horses are bridled within a cluster of trees. Scene also includes a small turtle passing the horses in the foreground. One appears to watch it. A white man stands near the church in the center background. Pastureland is visible in the distant, right background. All the male figures are attired in hats, jackets, and pants. The girl wears a bonnet and dress., Title from manuscript note on recto., Date from date of publication in which print is included., Published in Common sights on land and water (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1852)., Gift of David Doret., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
Creator: Kollner, Augustus, 1813-1906
Date: [1852]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell Collection - Prints [P.2018.63.4]

Title: [Country place of worship]
Description: Genre scene from a children's moral instruction book showing a man, children, and horses at leisure outside of a small church building within a grove of trees. In the right foreground, an African American man lies against a log, arms crossed, head down, and dozes near three, saddled horses bridled to a tree. Behind him, two white boys sit in the grass beside a dog and look over a book. In the right background, two, saddled horses are bridled to a tree near two white boys and a girl in conversation. In the left background, three, saddled horses are bridled within a cluster of trees. Scene also includes a small turtle passing the horses in the foreground. One appears to watch it. A white man stands near the church in the center background. Pastureland is visible in the distant, right background. All the male figures are attired in hats, jackets, and pants. The girl wears a bonnet and dress., Title from manuscript note on recto., Date from date of publication in which print is included., Published in Common sights on land and water (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1852)., Gift of David Doret., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
Creator: Kollner, Augustus, 1813-1906
Date: [1852]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell Collection - Prints [P.2018.63.4]

Title: A Country Clown.
Description: The country clown holds a rake and stands on grass. He smiles widely and wears a wide-brimmed hat, trousers, shirt, and vest. The text suggests that he speaks a provincial dialect, saying "ye" for "you.", Text: Devoid of breeding, arts, and graces, / Among the greens I'm sure your place is; / To come to town would be a pity, / For I am sure some horse would eat ye., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [between 1840 and 1880?]

Title: Ole zip coon. Use kitchen and hand, mineral soap
Description: Trade card promoting soap manufacturer Chas. F. Bates & Co. and depicting a racist scene of an African American man stealing a chicken in the countryside. He hangs suspended on a wooden fence, snagged by the seat of his pants. He is attired in blue pants, a blue and white plaid shirt, and black boots. He holds two squawking chickens by the legs in his right hand as another squawking chicken runs away in the left. The man is portrayed with exaggerated features and a look of fear. His mouth is open and the corners turned down. His wide eyes look to the right. In the background in the right, a white man, holding a rifle, runs with a dog towards the fence. A house is visible in the center background. Charles F. Bates (1842-1925) founded the soap manufacturing company Chas. F. Bates & Co., which operated from the 1870s to the 1920s., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Name of the publisher from copyright statement: Copyrighted Bufford, Boston., Advertising text printed on verso: Notice. To Mechanics, laborers, workingmen, clerks, book-keepers, and others, who are engaged in using ink, this soap is of the greatest benefit. [For] removing ink, pitch, cement, varnish, paint, wheel grease, and all impurities and stains, from the hands, it is excellent and unequalled. It is the best that can be used in the counting-house, office, workshop, or kitchen. Try it, and you will be satisfied that it is the "Ne Plus Extra" for washing hands, and no one should be without it. Any quantity of references and recommendations can be given by persons who have used it, but as all will wish to try it, we now offer it to the public on its merits. Every house-keeper should be certain to use it, as it is of great benefit for all kitchen purposes. Beware of imitations which may be offered. For sale by all grocers. Chas. F. Bates & Co. Proprietors and [Ma]nufacturers, 44 Broad Street, Boston, Mass. Factory at Wollaston, Mass., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Chas F. Bates [P.2017.95.24]

Title: To a Heavy Dragoon.
Description: A large Union dragoon rides on a small horse. "Old Dobbin" was an affectionate name for horses. The valentine mocks his poor horsemanship., Text: Men don't ride, my dear friend, to the red scene of slaughter, / Just as if they were taking old Dobbin to water; / You seat in the saddle is loose and ungainly, / Turn your knees in, and don't to your stirrups trust mainly; / Like an ox-goad don't carry that good piece of steel, stir, / Nor back into the next horse's chest when you wheel sir! / I know from the country you're fresh, but with training / There will soon be no trace of the rustic remaining; / If your heart's in the cause, all the rest will come easy, / But in hopes you'll improve. / If you do, I incline, sir, / To have you -- next year-- for my true Valentine, sir., Provenance: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector.
Date: [1861-1865?]

Title: William Russell Birch Collection
Description: Collection containing primarily engravings, watercolors, and drawings executed by English-born artist and engraver William Birch and his descendants between the 18th and later 19th century. Several of the graphic materials are by William Birch and represent engraved work he completed in Britain before 1794 and following his immigration to the United States that same year. His British work includes plates from his unpublished satiric volume “The Busy World, or London Dissected ...” (ca. 1792-ca. 1793) showing a charlatan at work, a fight between Richard Humphreys and Daniel Mendoza, a May Day procession, and rag dealers (P.2016.50.28-33); loose plates from his book of British landscapes “Les Delices de la Grande Bretagne” (1791) (P.2016.50.34, 36, 42); the rural and scenic “The Porcupine Inn Yard Rushmore Hill” (p.2016.50.38); the disaster print “The Great Fire of London in the Year 1666” (P.2016.50.55); and portraits of the poetical character Secander (P.2016.50.40) and his mentor “Sir Joshua Reynolds” (P.2016.50.22). His American work includes variant editions of plates from his “Views of Philadelphia” originally published as a series 1798-1800 (P.2016.62.21-37); variant editions of plates from his “Country Seats” originally published in 1808 (P.2016.62.38-45a); and the 1800 commemorative portrait “George Washington. Late President of the United States of America” (hand-colored and black and white [P.2016.50.59 & P.2016.62.55])., British and American work of Birch is also included in the collection in the form of watercolors, drawings, paintings, a sketchbook, and as photographic reproductions. These graphics depict portraits of family members (some photographed ca. 1910s by Charles W. Parker), including his children Priscilla, Thomas, George, and Albina while young as well as his purportedly his mother Anne (P.2016.50); ca. 1800s plan and views of his Bucks County country seat Springland (purchased in 1798) (P.2016.50.48-50); views of the Philadelphia country seat China Retreat, Gunpowder Falls near Hampton, MD, and the George Read estate in New Castle, DE (P.2016.50.43, 45-46); an annotated sketch of Westminster Bridge from the Adelphi Terrace (P.2016.50.51); a drawing of a group of boys (P.2016.62.2); and pencil sketches of male and female figures within an undated sketchbook (P.2016.62.59). Additionally, Birch’s work is represented by a preparatory sketch of an A. Sheffer portrait of Lafayette (P.2016.50.21); portrait drawings of unidentified sitters (P.2015.25 & 26); a ca. 1795 miniature enamel painting of his daughter Deborah (P.2016.50.67); a palette of his paint colors (P.2016.50.66); and an 1830s oil painting of an older Thomas Birch (1779-1851) attributed to William (P.2016.62.1)., Other original and reproduced material is attributed to William Birch or by Birch family members or by other artists and engravers. This includes a 1742 Thomas Worlidge pencil portrait of William’s father Thomas (P.2016.50.14), a Birch portrait of William King (father-in-law of son Thomas), and portraits and a "Museum" (i.e., Peale Museum) blind-stamped silhouette of Birch (P.2016.50.16); ca. 1785 Robert Freebairn watercolor of Hampstead Heath (Birch’s British county of residence); engravings by M. Marigot of “Mount Vernon ...” and “View of the City and Port of Philadelphia ...” from Janson's "Stranger in America" (London, 1807)(P.2016.50.37 & 41); Franklin Birch 1860s pencil sketches of a printing press and plows (P.2016.62.5-6)); Louise S. Birch's oil renderings of flowers (P.2016.62.12-13); sketches of a title page to the 1852 edition of Thomas Day’s “The History of Sanford and Merton” and of rural and landscape scenes and animal studies (Thomas Birch?; P.2016.62.3, 8-11); John McAllister, Jr. 1860 restrikes (some signed by Agnes McAllister) of Philadelphia views by Charles Willson Peale, Thomas Birch and William Strickland and the 1798 “Congressional Pugilists cartoon (P.2016.62.46-52; and engraved portraits of Major Genl. Brown (P.2016.62.53) and Edward Shippen (P.2016.62.54)., Collection also contains a unique ca. 1810 mockup by Birch for a revised and enlarged edition of his “Country Seats” (P.2016.62.59).The album includes plates from the first edition as well as a proof plate of the Devon view, three watercolors showing “Analostun, or Masons Island with one wing of the house at Georgetown and two of Mr. Custus’s in the distance”; “Point Breeze. The Residence of Joseph Bonapart – at Burdentown on the Delaware”;“The Mill & House of Mr. E. Esirel late sheriff of Phila., Near Christeen,” and a pencil sketch “Mr. Bells Buildings at Richmond.” Other unique items in the Birch Collection include his two variant volumes of manuscript copies of “The Life and Anecdotes of William Russell Birch ...”(bulk written after War of 1812 and into the 1820s), including accounts of his work and travels (P.2016.50.61 & 62); “Birch’s American Cottage. Volm. 2nd” of personal anecdotes, including discussion of Springland (P.2016.50.63); Birch’s “Book of Profitts” with entries dated 1813-1830 (P.2016.50.64); and probably his personal copy of “Les Delices de la Grande Bretagne” (P.2016.50.65). An imperfect copy of “Les Delices” formerly owned by original subscriber Francis Longe (and including his book plate) and a copy of “Transactions of the Society Instituted at London” (1785) referencing a Birch award (p.183) are also included with the materials (P.2016.50.65 & 60)., A small number of manuscripts written by William Birch comprise the collection as well. These materials include a ca. 1800-ca.1805 calligraphic and manuscript title page to "Views of and from The Country References of William Birch. Drawn by Himself wih a sett of Drawings of Springland"; a ca. 1818 letter to an unidentified granddaughter (P.2015.50.1); an undated letter addressed to the Duke of Grafton and Duke of Richmond about “forgetting their subscriptions” (possibly about subscription to Delices... [1791]) (P.2015.50.2); scraps with names of subscribers to “Busy World” (P.2015.50.3) as well as titles completed and to be completed (P.2015.50.4&5); ca. 1805 list of views of “Beautys of Springland not Pictured” (P.2015.50.6); and an 1811 receipt for 5 dollars issued to Ben Wilson for “Views.” (P.2015.50.7). Ephemera also forms the Birch Collection and includes Birch’s certificate of United States citizenship issued in 1808 (P.2016.50.52); a broadside advertising the 1789 titles to be issued by “J. Bell of the British Library” and addressed to Wm. Birch, Hampstead Heath (P.2016.50.53); the bookplate of historian and writer Thomas Birch (1705-1766) (P.2016.50.35 &P.2016.62.15); completed tags for William Birch miniatures on display at the 1911 The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and The Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters Tenth Annual Exhibition (P.2016.62.17-20); early twentieth-century receipts and labels for works by Thomas and William Birch (P.2016.62.62-66); and an unused enamel plate (P.2016.50.27)., Various artists, engravers, printers, and photographers including William Russell Birch, Thomas Birch, Franklin Birch, Louise Birch, J. N. Gimbrede, Jan Griffier, Augustus Kollner, M. Marigot, Charles W. Parker, Charles Willson Peale, P. Roberts, J. Rogers, Julius F. Sacshe, Ary Sheffer, Samuel Shelley, Thomas T. Stiles, Gilbert Stuart, Benedictus Antonio Van Assen, E. Wellmore, J. Wood, and Thomas Worlidge., Various publishers and distributors including J. Bell, William Birch, R. Campbell & Co., James Cundee, E. Jeffrey, Edward J. Parker, R. Pollard, C. Taylor, and T. Thornton., Research files, genealogical reference files, and modern photographic reproductions of the artists' work that accompanied the collection when acquired are available at the repository., See Emily T. Cooperman and Lea Carson Sherk, Picturing the American Scene (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011)., See Emily T. Cooperman, ed., The Country Seats of the United States. William Russell Birch (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009)., See S. Robert Teitelman, Birch's Views of Philadelphia. (Philadelphia: The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1982, rev. 2000)., See Martin P. Snyder, "William Birch: His Philadelphia Views," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 73 (July 1949), 271-315., See Martin Snyder, "Birch's Philadelphia Views: New Discoveries," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 88 (April 1964), 164-173., See Martin P. Snyder, "William Birch: his ’Country seats of the United States,’" Pennsylvania magazine of History and Biography 81 (1957), 225-254., Lib. Company. Annual Report, 2017, p. 49 - 51., P.2018.55 photographic reproduction of Mrs. Robinson engraved by William Birch after Sir Joshua Reynolds housed with collection., William Russell Birch (1755-1834), trained in England under Sir Joshua Reynolds, was a respected Philadelphia engraver, miniaturist, and enamel painter. Birch was also one of the most important landscape artists in America’s Federal period. He engraved and published the first viewbook of an American city, "The City of Philadelphia in the Year… 1800" and the respected "The Country Seats of the United States of North America" in 1804. His son Thomas Birch (1779-1851) assisted him in the drawing and engraving of his viewbooks. He became a respected artist in his own right and specialized in marine paintings.
Date: [ca. 1742 - ca. 1913]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Birch Collection [P.2016.50 & 62 and P.2017.54 and P.2018.55]

Title: [Scrapbook with linen pages]
Description: Scrapbook containing scraps, cutouts, periodical illustrations, and trade cards. Contents depict sentimental, genre, and religious scenes; images of children, animals, mothers and mothering; fancy heads; patriotic, historical, and allegorical figures, including George and Martha Washington; advertisements for Philadelphia, Hartford (Conn.), and New York businesses, including promotions for druggists, patent medicines, and soap; imagery documenting the Centennial Exhibition 1876, including portraits of prominent figures; figures in European costumes; scenes of rural life and European scenery; and landscape views. Also includes a small number of views of factories and industrial buildings; a patent medicine advertisement including an African American man servant character opening a door (p. 76); a print depicting a stanza from Robert Burn’s “The Cotter’s Saturday Night” (p. 22); illustrations of Little Red Riding Hood; the periodical cartoon “A Parent’s Vengeance” (p. 53); "La Belle Chocolatiere from the original painting by Leotard now in the Dresden Gallery" (p. 57); a cutout from a women’s fashion plate (p. 77); H.M.S. Pinafore theatrical character illustrations printed by Ledger Job Printing Office (p. 64); and a calling card for Mary S. Bassett (back inside cover)., Businesses represented include B. T. Babbit (soap); Clark’s O.N.T. (thread); C. F. Rump (leather goods); Corning & Tappan (perfumes); Marburg Bros. (tobacco); Devlin & Co. (clothiers); Dundas, Dirk & Co. (pharmacists); [Hiram] Duryea’s Starch Works; Fairbanks scales (E. & T. Fairbanks & Co.); J. Milton Brewer (druggist); C. L. Hauthaway & Sons (shoe polish); Charles S. Higgins (German laundry soap); The New York Bazar (fancy goods, Phillip Isaacs, proprietor); Demorest’s Monthly Magazine (W. J. Demorest, publisher); Edwin C. Burt (shoes); E. P. & Wm. Kellogg; Samuel Gerry & Cos. (patent medicine); Alex. Boost (analytical chemist); Chas. F. Hurd & Co. (chinaware); E. P. & Wm. Kellogg (photographers & art dealers); and Willcox & Gibbs (sewing machines)., Title supplied by cataloger., Front cover stamped: Scrap Book, Various artists, engravers, and printers including F. Beard; Illman Bros.; Ledger Job Print; L. Prang & Co.; Major & Knapp; Thomas Moran; and Shober & Carqueville., Cutouts and calling card pasted to inside front and back covers., Edges of scrapbook leaves contains stitching in different colors, including yellow, green, blue, red, lilac, and purple., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program., Housed in phase box., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date: [ca. 1876-ca. 1879]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department albums - Linen [P.2013.69.1]

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