Search results

Title: R.W. Emerson
Description: Bust-length portrait of the transcendentalist, preacher, and abolitionist. Emerson, attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie, a waistcoat, and a jacket, faces slightly left., Title from printed signature of sitter below image., Appears in Appleton's Cyclopedia of American biography (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1887-1889), vol. 2, p. 343. The Cyclopedia was reissued in 1901., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022.
Creator: Hall, Henry Bryan, active 1850-1900, engraver
Date: [1887]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait prints - E [P.8911.325]

Title: Chil dren of all nations. A series of 50
Description: Series of pop out cigarette cards depicting waist-length portraits of children (boys and girls) of different nationalities attired in their "native" costume. Includes Arabia (boy); Australia (boy); Belgian Congo (boy); Belgium (girl); Bulgaria (boy); Burma (girl); Denmark (girl); Egypt (girl); England (boy); Greece (girl); Holland (girl); Hungary (boy); Italy (girl); Ireland (girl); Mexico (boy); Natal (girl); New Zealand (girl); Norway (girl); Palestine (girl); Patagonia (girl); Poland (girl); Portugal (boy); Rumania (girl); Russia (girl); Scotland (boy); Siam (boy); Spain (girl); Sweden (girl); Tahiti (girl); Tibet (girl); Tunis (girl); Turkey (girl); United States (girl); and Wales (girl). The Ogden Branch was originally founded by Thomas Ogden as the Ogdens Tobacco Company in 1860. In 1901, American Tobacco Company bought Ogden's Tobacco Company and it in turn was bought by Imperial Tobacco Co. in 1902. Ogden started to include cigarette cards in its packaging in 1894., Date inferred from pop out format. Series issued in 1924 as pop outs., Printed above images: Ogden's Cigarettes., Title from series title on items., Versos contain explicative statements describing the depicted children's appearance, social life, and customs., Gift of George Allen., RVCDC, Description reviewed 2022., Access points revised 2022.
Date: [ca. 1924]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Cards [P.2016.56.1-34]

Title: The story of Christ Church in Philadelphia "The Nation's Church."
Description: Includes index., Gift of David Doret, 2019., Library copy in printed paper wrappers.
Creator: Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Date: ©1953
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Doret and Mitchell Collection - Ephemera [P.2019.64.2]

Title: Slavery as it exists in America : Slavery as it exists in England
Description: Racist, anti-abolition print challenging Northern abolitionists' view of slavery by favorably contrasting the living conditions of enslaved African American people in America with that of British industrial workers. First image depicts enslaved men, women, and children playing music, singing, and dancing during a hoe-down while Southerners and Northerners observe and comment about how the false reports to the North about the hardships of slavery will now be rectified. Second image portrays a British cloth factory where several emaciated white factory workers, attired in torn and worn clothes, have gathered, including a woman and her children referring to themselves as slaves; two workers discussing running away to an easier life in the coal mines; and workers commenting on their premature aging. A rotund priest and tax collector observe. Soldiers march in the background. Below the image is a small portrait of the "English Anti-slavery Agitator" George Thompson., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1850 by J. Haven in the clerk's office of the District Court of Mass., Manuscript note on verso: Deposited April 9, 1851, Recorded vol 26. pag, 145., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1967, p. 55., 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., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date: 1850
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Political Cartoons - 1850-6 [P.9675]

Title: The American Volunteer (Granite Statue).
Description: Statue of American volunteer soldier, exhibited by New England Granite Co., with man standing at its base and windows of Main Building in background.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: Centennial album [P.8965.3c]

Title: The American Volunteer (granite statue).
Description: Statue of American volunteer soldier, exhibited by New England Granite Co., with man standing at its base and windows of Main Building in background.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: Centennial - photos [P.9260.641]

Title: New England Glass Company's exhibit - Main Building.
Description: Collection of glass ware, including bottles, decanters, glasses, and a table chandelier. Exhibit title: New England Glass Co., East Cambridge, Mass., Exhibit #274, Main Exhibition Building, Bldg. #1.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: Centennial - stereos [P.9600.7]

Title: Boone, George, 1690-
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: November 14, 1733

Title: Sitgreaves, John, 1757-1802
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: October 4, 1782

Title: Swanwick, John, 1740-1798
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: August 5, 1786

Title: Lardner, Lynford, 1715-1774
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: November 17, 1743-May 1, 1781

Title: [New England Glass Company display, Main Building]
Description: Views show glass tableware, light fixtures, and a candelabra created by the New England Glass Co. from Boston displayed in the Main Exhibition Building designed by Henry Pettit and Joseph M. Wilson. The fair celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint printed on mounts and on versos. Imprint on versos contain initials "CPC" in decorative border surmounted by date range 1776-1876., White curved mounts with rounded corners., Gift of Robert M. Vogel., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co.
Date: c1876
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Centennial Photographic Co. [P.9047.176 and P.9600.7]

Title: Emerson
Description: Bust-length portrait commissioned by Furness's father, Unitarian minister and abolitionist William H. Furness, as a tribute to his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, and his deceased son who was the original artist. Depicts the transcendentalist, preacher, and abolitionist, attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a black jacket, facing slightly right. Sartain's father, engraver John Sartain, was a family friend of Furness and a supporter of the abolition movement., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1871 by W.H. Furness D.D. in the office of the Librarian of Congress Washington D.C., Printed below title: (Private Plate)., See a description of the commission of the portrait print in Phyllis Peet's "Emily Sartain: America's first woman mezzotint engraver," Imprint 9 (Autumn 1984), p. 22., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Creator: Sartain, Emily, 1841-1927, engraver
Date: 1871
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *portrait prints - Emerson [P.9966]

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: We never fade!! J. & P. Coats best six cord 200 yds 50
Description: Racist trade card promoting J.&. P. Coats thread and depicting a caricature of an African American boy sitting on an oversized spool of thread in a field. Shows the boy seated and with his legs straddling a giant spool of black thread labeled, "J&P Coats best six cord 200 yds 50." He says “we never fade!!” and points his finger at the sun, which has a face and a concerned expression with a downward turned mouth. The boy is barefoot and attired in a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows; a multi-colored tie and belt; and red pants rolled up to the knees. In the foreground, two black crows look at the thread. A house is visible in the right background. 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., 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., Date deduced from the history of the advertised business., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - J. & P. Coats [P.2017.95.89]

Title: Ask for Liebig Company's extract of meat
Description: Trade card promoting the Liebig Company and showing three Japanese boys, depicted in racist caricature, bowing to an oversized container with a label inscribed: "Extractum carnis Liebig manufactured by the Liebig's Extract of Meat Company limited, London..." Shows the boys, attired in yellow pants; colorful tunics of blue, red, or green; and green and red cloth slip-on shoes, kneeling and bowing. The figure in the middle and in the right wear chonmage haircuts with a braid. In the left, a Japanese-style building and archway are visible. Von Liebig, a German-born chemist, who developed a manufacturing process for meat extract in 1840, established the Liebig Extract of Meat Company in 1865. The extract was marketed as an alternative to meat., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of advertising business., Advertising text printed on verso: Ask for Liebig Company’s extract of meat. Being the finest meat-flavouring ingredient. None genuine without the fac-simile of Baron Liebig, the inventor’s signature in blue color across the label. Avoid all imitation extracts. Directions. Beef-tea. Efficient tonic in all cases of weakness and digestive disorder. Dissolve a quarter of a tea-spoonful of Liebig Company’s extract in a breakfast cup of boiling hot water, and plenty of salt, this will make a strong and clear beef-tea. You may add according to taste a tea-spoonful of Madeira, Sherry or Port wine or the yolk of a fresh egg, or a trifle of fresh butter or some bread or a boiled potato. A slight addition of Worcestershire sauce is liked by many. This beef-tea acts as a pleasant tonic especially when taken in the morning, and may well be taken several times a day. Soups. A variety of excellent meat and vegetable soups may be made with the aid of the Liebig Company’s extract and any soup will acquire at once strength and fine flavor by a slight addition of extract. Vegetable soup. Potato, pea, rice soup, etc. Boil the vegetables, etc. sufficiently with a little fat, a few bones or some slices of meat, or some fresh butter, add extract and salt according to taste. Sauces. Both strength and flavor imparted by the extract. Night-cap. This beef-tea soothes and settles the stomach, allays brain excitement and induces sleep. “The most admirable and successful Night-Cap.” Dr. Harry Lobb., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized., RVCDC
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Liebig [1975.F.296]

Title: Nanki-Poo
Description: Racist trade card promoting thread manufacturer J. & P. Coats and depicting a character from The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the white man actor in character as Nanki-Poo. He stands holding an open fan with his hands up. He wears a blue decoration in his hair and is attired in a blue-striped coat, red shirt, blue and white obi, red tunic, and sandals. A branch of pink flowers is overhead. An oversized spool of thread labeled, "J & P. Coats 200 yds 50 best six cord," is in the left. 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., Text printed on recto: The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la. breathe promise of merry sunshine, as we merrily dance and we sing, tra la, we welcome the hope that they bring, tra la, of a summer of roses and wine. And so, Coats' spool cotton is always a thing as welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring., Advertising text printed on verso: White, black and colors for hand and machine. J & P. Coats' Best Six Cord Thread.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade Cards - J. & P. Coats [P.2024.38.2]

Title: Pooh-Bah
Description: Racist trade card promoting thread manufacturer J. & P. Coats and depicting a character from The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the white man actor in character as Pooh-Bah. He stands holding a closed fan and frowns. He wears his hair in a chonmage hairstyle and is attired in a blue and white patterned kimono with birds with a red obi and has a sword at his waist. An oversized spool of thread labeled, "J & P. Coats 200 yds 50 best six cord," is in the right. 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., Text printed on recto: I'am so proud, if I allowed, my family pride, to be my guide, you'd never hear, within your ear, Coats six cord thread, stand at the head, but family pride, must be denied, and set aside, and mortified, and so you hear, within your ear, Coats six cord thread, stands at the head., Advertising text printed on verso: White, black and colors for hand and machine. J & P. Coats' Best Six Cord Thread., Stamped on verso: W. Otis Hall, Retail Fancy Goods, Washington Street. Boston, Mass.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade Cards - J. & P. Coats [P.2024.38.3]

Title: Yum-Yum
Description: Racist trade card promoting thread manufacturer J. & P. Coats and depicting a character from The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the white woman actress in character as Yum-Yum. She sits on an oversized spool of thread labeled, "J & P. Coats 200 yds 50 best six cord," and holds a white spool of thread in her left hand. She wears her hair up and decorated with small red, blue, and yellow fans and is attired in a blue, yellow, and white patterned kimono. A building and some palm trees by the water are in the background. The moon reads, " J & P. Coats best six cord." 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., Text printed on recto: "We've Coats' spool cotton, that's the reason why we're very wide awake, the moon and I.", Advertising text printed on verso: White, black and colors for hand and machine. J & P. Coats' Best Six Cord Thread.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade Cards - J. & P. Coats [P.2024.38.4]

Title: Selection from the Elkington exhibit, Main Building.
Description: Exhibit title: Elinston [sic] & Co., Birmingham, Exhibit #134, Main Exhibition Building, Bldg. #1. Ornate vases decorated with figurines of ladies and cherubs, platters, and a mirror. Titles on labels: Helicon Vase--England, and: Helicon Vase and Pompeian Lady with gold and silver mirror, and: Taken expressly for Harper's weekly.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: *Centennial - photos [P.8700.11]

Title: Selections from Elkington's repousse exhibit - Main Building.
Description: Exhibit title: Elkinston [sic] & Co., Birmingham, Exhibit #134, Main Exhibition Building, Bldg. #1. Ornate enameled and repousse work platters, vases, and urns decorated with figurines and plants. Titles on labels: Cloisonne and repousse -- England, and: Selection from silver and steel repousse, works of art, and: Taken expressly for Harper's Weekly.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: *Centennial - photos [P.9037.9]

Title: Main Building, north entrance.
Description: View of the Main Building with two statues, railway cars, horse cart and two men in the foreground.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: *Centennial - photos [P.8700.9]

Title: N.W. view of Elkington & Co.'s exhibit.
Description: Exhibit titles: Marchand, Louis Leon, Paris, Exhibit #478; Elkinston [sic] & Co., Birmingham, Exhibit #134, Main Exhibition Building, Bldg., #1. Showcase containing suits of armor and decorative metal ware, including candelabra, platters, urns, and chandeliers. Beside Elkington exhibit is Marchand.
Creator: Centennial Photographic Co., photographer., creator
Date: 1876
Location: *Centennial - photos [P.91331.1]

Title: Hopkinson, Thomas, 1709-1751
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: November 10, 1731-November 5, 1751

Title: Willing, Charles, 1710-1754
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: December 23, 1736-May 1, 1786

Title: The Mikado
Description: Racist trade card promoting thread manufacturer J. & P. Coats and depicting a character from The Mikado or, The town of Titipu, the opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Shows the white man actor in character as the Mikado, or Emperor. He stands holding a closed fan and smiles at the viewer attired in a headpiece, a blue kimono decorated with gold birds and flowers and red trim, with a sword at his waist. An oversized spool of thread labeled, "J & P. Coats 200 yds 50 best six cord," is in the right. 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., Text printed on recto: My object all sublime! Shall attain in time. To let the punishment fit the crime, the punishment fit the crime. All people who have to do sewing and don't use Coats' six cord thread, will be punished with cotton that's snarly and rotten and kinks, till they wish they were dead., Advertising text printed on verso: White, black and colors for hand and machine. J & P. Coats' Best Six Cord Thread.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade Cards - J. & P. Coats [P.2024.38.1]

Title: [Michael Zinman world's fairs collection]
Description: Collection of graphic materials documenting world's fairs of the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, predominantly the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (Philadelphia) and Exposition Universelle de 1867 à Paris. Includes stereographs, trade cards, collecting cards, lantern slides, and souvenirs. Graphics also depict the Great Exhibition of 1851; New York Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (1853-1854); the Exposition Universelle de 1867 a Paris; the Paris Universal Exposition of 1878; the Chicago World's Fair of 1893; the Pan American Exposition of 1901 (Buffalo, N.Y.); the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 (St. Louis, Mo.); and the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition of 1926 (Philadelphia). Views show panoramas of the exhibition grounds and exteriors and interiors of exhibition buildings, including displays showing the wares and products of specific companies and countries, particularly porcelain and terra cotta; art, predominantly sculpture; and dioramas representing the social life and customs of different nations (Morocco, Japan, Sweden, and South America). Several trade cards issued during the Chicago World's Fair advertising the Enterprise Manufacturing Company of Penn'a. also contain anecdotal, caricatured scenes portraying prominent historical figures, including Abraham Lincoln, Horace Greeley, and Benjamin Franklin. Collection also contains a small number of portraiture, views of events and prominent local buildings related to the Philadelphia exhibitions, and lantern slides issued by the Centennial Photographic Company., Title supplied by cataloger., Various printers, publishers, and manufacturers including Centennial Photographic Company; Curt Teich & Co.; Donaldson Bros.; Thomas Hunter; Ketterlinus; Longacre & Co.; M. Leon & J. Levy; Pan American Exposition Co.; and Philip Frey & Co., Gift of Michael Zinman., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Series IV. Lantern slides housed separately.
Date: [1851-ca. 1920]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Michael Zinman World's Fairs Collection [P.2008.36], Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department lantern slides - Michael Zinman World's Fairs Collection [P.2008.36]

Title: Pierre Eugène du Simitière collection
Description: The Library Company of Philadelphia purchased this collection of Pierre Eugene Du Simitière's manuscripts at the auction of Du Simitière's American Museum after his death on March 10, 1785. The books and pamphlets bought at the same auction have been dispersed through the Library Company's collections. Du Simitière gathered or copied these manuscripts during his travels in the West Indies, Boston, New York, and while he lived in Philadelphia, where he was a member of and one of the curators of the American Philosophical Society. After the Library Company of Philadelphia purchased the manuscripts, they were bound together. The Historical Records Survey of the Works Progress Administration described the manuscripts in "Descriptive Catalogue of the Du Simitière Papers in the Library Company of Philadelphia" (1940), from which many of the following series and records descriptions have been abstracted. Since the Historical Records survey, many of the bound volumes have been unbound and foldered by the Library Company of Philadelphia. The unbound volumes in the series descriptions contain folder level description; however, the bound volumes are described only as an overall work. For more detail on the bound volumes, see the "Descriptive Catalogue of the Du Simitière Papers in the Library Company of Philadelphia" (1940). Researchers should be aware that the series titles are drawn from the title of the bound volume. It is important to read the entire scope note for each series, because the volumes often contained additional topics than are listed in the title.
Creator: Du Simitière, Pierre Eugène, ca. 1736-1784
Date: 1492

Title: Parsons, William, 1701-1757
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: March 25, 1732

Title: Plumstead, William, 1708-1765
Creator: Library Company of Philadelphia, creator
Date: June 11, 1734

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); 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: Sanitary Fairs Collection, 1749-1867 (bulk 1864)
Description: The Sanitary Fairs Collection consists largely of ephemera and manuscripts documenting the efforts made by citizens to raise awareness and funds for the United States Sanitary Commission. Most of the material is from the Great Central Fair held in Philadelphia in June 1864, and includes circulars letters, forms, handbills, correspondence, and miscellaneous printed material generated by the various committees set up to collect objects and financial donations for the fair, and to arrange and staff the fair's sales booths and exhibits. Two additional folders of material for the Relics, Curiosities, and Autographs committee have examples of the autographs (dating 1749-1851) that were sold at their booth and remain in their special printed enclosures from the fair. The collection holds the correspondence files of one particular office, the Committee for Labor, Incomes and Revenues, whose chair and treasurer were, respectively, Philadelphia merchants L. Montgomery Bond and John W. Claghorn. The collection also contains limited ephemera from fairs in Albany, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Elmira, Indianapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Muscatine, Iowa., The McAllister Collection's Ribbons and Textiles Collection (McA 100090.F) holds a box of ribbons and badges from the Great Central Fair. The Library Company's Anne Hampton Brewster Papers has an Abraham Lincoln manuscript, with attendant donor correspondence and certificate, which Brewster acquired at the Great Central Fair's New Jersey Department, Arms and Trophies Table. The Library Company and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania each have a full run of the Great Sanitary Fair's newspaper, Our daily fare, which was published from Wednesday, June 8, through Tuesday, June 21, 1864., John A. McAllister was an antiquarian collector living in Philadelphia.
Creator: McAllister, John A. (John Allister), 1822-1896, collector
Date: 1749
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts MSS McA 5781.F

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