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- Title
- No rewashing - always uniform. Kirk's blue India soap. No blueing required when this soap is used
- Description
- Illustrated trade card depicting an elephant on recto and verso. James S. Kirk & Co., the manufacturers of Kirk's blue India soap, relocated to Chicago, Illinois from Utica, New York in 1859., Trimmed down to shape of elephant and grass., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler., Digitized.
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Kirk's [P.9993.1]
- Title
- With compliments, Israel Zinser, dealer in drugs, books, stationery, paints, oils, glass, brushes, perfumery, violin strings, and fancy articles, Washington, Illinois
- Description
- Trade card promoting druggist Israel Zinser and depicting three boys, possibly meant to be Asian, constructing an oversized paper lantern decorated with an image of a flowering branch. In the foreground is a bamboo scaffold on which is a jar full of paintbrushes. In the right, the boy, attired in a green and gold tunic, sits on the scaffold and holds a hammer working on the base of the lantern. In the left, the boy, attired in a hat, yellow shirt with red cuffs, and yellow pants, stands on the scaffold and paints. In the top right, the boy, attired in a green shirt and yellow pants, sits on a swing, holds a paintbrush, and paints the upper part of the lantern. The lantern hangs from a flowering branch., Title from advertising text printed on verso., Date inferred from content., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William H. Helfand., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - Z [P.9828.7194]
- Title
- Pettijohn's breakfast food by the American Cereal Co., address Chicago, U.S.A Everybody can eat it. All the wheat but the overcoat. A delicious and perfect food. Wheat is the natural food of man. "Bear" in mind our trademark. Hold this card up to the light
- Description
- Thin illustrated trade card depicting a container of Pettijohn's breakfast food. An inverted color container and brown bear printed on verso is visible on recto when held up to the light. The American Cereal Company formed from the merger of several oatmeal millers in 1891., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler., Digitized.
- Date
- [ca. 1895]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Pettijohn's [P.9993.3]
- Title
- The beginning and the end of life (hold the picture 1 foot away for life and 20 feet for death.) Presented by William Deering & Co. Chicago, Ill. Grain & grass machinery
- Description
- Illustrated trade card and metamorphic picture depicting two girls playing with their pet dog and toys, strategically placed so that when viewed from afar, the scene forms the shadows of a human skull. William Deering became the sole owner of a reaper company in 1879 in Plano, Illinois and subsequently moved the business to Chicago, Illinois in 1880. The business was incorporated as William Deering & Company in 1883., Advertising text printed on verso promotes various harvesting and mowing machines manufactured by William Deering & Co., including the Junior Deering, the Standard Deering, the Deering Mower, Deering Giant Mower, the Warrior Mower, and the Deering Light Reaper. Informs readers that "the skull duggery practiced by some manufacturers of harvesting machinery, in palming off cheap machines on unsuspecting farmers, finds no favor in the Deering factory.", Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
- Date
- [ca. 1890]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *trade card - Deering [P.9631.5]
- Title
- Is dese' your chickens miss Compliments of Durant & Oehlmann, druggists, 518 Hampshire St., Quincy, Ills
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a torn hat and shirt, on the ground with baby chicks in front of him. In the left, a white woman with a pitchfork leans over a fence to observe the scene and surprises him. Durant & Oehlmann, the partnership between Dr. Joseph F. Durant (b. 1831) and Charles Oehlmann (1849-1921), operated in Quincy, Illinois between 1875 and 1888., Title from item., Date inferred from date of operation of advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso promotes Falke's Sulpholine Cream and Falke's Kah-Kan-Kee Hair Restorative manufactured by J. Falke & Co., 418 Elm St., St. Louis., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William Helfand., 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. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - D [P.9828.5810]
- Title
- Boston boot and shoe and gents’ furnishing house, also, a fine line of hats, caps, trunks, valises &c. At no. 253 South Clark St., near Jackson, Chicago. L. F. Shanovski, - proprietor
- Description
- Trade card promoting L.F. Shanovski’s shoe store and depicting a racist caricature of a Chinese man upset that a cat has taken a rat from his plate. Shows the man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in red pants and brown cloth slip-on shoes, holding a large white plate across his chest and a pair of chopsticks in his right hand. He opens his mouth upset that a cat is taking a dead rat from his plate. Louis F. Shanovski was born in Germany and moved to Chicago in the early 1870s, opening a shoe store in circa 1877. The firm L.F. Shanovski and Bro. dissolved in 1899., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of business advertised., Gift of Linda Kimiko August., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1888]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards - Shanovski, L.F. [P.2023.43.1]
- Title
- Old processee starchee no goodee. It smellee rots & makee shirts yellee.” "I will never use any other but the New Process Starch." New Process Starch. Manufactured only by the Firmenich Manufacturing Company, Peoria, Ill
- Description
- Trade card promoting Firmenich Manufacturing Company and depicting a racist caricature of a Chinese man laundry worker contrasted in a split panel with a white women doing laundry. In the left, the Chinese man, wearing a queue hairstyle and attired in a white tunic and pants and blue cloth slip-on shoes, stands and irons a shirt on a table. He speaks in pidgin English, “Old processee starchee no goodee. It smelle rots and make shirts yellee.” On the floor are two boxes of “Old Process Gloss Starch.” On the table is a bowl of steaming water. A teapot heats on the stove behind him, and clothes hang on the clothesline. In the right, the white woman, attired in a pink dress with a white bow around the neck and white cuffs, stands behind the table ironing. She says, “I will never use any other but the new process starch.” A young white boy hands her a box of “New Process” starch, and two additional boxes lie on the floor in the right. On the table is a bowl of water. A tea kettle steams behind her on the stove. Buildings are visible through a window in the background. Dr. Joseph Firmenich (1828-1903) started a starch company with his two sons, George and Frank. The Firmenich Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1884. The Company opened a glucose plant in Marshalltown, Iowa in 1887. The Company operating into the 20th century., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation of business advertised., Advertising text printed on verso: New process starch. This starch is manufactured by a new process, with pure spring water. The light starch and gluten usually found in other starches, especially if made from white corn, are entirely removed and manufactured into other articles. The patents of this process are owned solely by this company. We guarantee all our starch perfectly pure and sweet. This starch, having the light starch and gluten removed, one-third less can be used than any other in the market. Ask your grocer for the new process gloss and corn starch and take no other. Manufactured only by the Firmenich Manufacturing Company. Peoria, Ill., Gift of Linda Kimiko August., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1885]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards – Firmenich [P.2023.43.2]

