Aerial view of the Metropolitan Edison electric power plant along the Schuylkill River in West Reading, Cumru Township, Pennsylania. View is southwest to northeast with the city of Reading, Pennsylvania visible in the background. A number of other factories, smokestacks, railroad tracks and a bridge are also visible. Image probably taken November 1928., Negative number: 9110., Record created with information supplied by former Aero Service employee Carl H. Winnefeld, Jr.
Creator
Aero Service Corporation, photographer
Date
1928
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Aero Service [P.8990.9110]
Depicts potted plants and hanging plants lining the perimeter of a porch, which is shaded by a striped awning. Dense foliage surrounds the porch of the unidentified residence., 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.8986.83]
Interior view showing a man observing a plant from the main aisle in Horticultural Hall. Large fern trees flank the main aisle. Hall built 1875 after designs by Hermann J. Schwarzmann for the Centennial Exhibition, demolished in 1955 even though the 383' long, 193' wide building was supposed to remain a permanent botanical conservatory, showcasing exotic plant species and Victorian gardens. The Centennial fair celebrated the centennial of the United States through an international exhibition of industry, agriculture, and art., Title from manuscript note on verso., White curved mount with rounded corners., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Robert M. Vogel.
Date
[ca. 1901]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - unidentified - Theaters and halls [P.9047.67]
Proof of the illustrated front and back covers of the seed trade catalogue. Depicts the flowering plants "Dreer's Superb Nasturtiums" and "Montbretias" (i.e., red crocus). Also contains the company trademark adorned with a four-leaf clover labeled "Dreer's Fresh & Reliable Seeds." Dreer established the business in 1838. The firm was incorporated 1892 under his son, William F. Dreer, who assumed the business operations following his father's death in 1873., Contains register marks., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 60, Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1898]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *BW - Advertisements - Dreer [P.2006.28.8]
Catalog, including section “New Electros of Vegetables for 1889,” of electrotype specimens for the premier Philadelphia horticultural engraver and lithographer containing images of flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables. Varieties of flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables represented include begonias, carnations, chrysanthemums, ferns, pansies, poppies, roses, verbena, corn, melons, lettuces, onions, peppers, pumpkins, squashes, and tomatoes. Illustrations include specimen numbers and prices (ranging from $.50-$10), and most include titles. Images predominantly depict sentimental and genre views of women, children, and animals containing or bordered by flowers; baskets of fruit or flowers; wilderness scenes; insects; single letters and words embellished with floral details; potted plants and flowers; flower bushes; residential views containing flowers; flower and vegetable vignettes; bean pods; single, fields, patches, and bushels of fruits and vegetables; and gardening tools and agricultural implements and equipment., Other specimens depict reproductions of lithographs; female representations of months of the year; “Bulbs grown in Bamboo rod”; a montage, including a crate with packages of bulbs; "Craig’s New Chrysanthemum, Mrs. A. Blanc"; "The Philadelphia Prize Chrysanthemum of 1888"; "Cornfield"; "Insect Destroyers" (i.e., insect destroying insects); and "Odds and Ends" showing bottles of herbs. Also includes a photomechanical studio portrait of an African American boy and girl attired in winter coats and hats, a racist metamorphic montage showing a melon morph into a caricaturized African American figure; and an illustrated advertisement with testimonials promoting W. M. Giradeau’s Seminole Watermelon. Contents also include statements describing the flowers depicted; promoting made to order cuts and the possibility for the addition of text (mortised); noting possible alterations, including “each cut separate” and reductions in price; and indicating "3/4 natural size.", Cover annotated in pencil with date: 1890., Some leaves contain page numbers: 58-134., Cover contains photomechanical illustrations of a studio portrait showing a seated, barefoot girl in simple attire, holding a basket of roses under her arm, and holding a flower to her nose with the other. Attire includes a wide-brimmed hat adorned with several flowers. Grass and flowers rest at her feet. Portrait bordered by a large pictorial detail depicting two stemmed roses. Portrait is specimen 4817 in catalog., Contains promotional text to "Dear Sir" and dated Philadelphia, September 1, 1888 on inside front cover. Text advertises "list of new electrotypes, issued since last year’s supplement … that will enable you to give your catalogue an entirely different appearance" and references how it’s "an important item to the Horticultural trade" and Blanc’s stocks of electros are a “trifling expense” compared to original cuts. Text also explains the deferment of the reprinting of an entirely new catalog due to his addition of a large number of new electros, as well as ordering information including the necessity of a signed order sheet in which purchaser agrees not to sell or loan the electros; ability to make to order any cut for exclusive use; no discounts excepting for orders amounting to over $100; terms strictly cash with order; and cuts ordered to be mailed require a 10% additional fee for postage. Text also advertises "List of My Catalogues," including "Catalogue of Fruit and Tree Cuts"; "Cuts for Catalogue Covers'; "Lawn Views"; and "Sheets of Potato Cuts, Oats, Wheat, Grasses, etc."; their prices of 15 to 20 cents each or $1 for set, which is deductible from orders amounting to $5; and note about "Correspondence en Francais.", Several specimens include Blanc's copyright statement or name., Includes order sheet inscribed with addition equations., Back cover and end pages missing, RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program., See the Albert Blanc entry in the Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers., See the Edward Stern & Co. entry in the Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers., William M. Giradeau (b. 1852), owner of Girardeau Seed Company in Monticello, Fla., developed the first commercial machine for separating seeds from watermelons, making Jefferson county, the top watermelon seed supplier in the world by 1884.
Creator
Blanc, Albert, 1850-
Date
[1888]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department albums - Blanc [P.2013.69.2]
Series of illustrated trade cards depicting a female Asian fairy figure with wings and chopsticks in her hair holding a fan and a flowering branch and butterflies encircling a plant in an urn with a geometric border. Marks Bros. was a partnership between William, Ferdinand and Emmanuel Marks., Title supplied by cataloger., 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 - Marks [1975.F.587 & 1975.F.589]
Embossed illustrated trade card depicting a bird perched on a tree branch., 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 - Borgenski [P.9812]
Racist trade card specimen depicting an African man picking coffee on a plantation. Shows the bare-chested, barefooted man, attired in a straw hat and red striped shorts, picking coffee berries and placing them into a straw basket. The basket, which is hung around his shoulders and neck by a strap in front of his waist, is full of red berries. In the left, the coffee plant that the man picks from is full of red berries. More plants are visible in the background., Title from item., 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. - Picking [P.2017.95.208]
Pocket-size volume of decals of vignette maps of French cities, territories, colonies, and provinces during the antebellum period. Decals also include illustrations symbolic of the environment, culture, and economy of the depicted regions. Maps include (Afrique) Ile Bourbon, i.e., Réunion; Department de la Course, i.e., Corsica; Department de la Seine, i.e., Paris; Amerique Guadeloupe; Nle Caledonie/Iles de la Societe, i.e., New Caledonia/Society Islands; Algerie; (Amerique) La Martinique; (Afrique) Mayotte, Nossi-Be, St. Marie/Senegal; and Algerie (Afrique) Prov. De. D’Oran, i.e., Oran Province. Illustrations depict ethnic stereotypes and racist caricatures showing Africans, including an enslaved man from Ile Bourbon and Algerians; a Guadeloupean white plantation owner; a Corsican woman; sacks, crates, and barrels of foods and spices, including cacao, coffee, canella, cotton, sugar, indigo, and nutmeg; and native flora and fauna, including trees, grasses, a turtle, bird, elephant, and alligator. Vignettes also show a portrait of Napoleon; Paris architecture; ships and boats; and huts and a tent., Title from item., Date inferred from era of production of miniature decals and cover design., Front cover illustrated with a clown figure holding a trumpet to his mouth in one hand and tugging his hat with the other., Printed on back cover: Directions for fixing transfers. Take the picture, put it into luke-warm water for a quarter of a minute, pres the picture-side firmly on the object you wish to decorate, and draw gently the paper away. the fixed picture can be varnished, which makas [sic] it finer and secure against water and dust., Purchased with the Davida T. Deutsch African American History Fund., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Misc. [P.2014.17.3]
Block numbered in two places: 8532., Image of a plant., “R. E. Funston. Phila. I Pa.” – Back of block. Robert E. Funston is listed (as a dealer in boxwood) in Philadelphia city directories from 1879 to 1883.
Series of illustrated trade cards and announcements for Charles F. Haseltine's art receptions and gallery at 1516 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. Illustrations show a rowboat and sailboat on a body of water depicted from the interior of a building. Plants sit on a ledge and on the ground near a rectangular window in the foreground. Also depicts bust portraits of Albrecht Dürer and Leonardo Da Vinci; robed figures holding art symbols, including a protractor, art palette, paint brushes, and canvases; and a winged figure manipulating a four-horse chariot pulling the mythological figure Mars, also known as the Roman god of war., Title supplied by cataloger., One print [1975.F.423] printed on light blue paper., Invitations to view Charles F. Haseltine's art collections for the 1879-1880 season printed on verso. One print [1975.F.423] lists artists of artwork in his collections by nationality (i.e., French, Italian, German, Flemish, American) in columns on verso., Printers and engravers include John A. Lowell & Co. (Boston) and Jeremiah Rea (Philadelphia)., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date
1879
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Haseltine [1975.F.408a & 1975.F.423]
Illustrated stock trade card depicting three putti standing and sitting near potted plants, flowers, and vines. The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children was organized in November 1876 and chartered in January 1877., Advertising text on verso printed by McCalla & Stavely, prs., 237-9 Dock St., Phila., Advertising text printed on verso promotes the benefit performance of Sullivan & Gilbert's comic opera "Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore" and includes a list of characters and actors., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Creator
L. Prang & Co.
Date
c1878
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Pennsylvania [1975.F.349]
Interior of the building with chandeliers and Foley's Fountain, surrounded by flora and urn-lined walks. Exhibit title: Foley, Margaret A., Rome, Exhibit #1, Horticultural Hall, Bldg. #151.
Interior view of the Kansas and Colorado Building. Depicts the Kansas Exhibit, featuring a large fountain in the center, above which hangs a replica of the Liberty Bell made entirely out of grains and grasses. Also shows various other crops and plants throughout the exhibit.
Interior view of Floral Hall. Shows a potted Latonia [Latania] Barbonica plant and several other potted plants. Also shows interior wall of the hall incuding archways and windows.
View down Fountain Avenue of the Horticultural Grounds and Horticultural Hall with trees in the background. People on the walkways and the promenade of the building. In the foreground are flowers, shrubs, planters, and urns. To the right is a gazebo. Image is identical to P.9137.3.
Interior view of Horticultural Hall showing two staircases and a center passage. Also shows ornate arches, plants on display, and containers, possibly for storage.
Interior view showing fountain with center pedestal decorated with sculptures of children. Also shows surrounding plants and interior arches of the hall.
View of "Plante Merveilleuse"--Marvelous Plant--in the Agricultural Hall. Depicts a rope-like tapestry that is actually natural roots. Also shown is an ornate glass display chest, along with a table topped with glass bottles, a model ship, and cloth sacks.
Interior view showing potted plants of various sizes on two long tables with a center walkway. Also shows a man facing the left table, hoses, and water on the floor.
Exterior of Main Exhibition Building topped with flags. In foreground are the Mineral Annex, street lights, roads, shrubs and several carriages with horses.
Exhibit title: Foley, Margaret A., Rome, Exhibit #1, Horticultural Hall, Bldg. #151.
Foley's Fountain surrounded by ferns. In the background there is a sign for Tuft's soda water.
View of fountain in the nave of Agricultural Hall. The large fountain consists of two tiers and is decorated with small statues that include herons, men blowing horns, and a female figure. Potted plants are perched on the corners of the fountain barrier. Also shown in the far background is a wind-mill.
View down Fountain Avenue of the Horticultural Grounds and Horticultural Hall with trees in the background. People on the walkways and the promenade of the building. In the foreground are flowers, shrubs, planters, and urns. To the right is a gazebo. Image is identical to P.9037.6.
Interior view showing potted tree with hanging fruit. Other varieties of plants line the floor. Building adorned with arched windows, decorative archways, and chandelier.
Interior view of Horticultural Hall showing potted plants of various sizes on two long tables with a center walkway. Also shows a man facing the left table, and water on the floor.
Interior of the building with chandeliers and Foley's Fountain, surrounded by flora and urn-lined walks. Statue in background. Very similar image to P.9580.10, shares same Centennial Photographic Co. catalog number - 913.
Interior view of the building from west gallery, with chandeliers and Foley's Fountain, surrounded by flora and urn-lined walks. Statue in background. Very similar image to P.8654.2, shares same Centennial Photographic Co. catalog number - 913.
View of Pacific Guano Company's Pavilion. Depicts multi-level, open-aired structure in the center with people gathered on the upper and lower terraces. Also shows an environment rich with plants, shrubs, and trees.
View of Operti's Tropical Garden at Fairmount Park. Depicts a central fountain with mythological statues surrounded by lush plant life. Hanging above the fountain is a three-tiered chandelier. The background also shows a stage or platform with arranged seating and a harp.
View of Operti's Tropical Garden. Depicts pathways winding through a landscape of bountiful plant life. Statues are shown throughout the garden. In the background, a man stands in front of a small, cascading waterfall.
