© Copyright 2025 - The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107. TEL (215) 546-3181 FAX (215) 546-5167
For inquiries, please contact our IT Department
(301 - 350 of 727)
- Title
- Standard screw fastened boots & shoes are the best in the world
- Description
- Racist trade card illustration depicting two African American men and one African American woman. The woman walks arm in arm with one of the men; both figures are well-dressed. The man is attired in a black hat, a white collared shirt, a blue jacket, gloves, striped pants, and black heeled shoes with the Standard logo. He holds a flag promoting the Standard brand in his left hand and a flower in his right. The woman is attired in a hat, a white dress with blue dots and a bow at the collar, gloves, blue and white striped tights, and blue heeled shoes. The man in the left of the image is attired in black tattered clothing and worn out shoes that expose his toes. All of the figures are depicted with exaggerated features., Title from item., Text printed on recto: "Go way Ephraim, Ise got a new beau now dat wears Standard Boots!", Advertising text printed on verso: Remember and buy only Standard Screw Fastened Boots and Shoes. They surpass all others., 1882-1883 calendar printed on verso., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1882]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Standard [P.2017.95.165]
- Title
- Refrigerators. N.B Stevens, 43 Kilby Street, Boston
- Description
- Racist trade card illustration depicting a group of African American men and boys looking on as a photographer takes a photograph of them. The man and boy standing in the left of the image are attired in torn clothing. The Black man in the center of the image stands directly in front of the camera and peers into the lens. A boy in the right of the image crawls toward the scene on all fours. The photographer is crouched under a cloak. Visible in the background is a woman standing beside a cabin., Title from item., Advertising text on verso: Refrigerators, Uprights and Chests, all sizes and styles. Ice cream freeers. Peerless [...] clothes wringers. The largest and best assortment of the above in New England. N.B. Stevens, 43 Kilby St., Boston., Text printed on recto: Photography under a cloud., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Stevens [P.2017.95.171]
- Title
- Magnolia ham, winter cured. Don't talk bout henhouses to me
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting a genre scene of an African American man and boy "stealing" hams through a field at night. In the right, in front of the boy, the man carries a packaged ham under each arm and one on his hand. He is barefoot and attired in a loose-fitting shirt and calf-length, worn, blue pants. The boy stands behind him and struggles to hold one ham to his chest in his arms. He is barefoot and attired in a wide-brimmed hat, a white shirt, and calf-length, red pants. Both figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. Countryside and a crescent moon in the sky are visible in the background. McFerran, Shallcross & Co. began curing hams in 1863 as McFerran & Menefee. The firm was composed of John B. McFerran, S.H. Shallcross, R.J. Menefee, and W.P. Clancy. Largely based in Louisville, Kentucky with large packing facilities, the company also had agencies across the United States., Title from item., Date inferred from dates of operation cited in history of firm published in 1886 volume, "The City of Louisville and A Glimpse of Kentucky," p. 129., Printed in lower right corner: Over., Advertising text on verso: Below you will find figures showing the increase of the Annual Cure of the Magnolia Ham. The history of Ham Curing furnishes no such example. From 7,500 they have already attained a Cure of 375,000 Pieces, and the end is not yet. 1863 - 7,500; 1864 - 15,000; 1866 - 42,000; 1867 - 75,000; 1868 - 92,000; 1869 - 110,000; 1870 - 118,000; 1871 - 125,000; 1872 - 175,000; 1873 - 200,000; 1874 - 225,000; 1875 - 250,000; 1876 - 300,000; 1877 - 341,000; 1878 - 375,000. "The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating." All Winter Cured and guaranteed unsurpassed in cut, cure, flavor and style. Cured By McFerran, Shallcross & Co. Louisville, KY. Try Them., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Magnolia [P.2017.95.113]
- Title
- Merrick Thread Co. "Fooled dis time, cully. Dis cotton ain't gwine to break."
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting a smiling African American boy portrayed as fishing bait for an alligator in a swamp. Shows the boy suspended from a tree limb over the gaping jaws of the head of the reptile jutting out from the body of water below him. The boy is held up by a hook in the seat of his pants that is attached to white thread wrapped around the tree limb and from a large spool that floats in the water. The spool bears the Merrick Thread Co. logo. The boy holds the fishing line of thread and fishing rod in his hands and by his face. He is barefooted and attired in a blue hat, a red shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a white vest, and blue pants with a patch on the right knee. The boy is depicted with exaggerated features. Print also contains an image on verso depicting a partially opened box of several spools of thread, on which the thread company's tagline "Merrick Thread Co's Ready Wound Bobbins for Sewing Machines Warranted 200 Yards" is printed. Merrick Thread Co. was founded in 1865 by Timothy Merrick, Austin Merrick, and Origen Hall in Mansfield, Connecticut. After its founding, the company established mills in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1898, the company merged with thirteen other independent thread and yarn manufacturers to form the American Thread Company. The distributor of the thread, Isaac J.H. Bordner, owned a store which was built in 1881 and located in the Mount Aetna neighborhood of Tulpehocken Township in Pennsylvania. In addition to being a businessman, Bordner was served as the local postmaster between 1870 and 1899., Title from item., Date inferred from content and genre of print., Advertising text printed on verso: Buy Merrick Thread Co.'s Best Six Cord Soft Finish Spool Cotton For Machine & Hand Sewing Warranted 200 Yds. Also., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: Isaac J.H. Bordner, Dealer in General Merchandise, Mt. Aetna, Berks Co., Pa.
- Date
- [ca. 1885]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.120]
- Title
- Merrick Thread Co. "If this was not Merrick's thread I'd get that coon."
- Description
- Racist trade card promoting Merrick thread and depicting a scene of a dog confronting an African American boy stealing a chicken. Shows the smiling African American boy kneeling on the ground and lifting a triangular-shaped wooden cage off a chicken as a large, grey pit-bull like dog lunges at him from the right. The boy is dressed in a blue and white plaid vest, a red shirt, blue pants rolled at the cuffs, and black shoes. The dog is tugged back by a white thread tied around its red collar and pulled from a large spool marked with the "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8" logo. Behind the dog is a wooden dog house. Two African African boys watch from above and behind a fence with missing wooden panels. All figures are portrayed with exaggerated features. Print also contains an image on verso depicting a partially opened box of several spools of thread, on which the thread company's tagline "Merrick Thread Co's Ready Wound Bobbins for Sewing Machines Warranted 200 Yards" is printed.Merrick Thread Co. was founded in 1865 by Timothy Merrick, Austin Merrick, and Origen Hall in Mansfield, Connecticut. After its founding, the company established mills in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1898, the company merged with thirteen other independent thread and yarn manufacturers to form the American Thread Company. John Wanamaker opened his dry goods store the Grand Depot in former Pennsylvania Railroad sheds in 1876., Title from item., Date inferred from content and genre of print., Advertising text printed on verso: Buy Merrick Thread Co.'s Best Six Cord Soft Finish Spool Cotton For Machine & Hand Sewing, Warranted 200 Yds. Also. Be Progressive. Try the ready-wound Bobbins and save both time and labor. Use them once and be convinced. Made for all Sewing-Machines. Same price as six cord., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: John Wanamaker, Thirteenth, Chestnut & Market Sts., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1885]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.121]
- Title
- Frank Miller's crown dressing Well dis chile am 'stonished at his own genius- dat Frank Miller must be a conjuror-shua!
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting an African American man cobbler in a shop setting. Shoes the boy-faced man shining a boot from a counter lined with shoes and boots. He looks out toward the viewer, and holds a dabber in his right hand and the boot in his left. To his left is the counter of footwear along the wall. A chest, boxes, and a bag are visible in the right foreground. In the left are several pairs of shoes and boots strewn in a pile on the ground in front of a counter on top of which a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing rests. The cobbler is attired in a collared shirt, striped pants, an apron, and leather shoes. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Date inferred from content and genre of print., Advertising text printed on verso: Frank Miller's Improved French Blacking. Gives a quick, brilliant, and durable polish, with positive nourishment to the leather. It is different in composition from common blackings, being based upon the French process, with every valuable feature of the French style retained, while such improvements have been made to insure a dryer and more durable gloss, with increased pliability of the leather. Frank Miller's Crown Dressing. An invaluable preparation for restoring ladies' and children's boots, shoes, rubbers, travelling bags, and all black leather goods that are soiled or worn by age or use, to their original beauty of finish and softness. Frank Miller's Leather Preservative and Water-proof Blacking. This blacking is not designed to produce a polish, but to render the leather soft, pliable, water-proof, and much more durable. For more than forty years it has been the reliance of farmers, miners, sportsmen, lumbermen, soldiers, and outdoor laboring men. It does away with the necessity of using rubbers, which are expensive, uncomfortable, and destructive to health and leather. This is the only article designed for this purpose which has met with universal approval. Frank Miller's Peerless Blacking. This article will fully meet the requirements of the consumer, as to quality. It gives a quick, brilliant, jet black gloss, without injury to the leather., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1870]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.126]
- Title
- Frank Miller's crown dressing Yes missus dat am de Crown of Dressing shua!
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting an African American maid shining a white woman's boots. The African American woman is depicted in profile and holds a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in her left hand. The white woman holds up the skirt of her dress to reveal her left boot. The maid is attired in a head wrap, a dress with the sleeves rolled, an apron, and flat shoes. The white woman is attired in a ruffled, dark-colored dress, flowers in her hair, and leather boots. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing sits atop an ornamented table. A tassel is visible above the bottle and a curtain is visible behind it. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Several lines of advertising text printed on verso; text is not visible., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1870]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.128]
- Title
- Frank Miller's crown dressing Yes missus dat am de Crown of Dressing shua!
- Description
- Racist trade card depicting an African American maid shining a white woman's boots. The African American woman is depicted in profile and holds a bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in her left hand. The white woman holds up the skirt of her dress to reveal her left boot. The maid is attired in a head wrap, a dress with the sleeves rolled, an apron, and flat shoes. The white woman is attired in a ruffled, dark-colored dress, flowers in her hair, and leather boots. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown Dressing sits atop an ornamented table. A bottle of Frank Miller's Crown dressing is also printed on the verso. A tassel is visible above the bottle and a curtain is visible behind it. Frank Miller & Co. was a New York manufacturer of shoe polish based in Manhattan. The company was founded in the 1860s and continued operating throughout the late 19th century., Title from item., Printed in red ink., Advertising text printed on verso: Frank Miller's Crown Dressing in 4-oz. bottles, with wire, sponge, and cork. Gives a rich gloss, with a deep and durable color. While most dressings crack the leather, the Crown does not injure it in the least, and for ladies' and children's boots and shoes is rapidly displacing all others., Gift of David Doret.
- Date
- [ca. 1870]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.127]
- 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
- "Sweet home soap." J.D. Larkin & Co
- Description
- Racist trade card promoting J.D. Larkin & Co.’s soap and depicting caricatures of four African American boys standing in a line blowing brass horns. Shows the boys attired in straw hats, white shirts with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, and yellow shoes. The boy in the left is attired in a pink waistcoat and blue striped pants; the second boy in a purple waistcoat and blue pants; the third boy in a pink waistcoat and blue pants with a floral print; and the fourth boy in a purple waistcoat, blue pants, and gold hoop earrings. They all carry in their right hand a long, brass horn. In the background is a house with a chimney surrounded by a stone wall with a gate. John D. Larkin (1845-1926) began a soap manufactory in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1875. He created a yellow bar of laundry soap called, “Sweet Home Soap.” In 1878, Larkin admitted his brother-in-law Elbert G. Hubbard (1856-1915) and established the firm, J.D. Larkin & Co. The firm grew into a mail-order business. The Company was sold in 1941, liquidated in 1942, and the new owners continued the mail-order business until 1962., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of the advertised business., 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.D. Larkin [P.2017.95.90]
- Title
- Bathsheba at bath
- Description
- Lantern slide formerly owned and probably used in art lessons by Philadelphia painter, photographer, and art teacher, Xanthus Smith. Depicts Bathsheba being bathed by an enslaved Black woman outside on the rooftop. In the center, Bathsheba, nude and attired in a jeweled headpiece, a gold necklace, gold bracelets, earrings, and rings, lounges and rests her left elbow on a pillow. Her right hand grasps grapes on a side table. A cloth is draped over her lower body and her right foot is on a marble and golden basin. A Black woman, attired in a blue and gold striped skirt, and a gold necklace, ring, earrings, and bracelets, sits on a step and dries Bathsheba’s left foot with a white cloth and holds a gold mirror up. On the ground beside her are containers of perfumes, soap, or oil. Stone walls with decorative carved flowers, lion sculptures, and red curtains on rods, as well as trees and the blue sky, are visible in the background., Title from label on mount., Part of "Old Testament" series., Gift of Edna Andrade, 1994., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- [ca. 1875]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Lantern Slides-Smith, Xanthus [P.9471]
- Title
- Ladies
- Description
- Lantern slide formerly owned and probably used in art lessons by Philadelphia painter, photographer, and art teacher, Xanthus Smith. Depicts a scene set in Roman antiquity of a white woman, attired in a white gown, dancing before upper-class Romans. In the center is a marble veranda with a roof comprised of a red drape with yellow fringe held up by columns. In the veranda, around a table filled with food and drink, a Roman woman and three men lounge and watch the dancer. Behind them, three enslaved Black men and a woman carry wine flasks, pour drinks, and fan. In the left, white men and women musicians play flutes and tambourines. In the background, a peacock and other birds stand and fly on the palatial building decorated with columns, sculpture, and flowers., Title from partially legible label on mount., Number 19 in "Old Roman World" series., Gift of Edna Andrade, 1994., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- [ca. 1875]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Lantern Slides - Smith [P.9471]
- 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
- J.C. Hand & Co. Fine furniture, no. 1205 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Description
- Racist trade card promoting the J.C. Hand & Co. and depicting a caricature of an older African American man reading a notice on a country grocery store. Shows the man with a white beard and attired in a yellow brimmed hat, a long-sleeved red shirt, red and yellow pants with patches and held up by suspenders, and black shoes. He bends forward to read the sign on the boarded up, dilapidated store. It states in the vernacular that the Johnsing & Skinner Grocery is out of business and that, “Dem as owes de firm, will settle wid me--dey de firm owes will settle wid Skinner. G.W. Johnsing." The African American man is labeled as a creditor who says in the vernacular, “I’ll hab a hundred and fifty cents on de dollar, or I’ll lick de hul firm.” In the right, the man’s donkey is tied to an orange post behind him. In the background, fenced in fields and trees are visible. J. C. Hand & Co. operated circa 1882-circa 1884 and the failure of the business., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from the dates of operation of the advertised business., Text printed on recto: Johnsing & Skinner Grocery. Notis—De firm of Johnsing & Skinner am resolved. Dem as owes de firm, will settle wid me—dey de firm owes will settle wid Skinner. G.W. Johnsing. Creditor of Johnsing & Skinner—“I’ll hab a hundred and fifty cents on de dollar, or I’ll lick de hul firm.”, Text and illustrations printed on verso. Illustrations depict a closed sofa bed that looks like a chair with the caption "closed," and the open sofa bed resembling a cot, captioned, "open." Text reads: J.C. Hand & Co. 1205 Market Street. Manufacturers of Patent Sofa Beds. These beds can be made up as low as $25. In Raw Silk. We have a large stock of well made Furniture at moderate Low Prices. Size of Bed, 4ft. 6x6 ft. 2. Can be made any length or width. Estimates Given. J. C. Hand & Co., 1205 Market Street., Gift of Dr. Milton and Joan Wohl., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1883]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards - Hand [P.2011.64.34]
- Title
- New transfer picture-album offering a collection of fine transfer pictures and the direction how to fix them
- Description
- 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]
- Title
- Celluloid waterproof collars, cuffs & shirt bosoms
- Description
- Trade card advertising celluloid collars and cuffs and depicting a caricature of a Japanese woman. Shows the Japanese woman wearing her hair up and adorned with kanzashi hair ornaments and attired in a multi-colored kimono with a celluloid collar and cuffs and geta shoes with celluloid on the bottom. She walks with her right hand holding her kimono up and carries a parasol made of celluloid. She walks through grass with pink flowers in the background., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Text printed on verso: Celluloid (Waterproof linen.) Collars, cuffs and shirt bosoms. The following will commend the use of these goods to all who study convenience, neatness and economy. The interior is fine linen. The exterior is Celluloid – the union of which combines the strength of Linen with the Waterproof qualities of Celluloid. The Trouble and expense of washing is saved. When soiled simply rub with soap and water (hot or cold) used freely with a stiff brush. They are perspiration proof and are invaluable to travelers, saving all care of laundrying. Advice. In wearing the turn-down Collar, always slip the Necktie under the roll. Do not attempt to straighten the fold. The goods will give better satisfaction if the Separable Sleeve Button and Collar Button is used. Twist a small rubber elastic or chamois washer around the post of Sleeve Button to prevent possible rattling of Button. To remove Yellow Stains, which may come from long wearing, use Sapolio, Soap or Saleratus water or Celluline, which latter is a new preparation for cleansing Celluloid. Goods for sale by all dealers., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Celluloid [P.2025.35.2]
- Title
- Geo. F. Woods, druggist and apothecary, dealer in fancy goods, Bellows Falls, Ct Soda and mineral waters on draught and in package
- Description
- Trade card promoting druggist George F. Woods and depicting a fan with a scene of a woman carrying a watering can and walking down a path. In the top left shows a fan with a ribbon tied around bamboo handle. On the fan is a vignette shows a woman, attired in a brimmed hat, necklace, and dress, walking down a path. She holds skirt in her left hand and carries a watering can in her right hand. Flanking the path are vases full of flowers. In the background is a pagoda and trees., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William H. Helfand., See related: P.9828.7149-7150., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - Woods [P.9828.7151]
- 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
- Tommy polka Dedicated to Tateish Onogero [or Tommy] of the Japanese Embassy
- Description
- Sheet music for a polka composed by Charles Grobe and depicting a full-length, seated portrait of Tateishi Onojirô, a member of the Japanese Embassy that traveled to the United States in 1860 to ratify the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, also known as the Harris Treaty. Shows the teenage Onojirô, wearing his hair tied back and attired in a kimono and shoes, sitting in a wooden chair and looking directly at the viewer. He holds a sword in its scabbard tied to his waist with his left hand and holds another sword in his right hand which points down to the floor. In the right is a side table covered in a floral print tablecloth and with a vase of flowers and a Japanese kasa (hat). Tateishi Onojirô, whom the media called “Tommy” was the youngest member of the ambassadorial delegation and served as an interpreter-in-training accompanying his adoptive father, formal interpreter Tateishi Tokujûrô., Composed by Charles Grobe., Copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress A.D. 1860 by Lee & Walker at the Clerk’s Office of the Dt. Ct. of the En. Dt. of Pa., Polka dance for piano., Dedication: To Tateish Onogero (or Tommy) of the Japanese Embassy., First line of text: Wives and maids by scores are flocking, Round that charming, little man, Known as Tommy, witty Tommy, Yellow Tommy, from Japan., Number 4 in 5 pointed star on lower right of the title page; Op: 1211; Publisher's Plate # 8085.4., Sold by: James E. Lent, Music Store, 359 Fulton St., Brooklyn, Stoddard Pianofortes for Sale or Rent., Retrospective conversion record: original entry.
- Creator
- Grobe, Charles, 1817-1880
- Date
- 1860
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Books Rare Sheet Music Tom 8530.F
- Title
- Darlington, Runk & Co. Importers and retailers of dry goods
- Description
- Trade card promoting dry goods store Darlington, Runk & Co. and depicting a white man walking with an Asian, Spanish, and Arab man. Shows a white man, attired in a black top hat, a white collared shirt, black bowtie, black jacket, and white pants, walking and leading three men with his arms out. The three men are in cultural attire, including an Asian man, wearing a conical hat and a pink robe with buttons down the front and a white and gold collar and gold trim; a Spanish man, wearing a green and gold matador Traje de luces; and probably an Arab man, wearing a red and gold turban, gold shawl, and and red pants. In the background are large buildings lining a city street and heavy pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. Joseph G. Darlington (1842-1908) and William M. Runk founded Darlington, Runk & Co. in 1874. After Runk's death in 1893, the firm changed to Joseph G. Darlington & Co., Title from item., Date inferred from active dates of the business advertised., Text printed on recto: 1126 and 1128 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia., Purchased 2015., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1880]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - Darlington, Runk & Co. [P.2015.56.193]
- Title
- Just a little Chinaman laundry work fine, will cookie, washee, ironie if you'll be his valentine
- Description
- Racist caricature of a Chinese man laundry worker holding an iron and an ironing board and bending down towards a rat. In the right, the Chinese man wears a queue hairstyle with a red bow tied at the end of his braid and is attired in a blue tunic with gold trim, black pants, red socks, and green cloth slip-on shoes. He holds an iron in his right hand and an ironing board in his left hand. He bends over and looks down at a rat that runs away. In the left are red hearts and a clothespin. The text is written in pidgin English: Just a little Chinaman laundry work fine, will cookie, washee, ironie if you'll be his valentine., Title from item., Date inferred from medium and content., Series no. printed on verso: Series IV., Library Company copy has manuscript message and address written on verso and is postmarked, Blodgett Mills, N.Y., Feb. 12, P.M. 1906; Syracuse Feb. 13, A.M. 1906. Includes one-cent stamp depicting Benjamin Franklin., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1906]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department LCP Postcards - Genre - Just [P.2024.11]
- Title
- Li
- Description
- Full-length portrait depicting a racist caricature of Chinese statesmen, diplomat, and military general Li Hongzhang (1823-1901). Shows Hongzhang, wearing a mustache and attired in spectacles, a cap with a peacock feather, a patterned, gray and gold robe, a yellow jacket with buttons down the front, and black, slip-on shoes. He stands with his right hand out, showing long fingernails, and faces slightly right. Li Hongzhang traveled extensively in 1896, visiting Russia, Britain, Europe, the United States, and Canada to promote Chinese diplomatic interests and trade., Title and date from item., Published in Vanity Fair, August 13, 1896., Gift of Linda Kimiko August, 2024.
- Creator
- Guth, Jean Baptiste, 1855-1922
- Date
- 1896
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *portrait prints - Hongzhang [P.2024.31.3]
- 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
- H.A. Weymann, dealer in watches, clocks and jewelry, 156 North Second St., Philadelphia
- Description
- Trade card promoting clock and jewelry dealer H.A. Weymann and showing two boys pulling the hair of a Chinese man depicted in racist caricature. In the right, the Chinese man, wearing an exaggeratedly long queue hairstyle and attired in a blue tunic, yellow pants, and black shoes, grabs his hair with his hands and pulls back sitting on top a wooden box. In the left, a white boy, attired in a yellow hat with an orange ribbon, a white shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes, stands on the corner of the box, holds the Chinese man's hair and pulls back. The boy, attired in a pink-striped shirt, blue pants, and black shoes, stands below the other boy, holds onto the man's hair, and pulls. His white hat with a blue ribbon falls off of his head. Broadsides pasted on the fence in the background read,"How beautiful are the ways of South" and "Do unto others what others [do un]to you" A building is visible in the right background., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Purchased 2015., See related: Berman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2015.56.591]., RVCDC
- Date
- [ca. 1870]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Berman Trade Card Collection - Weymann [P.2015.56.939]
- Title
- [Caricature of the capture of Jefferson Davis May 10, 1865]
- Description
- Photographic reproduction of a caricature satirizing the unusual circumstances of the capture of the Confederate president, detained by Union cavalry troops on May 10, 1865, while wearing his wife's overcoat and shawl as a disguise. Depicts Davis being inspected by Union soldiers as he emerges from a tent, holding a basket, while attired in a hood and skirt. His wife, Varina Davis, stands next to him and an African American servant, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque features, peers from behind the tent flap. Bottles and a case marked "Silver Spoons, C.S.A." (an allusion to Jefferson's safeguarding of the remaining Confederate treasury) lay on the ground in front of the tent. Also shows a saddle hanging in a tree to the right of the tent., Title supplied by cataloger., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1865, by Francis Hacker, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Rhode Island., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of Jefferson Davis and Confederate material. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014., See related carte de visite: cdv - miscellaneous - Civil War - Caricatures & cartoons - [P.2016.63].
- Creator
- Hacker, Francis
- Date
- 1865
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Hacker [5795.F.15a]
- Title
- [Van Stan's Stratena and Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil trade cards]
- Description
- Series of illustrated trade cards for products produced by Van Stans Stratena Co. in Philadelphia. One racist card entitled, "Great lecture on Van Stan's Stratena by Julius Augustus Cesar at Ethiopian Hall," after the 1878 Sol Eytinge illustration "Blackville, 1878" depicts an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature, lecturing on a stage in front of an audience of well-dressed African American men. The lecturer, attired in a brown jacket, a tan waistcoat, a white shirt with gold cuff links, a white bowtie, blue pants, and black shoes, leans on a wooden table labeled "Van Stan's Stratena." Rolls of paper stick out of his back pocket, and his upturned top hat is visible underneath the table. A decorative object advertising Stratena and a cup sit on the table. He speaks in the vernacular, "one drop of dis yere Stratena on de conscience of a politician will make him stick to his principles. One drop on de marriage certificate will prevent de divorce court from separating you from de wife of your bosom. Do you heah me! Gentlemen I am a talking." Other illustrations include a double-sided metamorphic trade card showing white women and children upset when their objects and toys are broken and happy after using Van Stans Stratena to repair them and, on the other side, two white men and a white woman cringing while taking a dose of cod liver oil, but smiling after taking Van Stan's Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil. Card shows two white boys' jackets glued together by Stratena after they sat in it. A white boy standing nearby laughs and says, "Ha! ha! ha! No use boys!!! Been sitting in Van Stan's Stratena. Ha! ha! Ha!!", Another series of illustrations entitled, "Marriage a-la-mode. Matter of money," "Marriage a-la-mode. The result," and "The marriage of the future," depicts a white man and woman couple being wed by a white man standing under a sign reading "License marriage fee. $1.00" and a dog standing behind the groom thinking, "I'll be dog-goned if this is anything more than a matter of cur-ency and my privileges are sure to be cur-tailed. Give him a bone." A subsequent scene shows the husband running away from his wife, two children and chaotic household. His wife runs after him with a frying pan as the toddler in the background cries, "Father dear father come home," and the baby, lying on the floor, cries "No one to love me." The final scene shows a wedding ceremony in the "Tabernacle hearts cemented" with the officiator standing before the bride and groom announcing, "with this Stratena I thee wed." The groom replies, "One consolation, if I ever break her heart, I can mend it with Van Stans Stratena." The bride counters, "I'll stick to him through thick and thin.", Title supplied by cataloger., Printers and engravers include Chas. Shields' Sons (New York) and E. Ketterlinus & Co. (Philadelphia)., Advertising text printed on versos promotes Van Stan's Emulsion of Pure Norwegian Cod-Liver Oil and Van Stan's Stratena cement to repair glass, china, marble, iron, bone, jewelry, jet, coral, leather, wood, earthenware, porcelain, ornaments, lamp shades, metals, Meerschaum pipes, billiard cues, and leather belting., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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 - Van Stan's [1975.F.888-890 & 1975.F.892-894]
- Title
- Creditor of Johnsing & Skinner--"I'll hab a hundred and fifty cents on de dollar, or I'll lick de hul firm." Compliments of J. Harley Compton, druggist, New Egypt, N.J
- Description
- Racist trade card promoting the druggist J. Harley Compton and depicting a caricature of an older African American man reading a notice on a country grocery store. Shows the man with a white beard and attired in a yellow brimmed hat, a long-sleeved red shirt, yellow pants with patches and held up by suspenders, and black shoes. He bends forward to read the sign on the boarded up, dilapidated store. It states in the vernacular that the Johnsing & Skinner Grocery is out of business and that, “Dem as owes de firm, will settle wid me--dey de firm owes will settle wid Skinner. G.W. Johnsing." The African American man is labeled as a creditor who says in the vernacular, “I’ll hab a hundred and fifty cents on de dollar, or I’ll lick de hul firm.” Another sign on the building states, "10 miles to de post ofice (sic)." In the right, the man’s donkey is tied to an orange post behind him. In the background, fenced in fields and trees are visible. William Carroll purchased J. Harley Compton’s drugstore in New Egypt, New Jersey in 1895., Title from item., Text printed on recto: Johnsing & Skinner Grocery. Notis—De firm of Johnsing & Skinner am resolved. Dem as owes de firm, will settle wid me—dey de firm owes will settle wid Skinner. G.W. Johnsing. Creditor of Johnsing & Skinner—“I’ll hab a hundred and fifty cents on de dollar, or I’ll lick de hul firm.”, Advertising text printed on verso promotes items manufactured by J. Harley Compton, including Compton's concentrated flavoring extracts, liquid rennet, camphor ice with glycerine, cholera and dysentery drops, and Compton's tooth powder. Dated Oct. 9th, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William Helfand., 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. 1883]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - C [P.9828.5679]
- Title
- [Laird, Schober & Mitchell trade cards]
- Description
- Series of trade cards and caricatures promoting Laird, Schober & Mitchell and depicting clowns or harlequins. "I see nothing will suit but Laird, Schober & Mitchell's" depicts a white boy harlequin trying to fit a shoe on a seated white woman fairy with wings and a wand. "Too fine to Blacken!" is a racist trade card depicting a white boy clown kicking an African American shoe shine boy from behind. In the right, the white boy, attired white clown costume with a white cap decorated with a blue ball, a white shirt with ruffles at the neck and waist, white pants with a ruffle at the cuffs, white stockings, and blue shoes, carries a jump rope in both hands. He smiles at the viewer and kicks his left foot propelling the shoe shiner into the air. The shoe shiner is attired in a blue jacket with tails, white pants, black stockings, and brown shoes. His top hat, shoe shining stool, and open can of shoe polish fly away from him. "Oh! my!!..just look at them!!!" shows a white man admiring the shoes of a young, white woman who carries a butter churn. In the background are farm animals including a cow. "How beautifully they fit" depicts a white woman descending the stairs while grasping the hand of a white man, attired in a military uniform who carries a bouquet of flowers. Also a card depicting a white woman in a parlor holding up her skirt to reveal her new shoes, with the shoe box labeled, "Laird, Shober & Mitchell, Philadelphia" on the table. Laird, Schober & Mitchell's Shoes began operating in 1870 and was a partnership formed by Samuel S. Laird, George P. Schober and George A. Mitchell., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from content., Four trade cards [1975.F.488-491] contain advertising text printed on versos: A request before purchasing shoes. Examine ours. Prices are now reduced and goods finest manufactured. Laird, Schober & Mitchell, 1133 Arch Street, Philad'a., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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 - Laird [1975.F.488-491; 1975.F.506]
- Title
- [Geo. G. Burbank, druggist and apothecary, 235 Main St., Worcester, Mass.]
- Description
- Series of illustrated trade cards depicting Japanese boys wearing fanciful, stylized versions of traditional attire and geta shoes and performing a variety of activities, including watching a fly pull toys on the ground, playing a stringed instrument as a dog dances on its hind legs, and holding a piece of paper of an illustration of a man and woman. Also includes "Ole zip coon," 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 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., Title supplied by cataloger., One print [P.9828.5576] numbered 450 and printed by Bufford, Boston., 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 - B [P.9828.5573-5576]
- Title
- Compliments of J.C. Williams & Son, Central Pharmacy, 50 South Salina St., Syracuse, N.Y
- Description
- Series of illustrated trade cards promoting pharmacist J.C. Williams & Son and including "Surrender" depicting a white man winking as he puts his arms around a white woman from behind. The woman, attired in a hat with red feathers, a red dress with a white collar, and black, fingerless gloves, puts her head down as the man grasps her chin with his left hand and puts his right hand on her shoulder. They stand behind a picket fence. Also includes "Retribution" showing a dog chasing a cat and knocking a startled African American man off of his feet near a fence in a yard. The man, portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a white collared shirt with blue stripes and white pants with blue patches, flies into the air while his white hat falls to the ground., Title from item., Date from copyright statment on one print: Copyrighted 1882 by Onondaga Lith. Co., Syracuse, N.Y. [P.9828.7105]., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William H. 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. 1882]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Patent Medicine Trade Card Collection - Pharmacists - W [P.9828.7105 & 7106]
- Title
- Smith Brothers chemically pure Borax
- Description
- Racist trade card advertising soap manufacturers the Smith Brothers and depicting the white woman head of house with three of her women housekeepers while they use Borax to complete various tasks in the kitchen. In the center, the mistress of the house, attired in a red dress with a white collar and cuffs, applies Borax onto a white cloth held by a white housekeeper. In the left, a white housekeeper sprinkles Borax over a group of cockroaches on the floor in front of the stove. In the right, the African American woman housekeeper, portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a white head kerchief with red polka dots, a yellow dress with red stripes, white stockings, and tan shoes, stands before a wash basin with her hands in the soapy water. Behind her a clothesline full of white sheets hang. Brothers Frank and Julius Smith established Smith Brothers Borax in 1874. In 1888, Frank Smith incorporated his new company, Pacific Coast Borax., Title from item., Date inferred from date of operation of advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso provides directions and various uses for Smith Brothers' Borax, including washing, starching, preventing moths, removing cockroaches, dressing ulcers, wounds, bruises, sprains, and chilblains, removing inflammation, bathing, arresting fermentation and cleaning clothes., Distributor's imprint print on verso: Githens & Rexsamer, 40 and 42 South Front Sts., Philadelphia., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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 - Smith Brothers [1975.F.751]
- Title
- Photography under a cloud Perry is selling the nicest lot of fine combs, dressing combs, barber combs and misses circle combs, made from rubber, horn or celluloid; from 5 cts. to $1. Remember Perry's Drug Store, Canastota
- Description
- Racist trade card illustration depicting a group of barefooted African American men and boys, portrayed in caricature, looking on as a photographer takes a photograph of them. In the left, a boy, attired in a blue jacket, and a man, attired in an orange collared shirt and yellow pants, stand and look at the camera. In the center, a man, attired in a yellow shirt and pink pants, stands directly in front of the camera and peers into the lens. In the right, a boy, attired in an orange shirt and blue pants, crawls toward the scene on all fours. The photographer is crouched under a cloak. Visible in the background is a woman standing beside a cabin., Title from item., 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, 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 - P [P.9828.6598]
- 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
- Jeff . Davis in prison
- Description
- Anti-Davis cartoon invoking the travesties at Confederate war prisons to satirize the incarcerated former Confederate president as a pompous, sniveling ingrate. Shows Davis, attired in a suit, and his feet shackled, in his cell, in front of a table containing his modest meal and complaining to the prison doctor. He bemoans his being unaccustomed to such living and that "you must order some more healthy food, or I shall starve to death." The doctor responds it is "good healthy food, such as our soldiers are fed on" and that their recent achievements prove it is "tolerably healthy." In the left, an older African American man cook, portrayed in racist caricature, announces in the vernacular "Massa Jeff! de dinner is ready." Two Union soldiers retort and reply "It's unhealthy is it! You didn't think that a pint of cornmeal was unhealthy when we were at Andersonville." The other angrily remembers "Rotten sowbelly and mouldy hard tacks was considered 'healthy food' when I was in "Libby" and Belle Island., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1865 by Gibson & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio., Purchase 2008., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War., 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
- 1865
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1865-Jef [P.2008.5.1]
- Title
- Jeff . Davis in prison
- Description
- Anti-Davis cartoon invoking the travesties at Confederate war prisons to satirize the incarcerated former Confederate president as a pompous, sniveling ingrate. Shows Davis, attired in a suit, and his feet shackled, in his cell, in front of a table containing his modest meal and complaining to the prison doctor. He bemoans his being unaccustomed to such living and that "you must order some more healthy food, or I shall starve to death." The doctor responds it is "good healthy food, such as our soldiers are fed on" and that their recent achievements prove it is "tolerably healthy." In the left, an older African American man cook, portrayed in racist caricature, announces in the vernacular "Massa Jeff! de dinner is ready." Two Union soldiers retort and reply "It's unhealthy is it! You didn't think that a pint of cornmeal was unhealthy when we were at Andersonville." The other angrily remembers "Rotten sowbelly and mouldy hard tacks was considered 'healthy food' when I was in "Libby" and Belle Island., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1865 by Gibson & Co. in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio., Purchase 2008., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitized by Alexander Street Press for Images of the American Civil War., 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
- 1865
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1865-Jef [P.2008.5.1]
- Title
- [Double-sided proof print containing a racist caricature of an African American mother and her children and a comic genre scene with a bookmaker]
- Description
- Left panel depicts an African American mother, portrayed in racist caricature, with her three children in the doorway of a home in the country. The mother, attired in a red headkerchief with white polka dots, a white shirt with pink polka dots and the sleeves rolled to the elbows, a green skirt, and a white apron with blue stripes, stands smiling with her arms crossed. Sitting in front of her are three young barefooted children attired in pink short-sleeved dresses. The children suck on the tubes of their nursing bottles. A small black dog, a cat with two kittens, and a pig gather and watch children. At the right of the door, a barrel rests under a drain pipe. A food tray lies nearby, and a horseshoe hangs above the door. The right panel shows "Joe McK.. Bookmak[er]" accepting bets, seated at his table, outside a stadium. The older white man bookie, attired in a gray bowler hat, a white collared shirt, a red polka dot vest, blue and white striped pants, and yellow shoes, smokes a cigar and accepts money from a young white man waiting at the head of the line. Also shows the backs of men leaving the bookie and headed toward the "Grand Stand" visible in the background., Title supplied by cataloger., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1905 by J. Hoover & Son Phila., Printed lower left corner: 2039., Gift of S. Robert Teitelman, 2007., RVCDC, 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.
- Creator
- Hall, Bernhard, 1859-1935, artist
- Date
- 1905
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1905 Proof [P.2007.23.8]
- Title
- [Croft, Wilbur & Co. trade cards]
- Description
- Series of illustrated trade cards promoting confectioners Croft, Wilbur & Co. and depicting children performing a variety of activities, including two white girls playing tug-of-war over a wrapped piece of candy; and boys and girls eating sweets, including a white boy eating a candy stick while holding his dog on a leash. Also shows flowers; a courting white boy and girl couple sitting on a log; two white boy clowns dancing, playing a drum, and strutting a homemade pitchfork; and a man in Colonial attire popping out of a large cracker or bon-bon and dumping candy to white woman who catches it in her skirt. Racist card depicting an African American boy, portrayed in caricature, and a white girl on a candy stick seesaw. In the left, shows the white girl attired in a large, white bonnet; a yellow dress with red polka dots; a blue and white checked smock; orange stockings; and brown shoes, sitting on a red and white striped candy stick. In the right, the barefooted African American boy, attired in an orange shirt and gray pants, sits on the other side of the candy see saw. The fulcrum is a piece of chocolate. Founded in Philadelphia in 1865 by Samuel Croft and Henry Oscar Wilbur, Croft, Wilbur & Co. divided into H.O. Wilbur & Sons and Croft and Allen in 1884., Title supplied by cataloger., Four prints printed by E. Ketterlinus & Co., Includes two prints [1975.F.120 and 1974.F.141] with advertising text printed on versos., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., 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 - Croft [1975.F.120; 1975.F.141; 1975.F.145; 1975.F.168; 1975.F.176; 1975.F.178; 1975.F.182a; 1975.F.196; 1975.F.210]
- Title
- Harm oneons Carolina melodies arranged for the piano forte
- Description
- Sheet music cover showing the minstrel group, the Harmoneons, in Blackface as a musical group playing in a tropical setting. The four men and one man dressed as a woman are seated and play instruments, including a triangle, fiddle, banjo, tambourine, and clappers. The men are attired in button-down, yellow striped shirts and white pants, and the woman in a short-sleeved, red and white dress. Palm trees, a mountain side, and ocean are visible in the background. The entertainers' and their characters' names are printed below the image: Js. Power as Toney; M. S. Pike as Fanny; L. V. N. Crosby as Pomp; F. Lynch as Gumbo; and Jno. Power as Sambo. The Harmoneons, founded by Crosby and originally managed by J. Simmons Davis, were one of the earliest minstrel troupes in the United States and were active into the 1860s., Blackface minstrelsy is a popular entertainment form, originating in the United States in the mid-19th century and remaining in American life through the 20th century. The form is based around stereotypical and racist portrayals of African Americans, including mocking dialect, parodic lyrics, and the application of Black face paint; all designed to portray African Americans as othered subjects of humor and disrespect. Blackface was a dominant form for theatrical and musical performances for decades, both on stage and in private homes., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1845 by C. Bradlee & Co. in the clerk's office of the District Cou[rt]., Title list of scores printed on recto., Facsimile signature of minstrel L. V. N. Crosby printed on recto. LCP copy contains partial signature., Gift of Michael Zinman, 2009., Description of Blackface minstrelsy from Dorothy Berry, Descriptive Equity and Clarity around Blackface Minstrelsy in H(arvard) T(heater) C(ollection) Collections, 2021., Lower corners missing., 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.
- Creator
- Sharp, William, 1803-1875, artist
- Date
- 1845
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Entertainment - H [P.2009.25]
- Title
- 1888-1889 third supplement to catalogue of electrotypes from A. Blanc, Horticultural Engraver, No. 314 N. Eleventh St. Philada., Pa., U.S.A Registered Cable Address, "Blanc, Philadelphia."
- Description
- 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]
- Title
- I'se a dude!
- Description
- Trade card promoting New Jersey grocer H. G. Prall & Sons and depicting an African American man dandy, with a sheepish expression, and posed with his left hand to his lips and his other hand holding a white top hat at his shoulder. He is portrayed in racist caricature and attired in a ruffled white shirt, a white waistcoat adorned with a watch fob, a gold jacket with tails, and blue and white striped pants. He stands in front of a background of fauna details. H. G. Prall primarily appears as the sole proprietor of his grocery in later 19th-century directories, but is listed as H. G. Prall & Son in 1883., Title from item., Date inferred from city directory listing for business., Series no. printed on recto: 58., Advertising text printed on verso: H. G. Prall & Sons, Dealers in fine Groceries. Headquarters for Fish, Provisions, Flour, Feed, &c., 174 and 176 Main Street, Somerville, N. J., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., 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. 1883]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade cards - Prall [113419.D]
- Title
- The Universal clothes wringer
- Description
- Metamorphic trade card promoting the American Wringer Company's Universal Wringer. Depicts a racist "before and after" scene with and without the product. The before scene shows an African American laundress "Dinah" wringing clothes by hand over a tub. She states in vernacular speech that "de wringing am awful." A white woman chastises her to "look at these torn clothes." She holds up a square shaped cloth with tears. A clock is visible in the background. The women are shown as bust-length. Dinah wears a kerchief, an open collared shirt, and her sleeves are rolled up. The after scene shows a smiling "Dinah," wringing laundry with a "Universal" clothes wringer under the happy gaze of her employer. The women reach a hand out to one another. Dinah wears a high ruffled collar shirtwaist with a bow at her neck, long sleeves, an apron, and kerchief. A clock rests on a sideboard in the background. The American Wringer Company was established about 1861 and operated until at least the early 20th century. The company often provided a clock as a premium to purchase their laundry equipment., Title from item., Date inferred from attire of figures depicted., Text printed on recto: Oh mistis de wringing am awful, always tear de clothes 'spect dat I neber get through. What Dinah, six o'clock and not done yet! And look at these torn clothes. "What Dinah! Finished washing so soon! Why it's only three o'clock." "Hi golly! Mistis, been done dese two hours dis chile hab no more trouble, since you done got dis wringer. Neber tear de clothes neder., Advertising text on verso: The Universal Wringer Has the Following Points of Superiority. 1. Rolls of Solid White Rubber. 2. Rowell's Double Cog-wheels. 3. Two Independent Pressure Screws. 4. Double cogs at both ends of each Roll. 5. Folding Apron or Clothes Guide. 6. Rocking Springs of wood and rubber. N. P. Baker, Dealer in General Merchandise, Sunapee, N. H., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., 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. 1885]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - American [113420.D]
- Title
- Your home is not complete without the Missouri Steam Washer. The best washing machine in the world. Johnston Bro's. St. Louis. Philadelphia There are more Missouri Steam Washers sold than all other washing machines in the world combined
- Description
- Trade card for the small portable washing machine invented by George D. Ferris and marketed by Johnston Bros., "General Agents for the United States." Depicts two male fairies, one white and one African American, presenting a "Missouri Steam Washer. Pat'd. May 1, 1883" to a white woman who stands over a washboard in a wash tub. Steam rises from the tub filled with clothes. The African American fairy, portrayed in racist caricature with orange wings and attired in blue pants with suspenders, pushes in the metal washing machine on a dolly, while the other fairy points to it. The African American fairy image was often used in newspaper advertisements for the machine that operated through placement on a family cook stove, internal perforated steam tubes, and a crank to keep the clothes in motion during washing., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1884., Contains five testimonials, including one by G. R. Brandt and Harry E. Brandt (Hurricane Laundry, 232 New Street), Philadelphia, Pa., printed on verso., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., 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
- 1884
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Johnston [P.2013.35.1]
- Title
- I'm a masher
- Description
- Set of five collecting cards depicting African Americans, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque facial features, to satirize womanizing, courtship, marriage, and fatherhood. Includes (1) "I'm a Masher" showing a dapperly-dressed African American man, attired in a derby hat, a red bow tie with yellow polka dots, a yellow waistcoat, a blue jacket, and a watch fob, holding up a swagger stick, as well as cigarette that he smokes; (2) "I've Made a Mash" showing the "masher" in a close embrace with a stylishly-dressed African American woman, attired in a red dress with black polka dots, gold drop earrings, and yellow gloves; (3) "I'm Married" showing the couple on promenade with the woman, attired in a red dress with a yellow bow, a yellow and red hat, and white gloves, and the man, smoking a cigarette, and attired in a green bowler hat, a red ascot with shiny cravat pin, a blue jacket with a yellow flower boutonniere, a matching yellow with gray striped waistcoat and pants, and red gloves; (4) 'Home Sweet Home" showing the man, attired in a white collared shirt and blue-striped pants, seated with a look of anguish and surrounded by his six small children; (5) "Dady's [sic] Dead" showing the children as older and dancing around their father's grave adorned with a headstone inscribed "To the Memory of the Masher." Masher was a later 19th-century slang term for a womanizer, known for garish clothes and a vulgar manner., Copyrighted., Series no. printed in upper right corner., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., 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., Chicago Picture Co, a Chicago publishing firm of advertising card and novelties, was active circa 1881-circa 1883.
- Creator
- Chicago Picture Co.
- Date
- [ca. 1882]
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Genre [P.2012.25.1-5]
- Title
- "De breddren and sisters will now relate dere experience."
- Description
- Set of five collecting cards depicting African Americans, portrayed in racist caricature with grotesque facial features and speaking in the vernacular, satirizing African American church life. Includes (1) "De Breddren and Sisters Will Now Relate Dere Experience" showing a white-haired African American minister at his pulpit before a small congregation of mostly African American women, attired in kerchiefs, and seated in pews; (2) Sister Hannibal. - "Oh Breddren and Sisters, Ise an Awful Sinner" showing Sister Hannibal standing up and confessing among the other congregants; (3) Sister Snowball. - "Yes, Breddren and Sisters, Dats So, I Kin Testify Dat Sister Hannibal is an Awful Sinner. I knows It" showing Sister Snowball standing, her hands clasped across her stomach, while Sister Hannibal, sits and frowns, and the minister rests his hand on his head; (4) "Sister Snowball, You Am a Liar" showing the "sisters" fighting among the other parishioners, who are in various states of commotion; (5) "De Congregation Am Dismissed" showing white men police officers escorting the congregation out of the church, including an unconscious Sister Hannibal in a handcart. Images also show the church interior and exterior, including windows, steps, and a tree., Title from item., Date of publication inferred from date of copyright, Series no. printed in upper left corner., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., RVCDC, 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., Sammis & Latham was a New York publishing firm active in 1882 that issued comic card sets and juvenile novelty items.
- Creator
- Sammis & Latham
- Date
- 1882
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Genre [P.2012.24.1-5]
- Title
- Brother Gardner addresses the Lime Kiln Club on the virtues of Dixon's Stove Polish
- Description
- Racist, satiric trade card promoting Joseph Dixon Crucible Company's stove polish and depicting a caricature of an African American man presenting Dixon’s Stove Polish to the African American men members of the Lime Kiln Club. Shows Brother Gardner, the white-haired, African American man, in the left with spectacles on his forehead and attired in a white collared shirt with a red bowtie, an orange jacket with a sunflower on the lapel, red and white checked pants, and black shoes. He stands holding a blue box of Dixon’s in his left hand and a gavel in his right hand. In the left is a wooden table with a blue pitcher and a top hat on top of it and a sign that reads, “Dixon’s Carburet of Iron Stove Polish.” Brother Gardner addresses the men in the vernacular, who are identified by number with the key of their names on the verso of the card. In the right, the man, attired in a striped white collared shirt, a red tie, a white and blue striped jacket, yellow and red striped pants, and black shoes, sits on a wooden chair and examines a blue box of Dixon’s in his hands. Beside him another man, balding with tufts of white hair on the sides of his head and a white beard and attired in a red jacket and blue striped pants, kneels down and carries a brush in his right hand. Behind them two men sit on chairs and an additional nine men stand and listen to Brother Gardner. In the background, the wall reads, “Lime Kiln Club, Paradise Hall.” A horseshoe and framed prints that read “Beautify your homes” and “Rules of the Lime Kiln Club” hang on the wall. In the center is a large, black stove., The African American "Lime Kiln Club" caricatures originally were devised by Charles Bertrand Lewis (i.e., M. Quad) in the Detroit Free Press. The Joseph Dixon Crucible Company, established by Joseph Dixon in Salem, Mass. in 1827, produced graphite pencils, crucibles and stove polish, and relocated to Jersey City, N.J. in 1847. In 1868, the firm name changed from Joseph Dixon & Co. to the Jos. Dixon Crucible Co. In 1870 the firm won a trademark case against a Philadelphia competitor selling J.C. Dixon Stove Polish., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1886., Advertising text printed on verso: The Lime Kiln Club, Brother Gardner in the Chair. “Dis Club hab ebery reason to be proud of de Stove Committee. We has tried all de other stove polishes. We has been stunk out wid so-called peperahuns and seen de piping rust to pieces, till de stove-pipe wus a tumbled down disgrace to de good name of de Lime Kiln Club. De honah of dis occashun belongs to Brudder Shindig, who has made a name for hisself, by introducing Dixon’s Big cake of Stove Polish, and has covered hisself wid shine. Stand up, Brudder Shindig, and let us gaze upon your countenance. Now, my frens, let us draw a lesson from dis: Seek and find out for yerselves, and when you’s got a good ting stick to it, so dat, like DIXON’S STOVE POLISH, you may not only be a use to de community in which yer libes, but a shining example for de rest of mankind. “De club owes a vote of thanks to de Stove Committee, an’ to Brudder Shindig in particular, an’ extend de heartfelt thanks of de Lime Kiln Club to DIXONS for de valuable addition to de comfits of dis life through their CARBURET OF IRON STOVE POLISH. Wid one drawback, Brudder Shindig—you orer haf found dis outen befo’ for de DIXON’S STOVE POLISH has bin in de market SINCE 1827,--58 YEARS.” (Signed) No. 1. Bro. Gardner, 2. Old Man Jenkins, 3. Bro. Shindig, 4. Give-A-Dam Jones, 6. Sundown Davis, No. 7. Accordingly Davis, 8. Stepoff Johnson, 9. Trustee Pullback, 10. Sickles Smith, 11. Sir Isaac Walpole, 12. Layback Jones, Committee., Advertising text printed on verso: Fifty-eight years in market! The oldest, the best, the neatest, the quickest. Ask your dealer for Dixon's Stove Polish. Jos. Dixon Crucible Co., Jersey City, N.J. Illustration showing a box of "Dixon's Prepared Carburet of Iron (Trademark) For Polishing Stoves, Grates, Ranges, and Every Kind of Cast and Sheet Iron work.", Purchased with funds from the Walter J. Miller Trust for the Visual Culture Program., RVCDC, 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 the Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
- Date
- 1886
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *trade card - J [P.2012.54.2]
- Title
- "I'm a farder"
- Description
- Set of four collecting cards depicting racist caricatures of African Americans to satirize fatherhood and the question of paternity. Titles are in the vernacular. Includes "I'm a Farder" showing a dapperly-dressed African American man, attired in a white collared shirt, a red tie, a gray waistcoat, a blue jacket, and blue-and-white striped pants. He talks to his "Aunty," an African American woman, attired in a red and yellow head kerchief, hoop earrings, a green and red shawl, a red dress, and a white apron, and holding her hands to her chest; "Aunty Says Der Am Two" showing the man with a sheepish look and his hands in his pockets while "Aunty" smiles; "And Dat One Am kinder White" showing the man aghast and standing straight up as "Aunty" holds out her hands in a near gesture of comfort; and "If Dat Chile Dont Change Color Der'l Be Trouble in Dis Yer Fam'ly" showing the man forlorn, hands in pockets, and looking down at this two infants being held by "Aunty" in her lap, while she sits in a chair under a placard reading "Bless Our Home." The baby in the left has a dark skin tone, and the baby in the right has a light skin tone., Copyrighted., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Purchase 2012., RVCDC, Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation., 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 GC - Genre [P.2012.23.1-4]
- Title
- Is yo' sho' lady when I wears dese stockings I won' fin' ma laigs all black
- Description
- Racist caricature reminiscent of the plate "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?" from E.W. Clay's racist satiric series, Life in Philadelphia, originally published in the late 1820s and early 1830s. Depicts an African American man dressed as a woman attired in a brimmed hat, a long-sleeved dress tied with a bow at the back, a fur shawl, shoes, and with a closed umbrella and a basket at her feet. She sits in front of the counter of a dry goods store and inquires in the vernacular about a pair of dark stockings which she holds. A young white woman sales clerk smiles with her elbows on the counter and displays to the customer a second pair of dark-colored stockings. Bolts of fabric rest on shelves behind the clerk, and socks and hosiery hang above. A white woman customer shops at the other end of the counter, in the right., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1902 by Underwood & Underwood., Printed on mount: Works and Studios. Arlington, N.J. Westwood, N.J. Washington, D.C., Sun sculpture trademark printed on mount., Title printed on verso in six different languages, including French, German, and Spanish., Grey mount with rounded corners., See Life in Philadelphia. "Have you any flesh coloured silk stockings...?" [LCP Life in Philadelphia (Philadelphia) P.9701.9], Purchase 2002., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
- Creator
- Underwood & Underwood
- Date
- 1902
- Location
- Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereos - Underwood & Underwood - Genre [P.2002.31]

