Full-length portrait of a seated, unidentified young African American man. The man, attired in a white collared shirt, a bow tie, a waistcoat, a jacket with a lapel pin, pants, and laced-up patent leather shoes, rests both hands on his lap. He sits on a wooden chair in a rudimentary studio setting, possibly outside, with a simple fabric backdrop and a carpet on the ground., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred by the attire of the sitter., Purchase 2000., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Part of digital collections catalog through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, Governor, 2013-2014.
Date
[ca. 1900]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - sitter - unidentified [P.9853.6]
Three-quarter length portrait of a seated African American man superimposed in front of a background of an ornate parlor interior. Sitter, attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie, a waistcoat, a jacket with large, decorative buttons, and pants, sits facing forward with his hands on his knees and his head slightly looking right., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from attire of the sitter., 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., Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date
[ca. 1875]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - unidentified male [P.8910.36]
Illustration shows a familiar Philadelphia character: a black wood-sawyer. As the text explains, "This is a hard occupation, followed generally by coloured people. They are old men, and have little ones to support, so that they have to work very hard." Shown in full profile, this mature wood-sawyer carries an axe in his hand and a "Horse" on his back. According to the text, when the wood-sawyer cuts his logs, he puts them on this "curious-four legged machine," which is "very strong, and made of oak or hickory wood." Holding the logs down with one knee, the wood-sawyer cuts off one piece at a time., Illustration in City characters, or, familiar scenes in town (Philadelphia: Geo. S. Appleton; New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1851), p. 96., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Work Scenes.
Date
[1851]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1851 Cit 68429.D p 96, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2785
Three-quarter length portrait of a bearded Black man attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie, a sack coat, and light-colored pants. He sits on a wooden chair facing slightly left with his right hand tucked into his coat., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint stamped on verso., Originally part of a McAllister scrapbook of unidentified portraits. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., 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., Schreiber & Son(s), a Philadelphia partnership of George Schreiber, and his several sons, specialists in portraiture and animal portraiture, were in business from 1857 until 1900, operating at 818 Arch Street from 1867 until 1879.
Creator
Schreiber & Sons, photographer
Date
[ca. 1867]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cdv portraits - photographer - Schreiber & Sons [8313.F.10b]
Three-quarter length portrait of an African American man seated in a wooden Windsor chair in front of the doorway of a house with walls that are cracked with exposed wood. Sitter, wearing white hair and sideburns and attired in a white shirt, a dark-colored jacket and pants, and a dark-colored coat with paint splatters on the elbow and sleeves, holds a hat in his hand as he looks directly at the viewer., Title supplied by cataloger., Originally part of a S.W. Dwayne scrapbook., 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. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - unidentified male [8836.Q.1]
Portrait of an African American man Union soldier, attired in a uniform, a "U.S." belt buckle, and a cap. He holds his rifle over his right shoulder and carries a sleeping mat on his back., Inscribed under title: 843., Title from item., Date inferred from content., Originally part of a McAllister, Hart, Phillips Civil War scrapbook. McAllister Collection, gift, 1886., 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.
Creator
Currier & Ives
Date
[1863]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *GC-Civil War-Soldiers [(9)1540.F]
Double exposure depicting a large African American man, attired in a cap, a short-sleeved shirt torn at the elbows, and an apron. He leans on a ledge and crosses his hands while smoking a pipe and looks to the right in the first exposure and to the left in the other, creating the illusion of "Two Dromios" or twins. Dromio was the name of enslaved twins in Shakespeare's, "Comedy of Errors.", Title from manuscript note by photographer., Signed by photographer on verso., Gift of Elsie Wood Harmon, 1982., 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., Wood, a Philadelphia artist, turned to photography in the 1880s exhibiting his work, including genre studies of African Americans, at national and international photography exhibitions. His photographs won several prizes.
Creator
Wood, George Bacon, 1832-1909, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Wood [P.8743.187]
Satiric scene showing high society, i.e., "bon-ton" in a Philadelphia oyster cellar. A "gentleman" descends the stairwell to the swankly decorated cellar where a motley gathering of men drink, smoke, gossip, and suck oysters. An African American bartender serves drinks from decanters in the left of the image. The bar is adorned with a notice reading "City Privilege still without license." Another African American attends the oyster bar. Plates, crackers, salt, and vinegars line the edge. In the right of the image, a sick-faced patron wobbles and spills his drink next to a tall clock with a decorated face and the inscription "Music has charms." Possibly, the cellar at 806 Market Street operated by African American proprietor James Prosser from about 1830., Inscribed on verso: Said Wm Van [?] of the Walnut/ Chestnut? St. Theatre., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 598, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 38 O 97, LCP exhibit catalogue: Made in America #40., Jackson, Joseph, Encyclopedia of Philadelphia, p. 386-387
Bust-length, forward facing portrait of an African American man. Sitter is attired in a white collared shirt, a black bowtie, and a black jacket. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from photographic medium and attire of the sitter., Pad: Red/brown velvet with geometric design in center surrounded by scrolls., Mat: Oval., Case: Leather. Spray of flowers in a nonpareil like border. Scroll work all around. Plain verso. Design called "Lily and Rose" and is Plate 114 in Floyd and Marion Rinhart's American miniature case art (Cranbury, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes and Co., Inc., 1969.), Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Reproduced on cover and on page 42 of Julie Winch's The Elite of our people (University Park: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000)., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date
[ca. 1850]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.2]
Bust-length, portrait of an African American man facing slightly right. Sitter is attired in a white collared shirt and a dark-colored necktie and jacket. Sitter is probably a member or acquaintance of the Dickerson Family of Philadelphia., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from photographic medium and sitter's attire., Pad: Red velvet with geometric design in center surrounded by scrolls., Mat: Oval., Case: Leather. A small floral spray is within a curlicued border within a modified oval. Scroll work all around. Same design on verso., Gift of Mary P. Dunn, 1993., Lib. Company. Annual report, 1993, p. 17-24., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date
[ca. 1850]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Cased photos - Dickerson Family Collection [P.9427.1]
Copy photograph of a bust-length portrait of a young, unidentified African American man facing forward. The man has rosy-colored cheek, wears a mustache, and is attired in a white collared shirt, a waistcoat, and a jacket., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from dates of operation of the photographer and attire of the sitter., Photographer's imprint stamped on mount., Gift of David Long, 2001., 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
Shaw, Jeremiah H., photographer
Date
[ca. 1891]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Shaw [P.9969.2]
Bust-length studio portrait of an unidentified young African American man. The man, wearing a mustache and attired in a white collared shirt, a striped tie, a waistcoat, and a jacket, faces slightly right., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from operation dates of the photographer and attire of the sitter., Photographer's blindstamp on mount., Purchase 2001., 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
Hurst, Jonathan A., photographer
Date
[ca. 1892]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - misc - unidentified male [P.9967.1]
Full-length portrait of an African American man, attired in a white collared shirt, a pin-striped waistcoat with a watch chain and jacket, lighter-colored pin-striped pants, and shoes. He stands and holds a bowler hat in his right hand and rests his left hand on a chair draped with an animal fur. He is posed in front of a painted backdrop and looks at the viewer., Title supplied by cataloger., Manuscript note on verso: 6420., Purchase 2001., 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
Grier, Andrew A., photographer
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Grier [P.9930.4]
Bust-length portrait depicting an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature, laughing with his head tilted back to the right, eyes closed and mouth wide open, as he reads a "Texas" newspaper. He is attired in a white collared shirt, a tie, and a jacket., Title supplied by cataloger., Gift of Elsie Wood Harmon, 1982., 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., Wood, a Philadelphia artist, turned to photography in the 1880s exhibiting his work, including genre studies of African Americans, in national and international photography exhibitions. His work won several prizes.
Creator
Wood, George Bacon, 1832-1909, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Wood [P.8743.184]
Bust-length portrait depicting an African American man, portrayed in racist caricature, laughing with his head tilted back to the right, eyes slightly open, and mouth wide open, as he reads a "Texas" newspaper. He is attired in a white collared shirt, a tie, and a jacket., Title supplied by cataloger., Gift of Elsie Wood Harmon, 1982., 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., Wood, a Philadelphia artist, turned to photography in the 1880s exhibiting his work, including genre studies of African Americans, in national and international photography exhibitions. His work won several prizes.
Creator
Wood, George Bacon, 1832-1909, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department photo - Wood [P.8743.185]
Full-length portrait depicting the five young African American men, standing in a row, in a studio setting. The men on either end are slightly angled toward the man in the middle. The men have short-cropped hair, some with it parted in the middle. One man also has a mustache. The men are attired in white high collar shirts; bow ties; three-buttoned, dark jackets with flourishes across the chest and on the arms; and dark pants. One man (second from right) wears a black bow tie, while the others wear white ones. The man in the middle wears his jacket unbuttoned, while the others have theirs buttoned. Setting includes a palatial backdrop, a balustrade covered in drapery (in left), the edge of a platform (in right), and a fur rug on which the men stand., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint with insignia printed on mount. Insignia composed of H.W. monogram with flourishes., Date inferred from years (1888-1892) photographer operated at address listed in imprint., Printed on verso: Harry A. Webb, art photographer, 112 and 114 N. 9th St., Philadelphia. Instantaneous process used exclusively. All negatives preserved. Duplicates, enlargements, or lockets. Can be furnished without resitting. Text surrounded by and within pictorial details. Details resemble pine needles, banners, and a circular ornament. The text and pictorial elements are within an ornamented border composed with bark-like details and ornate cornices adorned with floral twigs., Description reviewed 2022., Access points revised 2022., Harry A. Webb, born in England, worked in Philadelphia as a photographer by 1880. He continued in the profession through 1900. By the time of his death in 1927, he worked as a clerk for William H. Horstmann, a dress trimmings, military and regalia manufactory.
Creator
Webb, Harry A., 1847-1927, photographer
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Webb [P.2017.40]
Shows the man, posed slightly to the left, seated on a wooden chair, and his left leg crossed over his right. He looks toward the photographer. His left hand rests in his lap and his right hand rests on the fore edge of the right arm of the chair. He wears a dark-colored suit, white shirt, neck tie, and laced up boots. Image also includes a backdrop and decorated flooring., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint and insignia blindstamped on mount., Paper cover is embossed with floral pictorial details., Gift of J. Murray Atkins Library., Benjamin W. Fowler operated from 238 N. Eighth St., Philadelphia between 1889 and 1917.
Creator
Fowler, Benjamin W., photographer
Date
[ca. 1915]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - photographer - Fowler [P.2022.54]
Illustration shows a familiar Philadelphia character: a black, male rag-picker. He wears a coarse, loose-fitting smock, trousers, and a cap. He carries a basket fastened to a stick over his shoulder and a hooked instrument in his hand. The accompanying text explains, "You see him with his hooked stick exploring heaps of rubbish, and carefully selecting whatever he finds which may be turned to good account, and storing all away in his basket.", Illustration in City characters, or, familiar scenes in town (Philadelphia: Geo. S. Appleton; New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1851), p. 80., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Work Scenes.
Date
[1851]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Am 1851 Cit 68429.D p 80, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2784
Crayon's "conservative philosopher" is a Virginia boot-black named Billy Devilburg, whose tendency to philosophize about boots and social class earned him this title. Devilburg is shown in his shop, where, surrounded by boots, he holds forth on this topic. According to Crayon, Devilburg was "a specimen of his race that merited more than a casual glance." As he wrote, "time had made strong marks upon his face, but good temper and full feeding had kept out the petty wrinkles which indicate decrepitude. His broad forehead, fringed with grizzled wool, imparted an air of dignity to his countenance, his one eye beamed with honesty, while his quiet, deferential manner inspired the respect it tendered." (p. 178), Illustration in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol. 12, no. 68 (January 1856), p. 178., Engraving accompanies Porte Crayon's [i.e., David Hunter Srother's] "Virginia Illustrated. Adventures of Porte Crayon and his Cousins," which was published in book form in 1857. See David Hunter Strother, Virginia Illustrated (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857)., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Work Scenes.
Date
[January 1856]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Per H 9 62992.O v 12 n 68 January 1856 p 178, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2871
Image is set Lynchburg, Virginia, where a party of African American men rest on the bank of the River James. A row-boat and two oars are visible in the left foreground; a wagon occupies the background., Illustration in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol. 12, no. 68 (January 1856), p. 174., Engraving accompanies Porte Crayon's [i.e., David Hunter Srother's] "Virginia Illustrated. Adventures of Porte Crayon and his Cousins," which was published in book form in 1857. See David Hunter Strother, Virginia Illustrated (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1857)., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Scenes from Slave Life.
Date
[January 1856]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Per H 9 62992.O v 12 n 68 January 1856 p 174, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2869
Full-length portrait of a well-dressed young African American man. The man, attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie with a pin, a jacket with a boutonniere, striped suit pants, and shoes, stands his left hand resting on a plaster block in front of a backdrop painted with a tree and grass., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint with insignia stamped on mount., Photographer's advertisement on verso., Mount contains gold border., Accessioned 1988., 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
Fowler Studio, photographer
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Fowler [P.9217]
Full-length portrait of a well-dressed young African American man. The man, attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie with a pin, a jacket with a boutonniere, striped suit pants, and shoes, stands his left hand resting on a plaster block in front of a backdrop painted with a tree and grass., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint with insignia stamped on mount., Photographer's advertisement on verso., Mount contains gold border., Accessioned 1988., 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
Fowler Studio, photographer
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Fowler [P.9217]
View showing an African American man sitting on an enbankment next to a stairwell to a building adorned with ornamental ironwork. The man hangs his head down, his hands together, and his elbows on his knees. He is attired in a cap, jacket, pants and laced shoes. A jagged cobblestone walkway is visible in the foreground., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from date inscribed on other photographs in the series., Part of a number of views taken by Fetters within a series of his work in the Swayne Collection [P.2017.88.76.1-52]., Description reviewed 2022., Access points reviewed 2022.
Creator
Fetters, H.
Date
[ca. 1937]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Robert Swayne Collection [P.2017.88.76.38]
Sheet music cover containing a genre scene showing minstrel performer Dan Bryant in the character of "Old Black Joe." "Joe," attired in worn and torn clothing, sits on a chair with a book in his lap and with one foot propped on a stool next to a white girl, wearing a ribbon in her hair and attired in a short-sleeved dress with ruffles. The girl sits on her knees and holds an edge of the book as she reads. Also includes a chest of drawers, jugs, and a pitcher. Scene based on a Napoleon Sarony photograph of Bryant in the character of Uncle Tom. Photograph in the Harvard Theatre Collection, The Houghton Library, Harvard College, Boston, MA., 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: Entry according to act of Congress in the year 1860 by Firth, Pond & Co. in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern Dist. of New York., Printed above the image: Ten Thousand Copies Sold., Names of nine additional publishers printed on the recto. Includes Chicago, Root & Sons; San Francisco, M. Gray; St. Paul, J.A. Weide; Pittsburg, H. Kleber & Bro.; Milwaukee, H. N. Hempsted; Savannah, Ludden & Bates; San Jose, A. Waldteufel; Houston, E. H. Cushing; New Haven, Skinner & Sperry., Manuscript note on recto: 4th Edition., Manuscript note on verso: First Ed. (same year) by Firth, Pond & Co., Gift of S. Marguerite Brenner, 1984., 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., Description of Blackface minstrelsy and minstrel characters from Dorothy Berry, Descriptive Equity and Clarity around Blackface Minstrelsy in H(arvard) T(heater) C(ollection) Collections, 2021.
Date
1860
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC- Entertainment [9156.F]
Glass negative showing a half-length portrait of James Rodgers. Rodgers, attired in a cap, a white collared shirt, a patterned tie with a pin, a waistcoat, and a jacket, sits on a wooden bench in a garden facing slightly left. Trees and the rear of a house are visible in the background., Title supplied by cataloger., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitization and cataloging has been made possible through the generosity of David Marriott Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, and William Perot Morris in memory of Marriott Canby Morris and his children: Elliston Perot Morris, Marriott Canby Morris Jr., and Janet Morris and in acknowledgment of his grandchildren: William Perot Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, Jonathan White Morris, and David Marriott Morris., Edited.
Creator
Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Marriott C. Morris Collection [P.9895.87.9]
Glass negative showing James Rodgers standing outside a house next to a shuttered window. Rodgers, attired in a cap, a white collared shirt, a tie, a waistcoat, a jacket, and pants, stands with his right knee slightly bent and his arms at his sides., Title supplied by cataloger., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitization and cataloging has been made possible through the generosity of David Marriott Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, and William Perot Morris in memory of Marriott Canby Morris and his children: Elliston Perot Morris, Marriott Canby Morris Jr., and Janet Morris and in acknowledgment of his grandchildren: William Perot Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, Jonathan White Morris, and David Marriott Morris., Edited.
Creator
Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Marriott C. Morris Collection [P.9895.87.5]
Three-quarter length portrait of an African American man standing with his hands behind his back facing slightly left. He is attired in a white collared shirt, a bowtie, a waistcoat, a jacket, and pants. His jacket is adorned with a ribbon on his lapel, and there is a watch chain on his waistcoat, both decorated with metal stars, possibly signifying his membership within a fraternal lodge., Title supplied by cataloger., Mount contains gold border., Gift of Mrs. Barbara Jacobsen, 1988., Image slightly out of focus., 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
Graeff, photographer
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Graeff [P.9216]
Scene depicting a group of four African American men singing and playing guitars while surrounded by spectators, seated on the deck of a riverboat, possibly in Tennessee. The musicians sit on a raised platform with their feet dangling. The third performer to the right plays a star shaped guitar and sings with his head tilted back and mouth wide open. He props his right foot on a stool. In the right, two African American men sit in wooden chairs. Surrounding the musicians, white men, women, and children sit and stand and look on. In the background, people walk on the deck and the smokestacks are visible., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred from content and attire of the sitters., Gift of Elsie Wood Harmon, 1982., 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., Wood, a Philadelphia artist, turned to photography in the 1880s exhibiting his work, including genre scenes of African Americans, at national and international photography exhibitions. His photographs won several prizes.
Creator
Wood, George Bacon, 1832-1909, photographer
Date
[ca. 1885]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Photographs-Wood [P.8743.189]
Racist print, possibly a performance handbill, depicting a simian rider attired in a military uniform and a plumed hat. He holds an American flag as he stands on top of the horse's saddle, which gallops in a circus ring., Title supplied by cataloger., Print pasted on back of ledger page with manuscript notes., Possibly by engraver Samuel Anness who resided in Philadelphia in 1818., Purchase 1997., 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. 1835]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department GC - Entertainment [P.9557.2b]
Racist trade card promoting the William Rogers Manufacturing Company’s silver plated ware and depicting a caricature of an African American man sitting before an easel painting. Shows the man, attired in a yellow, brimmed hat, a white collared shirt with blue polka dots, a yellow jacket with tails, white pants with a blue stripe, and black shoes, sitting on a wooden stool before an easel. He holds a palette in his left hand and lifts a paint brush up to the canvas with his right hand. He paints blue flourishes as he tilts his head back blowing smoke up into the air. William Rogers founded the William Rogers Manufacturing Company in 1865 in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm became part of the International Silver Company in 1898., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date inferred from title., Advertising text printed on verso: Buy the celebrated Rogers brand of Silver Plated Ware. Best in the World. Manufactured by the Wm. Rogers MFG. Co., Hartford, Conn., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[1891]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Wm. Rogers [P.2017.95.192]
Racist trade card depicting an African American man attired in rumpled, ragged clothes, likely a caricature of a tramp. The tramp-like figure is attired in a white cap, an orange scarf wrapped around his head and tied at his neck; a brown coat with the elbow torn open; oversized beige pants; and gray shoes. He looks to the left with his eyes as he stretches his hand down into his coat pocket. Eli P. Buckley (1831-1899) worked as a stationer at 3950 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA as early as 1858. He operated his stationery store at the address until his death when his children continued to run the business as late as 1910., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business and visual content., Advertising text printed on verso: The largest and most complete stock of blank books and general stationery to be found in West Philad'a is at the old established stationery store Buckley's 3950 Market Street, West Philad'a., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Buckley [P.2017.95.18]
Racist trade card promoting the Globe Clothing House in Baltimore and depicting a caricature of a fashionably dressed African American man carrying a cane. Shows an African American man attired in black dress shoes, white socks, black pants, a white collared shirt and bowtie, a red waistcoat, and a green jacket with tails. He opens his mouth in a smile as he struts carrying a cane in his right hand. The trade card is shaped like an artist's palette with colorful paints in the left. The Globe Clothing House opened on 25 N. Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD in 1882. Austin J. Kuhns & Co. acquired the store in September, 1885., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Card is shaped like an artist's palette., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1882]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Globe [P.2017.95.71]
Trimmed trade card promoting Gilbert S. Graves’s Lustre Starch. Depicts a racist caricature of an African American man portrayed with exaggerated features tipping his hat. Shows an African American man attired in a black top hat, a white collared shirt, a red bowtie, a yellow waistcoat, a blue jacket with tails, and white striped pants. He is attired with numerous accessories, including a red flower boutonniere on his lapel, a gold pendant pinned to the center of his white shirt, a gold pocket-watch chain, gold cufflinks, and a gold ring on the pinky of his right hand. The man stands with his right arm behind his back while he raises his top hat off his head with his left hand. Gilbert S. Graves (1849-1935) founded a corn starch manufactory in Buffalo in 1877. It was acquired by United Starch Company in 1899., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: H.H. Sayles & Co., wholesale grocers, Elmira, N.Y., Card is trimmed at the top and bottom., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - H.H. Sayles [P.2017.95.78]
Racist, trade card specimen depicting a caricature of an African American man minstrel drummer. Shows the man, in near profile, smiling and beating drumsticks on a drum strapped to his chest. He is attired in black shoes; pants with a stripe; a white jacket with flowers and long tails, with large buttons; a white ruffled shirt with a high collar; and a white top hat with a black band., Title devised by cataloger., Date deduced from the visual content., Printed in blue ink., Text stamped on recto: [No.] 478, 4 designs, price $1.55 per 1000., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. 3 [P.2017.95.214]
Racist trade card promoting the William Rogers Manufacturing Company’s silver plated ware and depicting a caricature of an African American man combing his hair and looking into a mirror. Shows the man attired in a white-collared shirt with pink stripes, a yellow bowtie, a blue jacket with tails, a yellow and pink flower boutonniere, a yellow waistcoat, white pants with pink stripes, and black shoes. He bends forward at the waist and smiles as he looks into a mirror to comb his hair. He holds the comb with his right hand and holds a brush in his left hand. The mirror is on a small table that is covered with a white tablecloth. An upside down, black top hat sits on the table. William Rogers founded the William Rogers Manufacturing Company in 1865 in Hartford, Connecticut. The firm became part of the International Silver Company in 1898., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of the advertised business., Date inferred from title., Advertising text printed on verso: Buy the celebrated Rogers brand of Silver Plated Ware. Best in the World. Manufactured by the Wm. Rogers MFG. Co., Hartford, Conn., Gift of David Doret.
Date
[1891]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Wm. Rogers [P.2017.95.191]
Racist trade card illustration promoting Connecticut music dealer J.H. Short and depicting an African American male dandy, with a sheepish expresion, and posed with one hand to his lips and his other hand holding a top hat at his shoulder. He wears a ruffled white shirt, white vest adorned with a wa4tch fob, gold waist coat with tails, and bright blue and white striped pants. He stands in front of a background of fauna details., Title from item., Text printed on recto: I'se a Dude!, Gift of David Doret.
Date
[ca. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Short [P.2017.95.157]
Portrait photograph showing two African American men, side-by-side, attired in suits, as well as top hats with advertising text for Charles S. Higgins Company soap. One hat reads "Try it" and the other reads "Higgins German Laundry soap is the best." One man holds a swagger stick and the other a walking cane, and both stand in front of a backdrop depicting a bucolic mountain scene. Charles S. Higgins Company, established by Higgins's father W. B. Higgins in Brooklyn in 1846, manufactured "German Laundry soap" beginning around 1860, when Charles assumed the business. The laundry soap was packaged in a wrapper illustrated with an African American woman washing in a tub. By the early 1890s Charles S. Higgins left the firm still operated under his name and formed Higgins Soap Company. Court proceedings over trademarks and tradenames ensued and Higgins Soap Company became insolvent by the mid 1890s., Title supplied by cataloger., Photographer's imprint printed on verso. Includes illustration of a paint palette., Purchased with funds from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation.
Creator
Block, B., photographer
Date
[ca. 1870]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cdv portraits - group - advertisements - Higgins [P.2013.26]
Illustrated trade card advertising George E. Maxwell's paint and depicting an African American man carrying a bucket of gypsum and a brush over his shoulder. He stands, attired in a white collared shirt, a tie, a red waistcoat, a black jacket, pants, and bowler hat, in front of a window displaying barrels of "Maxwell's gypsum.", Title from item., Date inferred from operating dates of advertised business., Advertising text promoting Maxwell's prepared gypsum for whitening and coloring walls, fences, barns printed on verso. Also notes awards (First Premium, Special Diploma) issued by the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society in 1880., Imprint printed on verso: For sale by Geo. E. Maxwell, No. 528 South 16th Street, Philadelphia., Stamped in red ink twice on recto and once on verso: 1431 South St., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883., 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.
Creator
Rogers, E. (Edward), 1831 or 1832-, engraver
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Maxwell's [1975.F.632]
View of the bandstand, built in 1872, on George's Hill near Fifty-Second Street in West Fairmount Park. Also shows a flag pole and three horse-drawn coaches with passengers parked in the foreground. Two African American men, possibly carriage drivers, stand nearby. The hill was given to the city by siblings Jesse and Rebecca George in 1868., Title from manuscript note on mount., Photographer's imprint obscured by photograph pasted on mount., Stamped on verso: Copyrighted Kiralfy Bros., Philadelphia, 1876., Pink curved mount with rounded corners., 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 Ms. Jane Carson James, 1990., Digitized.
Creator
R. Newell & Son, photographer
Date
1876
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Newell - Parks [P.9299.83]
Racist, satiric genre scene staged in a cargo hold setting. In the left, shows a well-dressed white man attired in a floor-length overcoat and bowler hat with valises at his side. He stands and watches an African American worker, attired in a cap and overalls, who secures the man's trunk with rope and his foot. Clothes hang out of and lie in front of the trunk. Stacks of trunks and valises line the wall in the background., Title from label on negative., Buff mount with rounded corners., Distributor's imprint stamped on verso: Robert Miller, 1110 W. Nor'W St., Gift of George R. Allen, 2013., RVCDC, Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., The Standard Series of New York was a producer of pirated views during the 1890s.
Date
[ca. 1895]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - unidentified - Genre [P.2013.65.14]
View showing the interior of a dining car of a train of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Two African American waiters, wearing mustaches and attired in white suits, stand among tables adorned in table cloths and with seating for four. In the background, a beverage service, including bottles, silver ice buckets, silver bowls, and possibly a decanter are visible. View also includes hooks above the car windows and light fixtures on the ceiling. One of the waiters carries a bottle of champagne on a tray. In June 1887, the Pennsylvania Limited began running between New York and Chicago, which was replaced by the Pennsylvania Special in 1902 and by the Broadway Limited in 1912., Title from item., Copyrighted., Additional places of publication printed on mount, including St. Louis and Liverpool, Eng., Griffith & Griffith, established in Philadelphia in 1896, expanded in 1908 to included offices in St. Louis and Liverpool. The non-Philadelphia offices were relocated in 1910., Purchase 2013., 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.
Creator
Rau, William Herman, 1855-1920
Date
[ca. 1900]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Rau - Transportation [P.2013.1]
Glass negative showing three young African American men posing in front of a wooden fence behind the Swannanoa Hotel. In the left, the man, attired in a cap, a scarf, a waistcoat, a jacket, pants with the bottoms rolled up, shoes, and a wedding ring, smiles and looks at the viewer as he holds a banjo. In the center, the shorter, young man, attired in a brimmed hat, a white shirt, a checked jacket, a coat, pants, and shoes, smiles and looks at the viewer with his hands in his coat pockets. The man in the right, attired in a cap, a collared shirt, a tie, a scarf, a waistcoat, a jacket, striped pants, and shoes, looks at the viewer and holds a banjo., Time: 10 A.M., Light: Fair sun., Purchase 2001., Description revised 2022., Access points revised 2022., Digitization and cataloging has been made possible through the generosity of David Marriott Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, and William Perot Morris in memory of Marriott Canby Morris and his children: Elliston Perot Morris, Marriott Canby Morris Jr., and Janet Morris and in acknowledgment of his grandchildren: William Perot Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox, Jonathan White Morris, and David Marriott Morris., Edited.
Creator
Morris, Marriott Canby, 1863-1948, photographer
Date
March 28, 1890
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Marriott C. Morris Collection [P.9895.1611]
View showing the Wissahickon Creek hostelry, reconstructed out of the log cabin built during William Henry Harrison's 1840 presidential campaign, operated by Tommy Llewellyn. The hotel, containing a dining room, drinking room, and ladies saloon, also displayed wildlife as a novelty attraction. A white woman and an African American man with a horse stand in front of the hotel. The creek is visible in the foreground. The hotel was razed in 1872., Title supplied by cataloger., Pink mount with rounded corners., Photographer's imprint printed on mount., Publisher's imprint printed on verso., Inscribed in negative: 76., Printed on mount: No. 4., Reissue of circa 1870 view entitled "Old Log Cabin" by R. Newell & Son of Philadelphia from the series Stereoscopic views. Fairmount Park views., Gift of Robert M. Vogel, 1984., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
R. Newell & Son, photographer
Date
1876
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Newell - Hotels [P.9047.95]
Depicts a sailboat with the sail up on the Delaware River. Six passengers, including an African American man, sit within the boat. Trees are visible along the shoreline in the background., Green mount with square corners., Title from manuscript note on paper label on verso., Manuscript note on verso: Fred S. Wiese No. 33., Purchase 2002., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
Newell, Robert, 1822-1897, photographer
Date
[ca. 1868]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Newell [P.2002.4.3]
Depicts a sailboat on the Delaware River with a two-men crew. At the bow, a white man leans his right hand on the boom, which the sail is rolled around. Behind him, an African American man leans his right elbow on the boom and stands with his left hand on his hip. Trees along the shoreline are visual in the background., Green mount with square corners., Title from manuscript note on paper label on verso., Manuscript note on verso: Fred S. Wiese No. 34., Purchase 2002., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021., Digitization funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator
Newell, Robert, 1822-1897, photographer
Date
[ca. 1868]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - Newell - Views [P.2002.4.4]
Full-length portrait of an African American man, wearing a mustache and attired in a white collared shirt, a waistcoat, a jacket, a riding coat, and pants, standing in front of a backdrop adorned with ornate decorative columns. He holds a walking stick, crosses his right leg over his left, and leans on a balustrade on which a top hat rests. A white and brown spaniel dog lies in the foreground., Photographer's imprint printed on verso., Title supplied by cataloger., Purchase 2001., 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., Parlor Gallery, operated by Lewis Horning, was in business at 523 South 9th Street from around 1876 until 1885.
Creator
Parlor Gallery (Firm), photographer
Date
[ca. 1880]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department cabinet card portraits - photographer - Parlor [P.9981.7]
Depicts an older African American man, possibly a sharecropper, sitting on a donkey. The man has gray hair and stubble and is attired in a hat, and a torn and worn collared coat, pants, and shoes. He sits on a worn saddle and hold the reins to the donkey. Within the fenced in farmyard is a shed made from planks of board, a plow, and more farming equipment. Trees are visible in the background., Title supplied by cataloger., Date inferred by photograph medium and content., Gift of James Tanis, 2001., 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. 1890]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department portrait photographs - unidentified male [P.9978.2]
View of a large number of neatly arranged barrels, probably on a dock, with a sailing ship in the background. Several African American men workers are visible moving the barrels by rolling them., Title from item., Date inferred from photographic medium and content., View is numbered 193 in a series., Purchase 1998., 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.
Date
[ca. 1920]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department stereo - unidentified - work [P.9600.15]
Aboard a steamer on the Mississippi River, a black deck-hand and a fiddler hold their own "Virginia hoe-down." The engraving accompanies T.B. Thorpe's "Remembrances of the Mississippi," and corresponds with a passage in which he describes the festive, light-hearted, and "happy" nature of "the negroes of the Mississippi." "With professional boat-men," Thorpe wrote," they are always favorites, and at night, when the 'old ark' is tied up, their acme of human felicity is a game of 'old sledge,' enlivened by a fiddle. On such ocassions the master of the instrument will touch off the 'Arkansas traveler,' and then gradually sliding into a 'Virginia hoe-down,' he will be accompanied by a genuine darkie keeping time, on the light and fantastic heel-and-toe tap." (p. 37) As the deck-hand dances and the fiddler plays, two boatmen play cards and a third looks on., Illustration in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, vol. 12, no. 67 (December 1855), p. 38., Fels Afro-Americana Image Project, Scenes from Slave Life.
Date
[December 1855]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Books & Other Texts | Rare Per H 9 62992.O v 12 n 67 December 1855 p 38, https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/Islandora%3A2868
