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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., Distributor's imprint printed on recto: John Cottrill, boots, shoes, trunks, &c, Wallingford, Conn., 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.2017.95.130]

Title: Frank Miller's blacking
Description: Racist trade card illustration depicting an African American man walking down a street past two white male onlookers and with a small white man behind him. The African American man stands tall with his right hand tucked into the breast of his coat and his legs crossed. He carries a cane in his left hand and smokes a cigar. He is attired in a top hat, a collared shirt, a bowtie, a coat, striped slim-fitting pants, and heeled shoes. The two white men stand with their hands in their pockets and are attired in top hats, coats, pants, and dark-colored shoes. The small white man stands in an identical pose to the African American man and carries a box in his left hand. He is attired in a coat, a vest, pants with a patch, and shoes. The African American man is depicted with exaggerated features. 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., Text printed on recto: Over., Advertising text printed on verso: Frank Miller's peerless black[in]g. This article will fully meet the requirements [of the] dealer and consumer, as to quality and appearance, [for] the general consumption of the country. It gives a quick [radiant], jet black gloss, without injury to the [?]. 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 pro-cess, with every vluable feature of the French style retained, while such improvements have been made as to insure a dryer and more durable gloss, with increaed pliability of the leather., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1870]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Miller [P.2017.95.129]

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]

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