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Title: Which wi[ll let go] first, the dog or the darkey
Description: Racist, trade card specimen depicting caricatures of two African American men stealing watermelons from a farm. Shows the barefooted, African American man, attired in a long-sleeved shirt and ragged pants, carrying a watermelon under each arm as he tries to get over a wooden fence. He has a fearful expression on his face as a dog has ripped and holds the back of his pants in its mouth. Another barefooted, African American man, attired in a long-sleeved shirt and striped pants, opens his mouth in alarm as he has fallen over the fence and landed face down with his legs in the air. The pieces of a smashed watermelon lie on the ground beside him. In the right background is a house and a white man, attired in a hat and carrying a rifle, moving towards the fence., Title from item., Date deduced from the visual content., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Misc. - Which [P.2017.95.211]

Title: Ole zip coon. Use kitchen and hand, mineral soap
Description: Trade card promoting soap manufacturer Chas. F. Bates & Co. and 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 is attired in blue pants, a blue and white plaid shirt, and black boots. 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. Charles F. Bates (1842-1925) founded the soap manufacturing company Chas. F. Bates & Co., which operated from the 1870s to the 1920s., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Name of the publisher from copyright statement: Copyrighted Bufford, Boston., Advertising text printed on verso: Notice. To Mechanics, laborers, workingmen, clerks, book-keepers, and others, who are engaged in using ink, this soap is of the greatest benefit. [For] removing ink, pitch, cement, varnish, paint, wheel grease, and all impurities and stains, from the hands, it is excellent and unequalled. It is the best that can be used in the counting-house, office, workshop, or kitchen. Try it, and you will be satisfied that it is the "Ne Plus Extra" for washing hands, and no one should be without it. Any quantity of references and recommendations can be given by persons who have used it, but as all will wish to try it, we now offer it to the public on its merits. Every house-keeper should be certain to use it, as it is of great benefit for all kitchen purposes. Beware of imitations which may be offered. For sale by all grocers. Chas. F. Bates & Co. Proprietors and [Ma]nufacturers, 44 Broad Street, Boston, Mass. Factory at Wollaston, Mass., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Chas F. Bates [P.2017.95.24]

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. "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: Happy Lil' Sal as the queen of the May
Description: Racist cartoon containing vignettes about a group of African American children, portrayed in caricature, at a May Day party where Happy Lil’ Sal and Por Lil' Mose are crowned as Queen and King. In the left, Mose, attired in a gold crown, a blue sailor suit, and blue shoes, stands holding the may pole. Sal, attired in a gold crown, red roses around her head and neck, a pink dress, yellow stockings, and white shoes, carries sunflowers. At the bottom, a group of African American children hold ribbons and dance around the may pole in exaggerated movements as a boy sits on a wooden fence playing the banjo. The center vignette depicts white men thieves, attired in torn and worn clothes, stealing baskets with the children’s lunch. In the right, a rain storm soaks Mose and Sal, and the wind blows the children off their feet while holding umbrellas. Along the top, shows the parade of children, led by Sal and Mose, followed by a boy playing the drum, children holding ribbons on the may pole, a dog pulling a wagon labeled, “the Prince of May” carrying a small boy, boys carrying the picnic baskets, and a boy playing the horn. Contains 25 lines of text written in the vernacular explicating the vignettes which end with the line "Por lil' Mose., Title from item., Date from copyright statement: Copyright 1901 by the New York Herald Co., The "Por lil Mose" series was published in the New York Herald from 1901 until 1902., Purchase 1978., 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., Richard Felton Outcault (1868-1928) is known as the creator of the first published full page comic. He is also the creator of "Buster Brown."
Creator: Outcault, Richard Felton, 1863-1928, artist
Date: 1901
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department political cartoons - 1901 Hap [P.8435]

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