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Title: Bought of George A. Clark & Brother, sole agents for the Clark Thread Company. 14 South Fifth Street. Clark's O.N.T. crochet & darning cotton's
Description: Billhead for the Philadelphia retail branch of the New York firm containing a vignette image showing "Clark's O.N.T. Spool Cotton" spool of thread. Clark, a native Scotsman, established an American house in New York for the exclusive distribution of cotton thread in 1855 and built a manufactory in Newark circa 1865., Completed in manuscript to Mr. Jas. R. Mercer on March 27th, 1893 for "34 B[?] Ball[?] 200 yds, 45, $15.30; 2 @ 6%, $3.80: $11.50 net., Printed on recto: Terms Cash, In Bankable Funds Within 30 Days. This Bill is Net Cash., Calculations in ink on recto., Manuscript note on recto: Will forward balance of order soon as received from our mill., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of Helen Beitler and Estate of Helen Beitler.
Date: [ca. 1890]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helen Beitler Graphic Ephemera Collection - Receipts [P.2011.10.133]

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., 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 For Sale By E. Erdman, Dealer in Dry Goods, Notions, Queensware, Groceries, and General Merchandise, Rucksville, Pa., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.119]

Title: Brook's prize medal spool cotton. Hand & machine sewing
Description: Illustrated trade card depicting two groups of men demonstrating the strength of Brook's cotton thread by playing tug of war with it on a dirt path near a body of water. A goat stands on its hind legs on top of a spool of cotton labeled "Brook's six cord 40" in the foreground. Another spool labeled "Brook's patent glace thread 50" sits adjacent to the first., Text printed on verso lists medals and awards won by the company in various world cities between 1851 and 1880., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Brook's [1975.F.47]

Title: Use Merrick's thread. "Gully this cotton beats 'em all!"
Description: Racist trade card promoting Merrick thread and depicting a domestic scene of an older African American man sewing. Shows the man, in a cabin setting, seated atop a stool, his feet slightly turned in, and mending the seat of a pair of blue pants. The man holds th epants in his left hand and pulls a needle and thread through a patch on the pants in his right. The thread comes from a large spool beside the man which is marked with "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8" logo. Behind the man is a window with a sill. Plants line the window sill. A candelabrum rests on a shelf attached to the wall below the window. The man is attired in a red button-down shirt, blue suspenders, brown pants, and brown shoes. 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., Title from item., Date inferred from content and genre of print., Several lines of advertising text printed on verso. Verso is defaced and text is illegible., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.122]

Title: If dat ar fish knowd dis wor Merrick's thread, he wouldnt ha bit Merrick Thread Co. Best six cord 8
Description: Racist trade card for the Merrick Thread Company at 248 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia and depicting Black men, attired only in loincloths, pulling a captured whale onto a beach. The five men, portrayed in racist caricature, stand on the beach and hold onto the thread coming from an oversized spool labeled, "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8," in the right. The whale with an open mouth of sharp teeth is pulled from the ocean onto the beach. In the background, two men run, and palm trees are visible in the right. 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., Title from item., Date inferred from date of operation of advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso promotes Merrick Thread Co.'s best six cord soft finish spool cotton for machine & hand sewing and offers patrons "two lithoed water-color engravings" and "Sunshine for Little Children" on receipt of twenty-five cents., 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 - Merrick [P.2002.30]

Title: Merrick Thread Co. "The rhinoceros feels safe to tread his lofty way on Merrick's thread."
Description: Racist trade card promoting Merrick thread. Depicts a scene showing an animal act managed by a bare-breasted African woman. The woman holds a thread in her right hand that is tied around the horn of the rhinoceros walking a tightrope. The rhinoceros balances on his left leg on the white tightrope attached to two intersecting poles on one end. The woman, her hair pulled into a bun and adorned with two red feathers, is attired in a white sarong, a gold hoop earring, and a gold bracelet on her left arm. She is depicted with exaggerated features. She holds a spiked club to the ground in her left hand. Behind the woman is a spool of thread which is marked with "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8" logo. 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, B.A. Glase's Son, was owned by John Oscar Glase, who inherited the business from his father Benneville A. Glase after his death in 1882., 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: B.A. Glase's Son, General Merchandise, Friedensburg, Pa., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.123]

Title: Use Merrick's thread. "Gully this cotton beats 'em all!"
Description: Racist trade card promoting Merrick thread and depicting a domestic scene of an older African American man sewing. Shows the man, in a cabin setting, seated atop a stool, his feet slightly turned in, and mending the seat of a pair of blue pants. The man holds the pants in his left hand and pulls a needle and thread through a patch on the pants in his right. The thread comes from a large spool beside the man which is marked with "Merrick Thread Co. Best Six Cord 8" logo. Behind the man is a window with a sill, which is lined with potted plants. A candle holder rests on a shelf attached to the wall below the window. The man is attired in a red button-down shirt, blue suspenders, brown pants, and brown shoes. 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., 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 these threads are made from the finest quality of combed sea island cotton, and for strength, evenness, elasticity and smoothness surpass anything in the market. By the use of the "ready wound bobbins" the annoyance of winding the iron bobbin is done away with, and a more perfect stitch obtained. When in want of more thread, don't fail to ask for Merrick's., See related copy: Goldman Trade Card Collection - Merrick [P.2017.95.122], Gift of George Allen, 2022., RVCDC
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade cards - M - Merrick [P.2022.42.10]

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: Factories of Brainerd & Armstrong Co
Description: Contains views of the dye house, spinning and twisting mill, and weaving and spooling mill of Brainerd & Armstrong Co., Number 2697 on recto., Text on verso., Sheet number: 40A02A, Digitized with funding from a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012.
Creator: Brightbill, George M., collector
Date: ca. 1910
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Brightbill postcards [Business and Industry - Miscellaneous - 40]

Title: Clark's mile-end 60 spool cotton
Description: Racist trade card promoting Clark Thread Company and depicting a genre scene of an African American man and woman in conversation on a country road. The man and woman are portrayed with exaggerated features and speaking in the vernacular. Shows, in the left, the man standing on a dirt road and holding a piece of thread attached to a giant spool labeled "Clark's mile-end 60 spool thread." He is attired in black boots; yellow striped pants with patches on the knees and rolled to his calves; a white shirt; a red vest; and a green jacket. His straw hat is upturned on the ground beside him. In the right, an African American woman sits in a horse-drawn wagon holding the reins to a white horse. She tells the man "luck I got a spool to mend yer clos' with." She is attired in a yellow head kerchief and a red dress with yellow trim at the neck. The George A. Clark & Brother Company, manufactory of embroidery and sewing thread, was founded in 1863 in Newark, N.J. The firm was renamed Clark & Co. in 1879, and in the 1880s created a six-cord, soft finished thread called "Our New Thread" or "O.N.T." The business merged with J. & P. Coats in 1896, which lead to a series of mergers with fourteen other companies. Into the 21st century, the company continues to manufacture thread under the name Coats & Clark., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Text on recto: Ef dat mile end thread don't hold, dere ain't anything- lucky I got a spool to mend yer old clos' with., Advertising text printed on verso: Clark's Mile-End Spool Cotton is the best for hand and machine sewing. Clark's Mile-End Colors are made expressly to match the leading shades of dress goods, and are unsurpassed both in quality and color. Clark's Mile-End Spool Cotton is six-cord in all numbers to 100 inclusive., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Clark [P.2017.95.33]

Title: Clark's mile-end 60 spool cotton
Description: Racist trade card promoting Clark Thread Company and depicting a genre scene of an African American man and woman in conversation on a country road. The man and woman are portrayed with exaggerated features and speaking in the vernacular. Shows, in the left, the man standing on a dirt road and holding a piece of thread attached to a giant spool labeled "Clark's mile-end 60 spool thread." He is attired in black boots; yellow striped pants with patches on the knees and rolled to his calves; a white shirt; a red vest; and a green jacket. His straw hat is upturned on the ground beside him. In the right, an African American woman sits in a horse-drawn wagon holding the reins to a white horse. She tells the man, "Ef dat mile end thread don't hold, dere ain't anything - lucky I got a spool to mend yer old clos' with." She is attired in a yellow head kerchief and a red dress with yellow trim at the neck. The George A. Clark & Brother Company, manufactory of embroidery and sewing thread, was founded in 1863 in Newark, N.J. The firm was renamed Clark & Co. in 1879, and in the 1880s created a six-cord, soft finished thread called "Our New Thread" or "O.N.T." The business merged with J. & P. Coats in 1896, which lead to a series of mergers with fourteen other companies. Into the 21st century, the company continues to manufacture thread under the name Coats & Clark., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Text on recto: Ef dat mile end thread don't hold, dere ain't anything- lucky I got a spool to mend yer old clos' with., Advertising text printed on verso: Clark's Mile-End Spool Cotton is the best for hand and machine sewing. Clark's Mile-End Colors are made expressly to match the leading shades of dress goods, and are unsurpassed both in quality and color. Clark's Mile-End Spool Cotton is six-cord in all numbers to 100 inclusive., Stamp on the recto is illegible., See related copy: Goldman Trade Card Collection - Clark [P.2017.95.33]., Gift of George Allen, 2022., RVCDC
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Trade cards - C - Clark's [P.2022.42.7]

Title: [Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton trade cards]
Description: Series of illustrated trade cards for Clark Thread Company's O.N.T. spool cotton. Illustrations depict children in various settings, including flying a kite with a thread from Clark's O.N.T. spool and a little girl fishing. Also shows a family walking with their dog on the sidewalk in front of a large advertisement for Clark's; a mother sewing buttons onto her daughter's coat; and a mother using a Clark's spool thread to keep her walking toddler from falling., Title supplied by cataloger., Printers and engravers include Wemple & Kronheim (N.Y.) and Chas. Shields Sons' (N.Y.)., Two prints [1975.F.213 and 1975.F.879] contain advertising text printed on rectos and versos for Joseph H. Traeger's foreign and domestic dry goods store in Bethlehem, Pa., Two prints [1975.F.186 and 1975.F.190] contain six-month calendars on versos., One print [P.9988.2], die cut and shaped into a cylinder, contains advertising text for Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton on verso along with a distributor's stamp: Holm & McKay, 50, Worcester, Mass., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date: [ca. 1883]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Clark's O.N.T. [1975.F.147; 1975.F.186; 1975.F.190; 1975.F.213; 1975.F.879; P.9988.2]

Title: Clark's trademark O.N.T. spool cotton
Description: Trade card promoting Clark Thread Company and depicting a racist caricature of an African American boy fishing with Clark thread. The boy is portrayed with exaggerated facial features and expressions. Shows the boy seated and with his legs straddling a giant spool of thread labeled, "Clark's trademark O.N.T. spool cotton" at the edge of a river. The boy holds a fishing rod across his chest and attempts to break the cotton thread, which he is using as fishing line. He looks at the viewer and says in the vernacular "I reckon dis yere's strong 'nuff suah." He is barefoot and attired in blue pants with red patches at the knees; an orange shirt with ragged sleeves; a green vest; and a brown cap. In the right on the ground at his feet is an orange-labeled canister from which worms escape. In the background is tall grass and the multi-colored horizon. In the foreground, the edge of the spool, the canister, and end of the rod are reflected in the water. The George A. Clark & Brother Company, manufactory of embroidery and sewing thread, was founded in 1863 in Newark, N.J. The firm was renamed Clark & Co. in 1879, and in the 1880s created a six-cord, soft finished thread called "Our New Thread" or "O.N.T." The business merged with J. & P. Coats in 1896, which lead to a series of mergers with fourteen other companies. Into the 21st century, the company continues to manufacture thread under the name Coats & Clark., Title from item., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of advertised business., Text printed on recto: "I reckon dis yere's strong 'nuff suah.", Advertising text printed on verso: Clark's O.N.T. spool cotton. In white, fast black, and bright colors. Sold everywhere., Distributor's imprint printed on verso: George A. Clark, sole agent., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Clark [P.2017.95.30]

Title: Kerr & Co., 34 Walker St. N.Y
Description: Trade card promoting Kerr & Co.’s thread and depicting a racist caricature of an African American man using Kerr’s thread to move a safe onto a cart. In the right, shows an African American man, attired in a yellow hat, an orange shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and green pants, standing on the back of a cart pulled by two white horses. He turns the handle attached to an oversized spool of “Kerr’s Cotton” thread, which is pulling a large, black safe labeled, “Herring’s Champion New York; Kerr & Co., 34 Walker St. N.Y.” onto the cart. A white man, attired in a black hat, an orange shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, and green pants, stands behind the safe to steady it. In the left, a crowd of people look on to the scene, including a white man police officer; a brown haired white girl attired in an orange hat, an orange dress with a white lace collar and a blue sash at the waist, and white stockings and shoes; a white man with a black mustache, attired in a black top hat, a white shirt, a black jacket, a yellow coat, and white pants and shoes; and a white woman attired in an orange hat with a white feather, an orange dress with white checks, and a black shawl. Above them a crane holds an oversized spool of black thread labeled, “Kerr & Co. Warranted 200 yds machine thread. Six cord (40) soft finish.” In the right is a building where people look through the windows at the scene. In the second story window in the left are two white men with mustaches attired in white collared shirts and blue jackets. In the right window are two white women attired in an orange dress and a blue dress respectively and hats. The building reads, “six-cord, soft-finish, new spool cotton.”, Peter Kerr (1818-1869) was a thread manufacturer who moved to the United States in 1866 and opened a factory in New York City. He partnered with his brother-in-law George A. Clark's thread company. Clark & Company later merged with J.&P. Coats in 1896., Title from item., Place of publication inferred from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on recto: Kerr's cotton never breaks. It is a safe thread., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Kerr [P.2017.95.97]

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: H.M.S. Pinafore
Description: Illustrated trade card depicting a scene from Sullivan & Gilbert's comic opera "Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore" including a captain, his crew and women on the deck of a ship with two large spools of Willimantic's "Superior Six Cord Thread". Caption reads: "B.--Did you ever? C.--No! Never! B.--What never? C. Positively never! used anything equal to Willimantic Six Cord Spool Cotton.", Advertising text printed on verso lists the awards won by Willimantic's Six Cord Spool Cotton, including the gold medal awarded by Maryland Institute Fair in 1878. Includes vignettes of the obverse and reverse surfaces of the medal., 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 - Willimantic [1975.F.666]

Title: John D. Cutter & Co. manufacturers of pure silk threads & fabrics Sewing silks, embroidery tablets, machine & button-hole twist. Gros grains, satin de chine, serge, handkerchiefs, braids, &c. &c
Description: Illustrated trade card depicting a silk worm on a mulberry leaf, a butterfly, cocoons, and two spools of thread., 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 - Cutter [1975.F.118]

Title: [Clark's mile end spool cotton trade cards]
Description: Series of illustrated trade cards for John Clark Jr. & Co.'s mile end spool cotton products numbered 24, 30, and 60. Illustrations depict circus performers or acrobats; an artist tethered and hanging from a large spool of cotton as he paints "Clarks mile end" on the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean; a boy attired in robes navigating a chariot pulled by two white horses; a backyard view of a dog stealing the bone of a much larger dog that is restrained by a thread from a large spool of cotton; and flowers., Title supplied by cataloger., Three prints [1975.F.137, 1975.F.139, 1975.F.143] contain advertising text printed on versos., Three prints printed by Forbes Co. (Boston) and two prints printed by Donaldson Brothers (New York)., Four prints [1975.F.140, 1975.F.144, 1975.F.166, 1975.F.170] contain six-month calendars on versos, with the imprint for Thomas Russell & Co., sole agents, New York., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Digitized.
Date: [ca. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Clark's mile end [1975.F.137; 1975.F.139-140; 1975.F.143-144; 1975.F.166; 1975.F.170]

Title: Clark's trade mark 36 Mile-End spool cotton
Description: Trade card promoting Clark Thread Company and depicting a racist 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. The drum is a giant spool of thread labeled "Clark's Mile-End spool cotton." He is attired in black shoes; blue pants with a yellow stripe; a white jacket with pink flowers and long tails, with large buttons; a white ruffled shirt with a high collar; and a white top hat with a black band. The George A. Clark & Brother Company, manufactory of embroidery and sewing thread, was founded in 1863 in Newark, N.J. The firm was renamed Clark & Co. in 1879, and in the 1880s created a six-cord, soft finished thread called "Our New Thread" or "O.N.T." The business merged with J. & P. Coats in 1896, which lead to a series of mergers with fourteen other companies. Into the 21st century, the company continues to manufacture thread under the name Coats & Clark., Title from item., Date deduced from history of the advertised business., Advertising text printed on verso: Clark's trademark Mile-End spool thread. Best six cord. All numbers from no. 8 to 100. The colors are especially dyed to match. All shades of dress goods and can be used instead of silk by dress makers and families. The black is strong and smooth, and of the purest dye. It will retain its very deep black hue as long as silk fabrics. The white, black and colored is the standard for use upon all sewing machines., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Clark [P.2017.95.32]

Title: French etching silk for outlining. Eureka silk. Every spool warranted. The standard silk of the world
Description: Illustrated trade card depicting a couple attired in fancy clothes adorned with flowers. The man holds a staff decorated with a ribbon in his left hand., 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 - Eureka [1975.F.849]

Title: [Brainerd & Armstrong Co. trade cards]
Description: Series of illustrated trade cards depicting children pulling on a thread of silk used as kite string; spools of silk labeled "Brainerd, Armstrong & Co."; a fairie; "good luck" horseshoe; silkworms; and butterflies., Title supplied by cataloger., Two prints [1975.F.88 and 1975.F.97] printed by the National Bureau of Engraving, Phila., Advertising text printed on rectos and versos promotes Brainerd & Armstrong Co. silk by offering a beautiful chromo card to buyers; announces the company's dyeing abilities; and suggests using the silk for good luck., Stamped on recto of one print [P.2006.20.50]: Sold by Wm. Menke & Bro., 804 Arch Street., 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 - Brainerd [1975.F.88; 1975.F.97; P.2006.20.50]

Title: The best, ask for it again: Star Braid
Description: Racist trade illustration of an African American girl balancing on a spool of blue Star Braid Thread. She is holds a wand with bubbles on both ends. Two more bubbles float near her. The Star Braid logo is printed in each bubble. The girl is attired in a red dress and is barefoot. She wears a blue ribbon in her hair, gold earrings, armbands, bracelets, and anklets., Title from item., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Star [P.2017.95.169]

Title: The best, ask for it again: Star Braid
Description: Racist trade illustration of an African American girl balancing on a spool of blue Star Braid Thread. She is holds a wand with bubbles on both ends. Two more bubbles float near her. The Star Braid logo is printed in each bubble. The girl is attired in a red dress and is barefoot. She wears a blue ribbon in her hair, gold earrings, armbands, bracelets, and anklets., Title from item., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Star Braid [P.2017.95.168]

Title: Betsy Ross House before restoration
Description: Exterior view of the Betsy Ross House, built ca. 1740 and renovated by Richardson Brognard Okie in 1936. A banner spelling out "Birthplace of Old Glory" hangs below a picture of George Washington and a replica of the first American flag designed by Betsy Ross in 1776. Also depicts adjacent businesses in much taller commercial buildings, including the United States Thread Company and Berger Bros. Co., tinplate and metals., Inscribed in negative: 2186., Title from negative sleeve., Also known as the American Flag House.
Creator: Hand, Alfred, photographer
Date: ca. 1920
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department 4x5 Glass Negatives - Hand [P.9259.7]

Title: [J. & P. Coat's thread trade cards]
Description: Series of trade cards promoting J.&. P. Coats thread and depicting men, women and children performing a variety of activities with the thread, including a white girl swinging on a tree swing; a white man fishing in a stream while a white woman watches; and several white children pretending to be a horse team. Includes a large frog on a riverbank. "So do my sisters and my cousins and my aunts!" depicts an older white woman carrying packages. "Gulliver and the Lilliputians" based on Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" shows an oversized Gulliver being tied down with thread by the Lilliputians. "That's the kind! Bring me some more" depicts an older white woman inspecting different colored spools of thread in a box held up by a white boy. "Ef dis don't fetch you nothing will" depicts an African American man and woman, portrayed in racist caricature, trying to tame a donkey. In the left, the woman, attired in a white bonnet with a red ribbon, a red shirt, a blue scarf, a yellow shirt, a white apron, and gray shoes, uses thread from an enormous J. & P. Coats spool to pull on the bridle on the donkey, who pulls back with its mouth open. Behind the donkey, the man stands, attired in a brown, brimmed hat, a red shirt, blue plaid pants, and blue shoes, who holds a rope in his left hand and scratches his head with his left hand. "We never fade!" depicts an African American boy, portrayed in racist caricature, 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. 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 supplied by cataloger., Five prints printed by E. Ketterlinus & Co., Ten prints contain advertising text printed on versos, including promotions for J. & P. Coat's best six cord, soft finish spool cotton; a table of needle and thread numbers; a calendar for 1880; and a description of "Gulliver and the Lilliputians" illustration (on recto of print 1975.F.220)., Gift of Emily Phillips, 1883. Purchase 1999. Purchase 2001., 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. 1885]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department trade card - Coats [1975.F.123; 1975.F.126; 1975.F.133; 1975.F.150; 1975.F.157; 1975.F.193; 1975.F.195; 1975.F.220; 69211.D; P.9743; P.9984.4]

Title: The Hunters three and O.N.T
Description: Circular promoting Clark Thread Company and depicting racist caricatures of African, Asian, and indigenous men. Volume also contains several lines of narrative, promotional text written as a children’s story. The front cover is a color illustration of three white "merry gentlemen" in Cololonial attire and riding on horseback as "they hunt and hunt." The men are attired in tri-corn hats; red jackets; white breeches with riding boots; and white wigs. They ride on a road towards the viewer. The figures are bordered with pictorial details of the Clark’s O.N.T trademark. The rider in the middle raised his hat with his hand. Image is reproduced in black and white on p. [2]. P. [3] shows the horsemen observe three white children standing before them whom they believe "...must be princes. They sew their clothes with O.N.T." P. [4] show the "gentlemen" observe from a distance three African Zulu men. The men drive a lion into a net made of O.N.T. thread. One man is nude except for a feather on his head and bangs a large drum labeled "Clark's O.N.T. spool thread." Another man is attired in a skirt made of palm leaves and carries a shield and arrows. A third man carries arrows and wears a feather on his head. P [5] shows the "hunters" "spy" "three happy Hottentots" who roll down a hill on large spools of Clark's thread in a "chariot race." The three African men have their hair in buns atop their heads and are attired in white shorts and hoop earrings. One man is also attired in a shell necklace, and two men hold spears. P. [6] shows the three men find a Chinese man flying a kite strung with O.N.T. thread thread and to which a Chinese boy is attached. He is seated on a rug with his back to the viewer. To his right is a pipe. His hair is styled in a queue, and he is attired in a white shirt with a vest decorated in a print of dragons and slip-on, cloth shoes., P. [7] shows the white men finding an Inuit man on a sled made from a Clark's spool and pulled over the ice by a team of dogs. The sled driver is attired in a hooded parka and boots. P. [8] the three riders encounter a Native American man reigning in a buffalo with O.N.T. thread. He is attired in knee-high boots; a patterned blanket draped around his chest; hoop earrings; and a feather headdress. P. [9] shows a view of the back of the three riders bordered by pictorial details of the Clark’s O.N.T trademark. The back cover is a color illustration of a white girl with long blonde hair attired in black boots; red stocking; a green dress; and a blue striped apron. She is seated on an oversize spool of O.N.T. thread and playing cat's cradle with a white boy. The boy is attired in a red fez; a green coat; blue stockings; and black boots. The George A. Clark & Brother Company, manufactory of embroidery and sewing thread, was founded in 1863 in Newark, N.J. The firm was renamed Clark & Co. in 1879, and in the 1880s created a six-cord, soft finished thread called "Our New Thread" or "O.N.T." The business merged with J. & P. Coats in 1896, which lead to a series of mergers with fourteen other companies. Into the 21st century, the company continues to manufacture thread under the name Coats & Clark., Title from item., Advertising text printed on verso of front cover: Use Clark's trade mark O.N.T. spool cotton on white spools! It is superior to all others for hand and machine use. Garments sewed with O.N.T. fast black will never show white on the seams after being worn or washed., Advertising text printed on verso of back cover: Use Marshall's linen thread on 200 yard spools. Guaranteed full length. Made from the bext flax, and Milward's Helix Needles in patent wrappers. For sale everywhere., Place of publication deduced from place of operation of advertised business., Date deduced from history of advertised business., Distributor's name printed on p. [1]: George A. Cole, sole agent., Gift of David Doret.
Date: [ca. 1880]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Goldman Trade Card Collection - Clark [P.2017.95.31]

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