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Historical Society of Pennsylvania trade cards collection

Notifications

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
3138
Repository:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Extent:
15.0 linear feet
Language:
English
Date:
1800-1900 (bulk) and circa 1800-2000 (inclusive)
Creator:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Form:
Advertising cards., Business cards., Scrapbooks., and Visiting cards.
Abstract:
The collection contains an extensive collection of 19th-century trade cards from Philadelphia and surrounding region, the majority of which are arranged alphabetically by name. This is an artificial collection that has been put together by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania over time and is still open for additional accruals.

Subject

Publisher
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Willhem Echevarria.
Sponsor
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Young Friends of HSP.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

This series is arranged alphabetically by name of business or proprietor. Business types represented here include but are not limited to: clothing stores, perfumes, dyeing products, shoes, toys, games, service-oriented business, department stores, clocks and watches, soap, glassware, hair products, drugstores, medicines, sewing machines, food, restaurants, grocers, furniture, house furnishings and household appliances, hardware, textile fabrics and thread, footwear, jewelry, insurance, gardening, pottery, and tobacco. Among the names included in this portion of the collection are John Wanamaker, Partridge's & Richardson, J.P. Coats, Van Haagen Soap Manufacturing Co., Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Blaylock & Blynn, Inc., Lautz Brothers & Co., and Strawbridge & Clothier.

A-Bar.
Box 1
Bas-Bro.
Box 2
Battles, H.H.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 2
Brainerd and Armstrong Co.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 3
Bro-Chr.
Box 3
Brown, Frederick--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 4
Chr-Cow.
Box 4
Cox-Dem.
Box 5
Dem-Eul.
Box 6
Duval, P.S. and Son--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 5
Eur-Fug.
Box 7
Fried, George M. Jr. [corks]--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 7
Friedberger and Strouse--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 8
Ful-Hal.
Box 8
Gutenkust, Frederick--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 9
Hal-Hor.
Box 9
Henderson, Peter and Co.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 10
Home Sewing Machine--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 11
Hor-Ken.
Box 10
Horsford, Prof.--Oversize (also see: Rumford Chemical Works).
Box 32 Folder 12
Dr. Jayne--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 14
Ken-Lem.
Box 11
Kennedy and Bros.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 15
Lem-McC.
Box 12
LeMaistre, J.W.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 16
Mark Bros.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 17
Martin, A. [optometrist]--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 18
McC-Mil.
Box 13
Mil-Noc.
Box 14
O’Neill, H. and Co.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 19
Oysters--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 20
Nol-Par.
Box 15
Partridge’s Dining Room-Café--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 21
Partridge and Richardson [dress trimmings]--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 22
Par-Pri.
Box 16
Philadelphia Button House--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 23
Philadelphia Press--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 24
Polly’s Paper Playmates--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 25
Pozzoni, J.A.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 26
Pri-Ryn.
Box 17
Sau-Sha.
Box 18
Sharpless and Sons--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 32
Shaw Manufacturing Co.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 33
Sha-Sol.
Box 19
Shoneman Bros.--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 34
Sichel and Meyer--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 35
Sol-Str.
Box 20
Str-Vie.
Box 21
Vie-Wan.
Box 22
Wanamaker, John--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 36-37
Wan-Whi.
Box 23
Whi-Wil.
Box 24
Wipple, Edward [carpet store]--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 38
Whi-Yat.
Box 25
Yat-Zoe.
Box 26
Scrapbook # 1.
Volume 1
Scrapbook # 2.
Volume 2
Scrapbook # 3.
Volume 3
Scrapbook--Loose pages.
Box 32 Folder 29-31

Scope and Contents

Trade cards in this portion of the collection depict human figures, animals, flowers, boats and ships, and religious iconography. Most of these are stock cards and templates to be used in the advertising of commercial products.

Animals (dogs, cats).
Box 26
Animals (cats, dogs)--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 1
Birds.
Box 26
Boats and Ships.
Box 26
Flowers.
Box 26-27
Flowers--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 6
Foreign.
Box 27-28
Human Figures.
Box 28-29
Human Figures--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 13
Insects--Butterflies.
Box 29
Religious Iconography.
Box 29
Relgious Iconography--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 27
Scenes.
Box 30
Scenes--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 28
III. Centennial International Exhibition.
Box 30-31
Scope and Contents

This series contains trade cards and ephemera from firms and individuals visiting the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876. Most cards are from Philadelphia and New York.

Scope and Contents

This series contains items found loose while processing, items that do not belong to any of the categories or businesses in the alphabetical sequence, and several items previously classified and catalogued as “humorous” but now considered racially insensitive.

Miscellaneous.
Box 31
Miscellaneous--Oversize.
Box 32 Folder 39
Miscellaneous--Previously catalogued "Humorous".
Box 31
Miscellaneous--Scrapbook--Loose pages [Journey of a Slave].
Box 32 Folder 40

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