THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

Newspaper print advertisements seem to me to be "uncool" to collectors of graphics / typography. Today I was doing research for a soon to be listed ebay item and stumbled across the digitized "The Tobacco Leaf" journal. It is eight pages loaded with tobacco advertisements. 

Ads for interest:

Page 2: Simon Strauss' store front advertisement with signage that he was a manufacturer of cigar boxes and also did ship ornamental carving. I looked up Strauss and he was a carver of cigar store Indians. He was also arrested in 1869 for setting fire to his store.

Page 3: Heppenheimer & Maurer Lithographers, Engravers and Printers of cigar, tobacco, wine and liquor labels. Example tobacco label on ebay: The Banker's Daughter.



Page 7: Large factory graphic for Lichtenstein Bros & Co. cigar manufacturers. Antique poster for sale through George Glazer Gallery.


Page 8: Far left side near bottom is an advertisement for a woman's business. Mrs. G.B. Miller & …

I recently purchased a large lot of letterheads and other paper ephemera from an online auction was from a Rockford Illinois family. That family was the Brolins. The patriarch was Willard A. Brolin Sr. He had is hand in numerous Rockford businesses and was a millionaire before the 1929 stock market crash in which he lost everything. Amongst that lot of papers was a rather benign looking letterhead for an R.L. Beckwith of Center Harbor New Hampshire. The typed letter discusses business. I always do a quick research of the items I sell on ebay just to make sure I am not missing anything. To my surprise, Richard L. Beckwith was a Titanic survivor! There is a market for Titanic survivor signatures and I was fortunate to be able to market this as such. What also helped me to link this to the Beckwith Titanic survivor was other paper in my lot from William Monypeny Newsom - who was Beckwith's stepson. Without that link, I would have had to put a caveat on my listing as a "possible&…

Benjamin Tanner was born in New York City on March 27, 1775. At an early age he manifested a talent for drawing and designing, and after receiving his education he began to learn the art of engraving. Tanner's master is unknown, but he engraved in New York in 1792 and was possibly one of the pupils of Peter R. Maverick. In 1805, he moved to Philadelphia. In 1811, with his brother Henry S. Tanner he commenced business as a general engraver and map publisher. From 1816-1824 he was a member of the bank-note engraving firm of Tanner, Vallance, Kearny & Co.. In 183 established a blank check note and draft publishing office - known as his stereography business, which he abandoned in 1845 to Charles H. Butts.

His engravings include portraits of Washington, after Savage; Benjamin Franklin, after Charles N. Cochin (1822); "Apotheosis of Washington," after J. J. Barralet (1802) ; "Perry's Victory on Lake Erie, 10 September, 1813," and " The Launch of the Ste…

A few years or so ago I purchased an early billhead printed by B. Tanner. I really liked it and got interested in Benjamin Tanner. Since then, I have acquired more Tanner items. At this point, this is my main collecting area - if you read my blog and have a Tanner piece, drop me a line, I would love to buy it for my collection. Check out my next post for more on Tanner.
This is the billhead that started it all. 

1834 bank check Urbana Banking Company 1836 bank check Lebanon Bank with trimmed Tanner border - signed by resident engineer. 1837 promise to pay Philadelphia. 1837 promise to pay same design as above for Thayer, Bryan & McKee Philadelphia. 1840 Bill of Exchange Isaac Goodall & Son Philadelphia.
Probably 1830s bank check sheet for the Bank of Baltimore. 1840s Bill of Exchange printed by CH Butts who bought Tanner's Stereographic business Wankegan IL.

New additions. Fun stuff!