Part II - Wetherill Billhead - The Eagle Graphic

A close look at the wonderful eagle graphic on this billhead says a alot about Wetherill. As mentioned in yesterday's post, Wetherill became one of the promoters and managers of the United Company of Philadelphia for the Establishment of American Manufactures. On the graphic, the eagle is holding a banner in its beak which reads, “Encourage Your Own Manufactures !!!” What a fitting motto.

The graphic also is signed by the engraver. The engraver of this billhead was Kneass S.C. The only Kneass I can find a reference to is rather famous himself. Kneass worked as an engraver in Philadelphia from 1805 to 1840, and became the second chief engraver of the United States Mint on January 29, 1824.

He was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, educated in Philadelphia, and became a copper and steel-plate engraver and an artist of considerable repute. In 1824 he was appointed engraver and die-sinker of the United States Mint, in Philadelphia. Prior to that time he was a member of the firms of Kneass and Dellaker, and of Kneass, Young and Co. His engraving office in Fourth Street above Chestnut was a rendezvous for the leading wits and men of letters of that day. He engraved a number of pictures and did good work on illustrated books. Married, first, in 1804, Mary Turner, daughter of William Honey- man, by his wife Jane nee Davison (1785-1826), and, secondly, Jane Kramer (d. 1854). He had six children by his first wife.

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Baking Powder Billheads

In 1843 the first modern version of baking powder was discovered and manufactured by Alfred Bird, a British chemist. In 1846, Justus Von Liebig in Germany experiments with yeast made from sodium bicarbonate and hydrochloric acid with explosive results. In 1885, Eben Horsford and George Wilson manufacture chemicals which eventually became the Rumford Chemical Works. Horsford formulated and patented Rumford Baking Powder, the first calcium phopshate baking powder. In 1889, William Wright and chemist George Rew developed a double-action baking powder marketed under the name Calumet Baking Powder. Below find some examples of baking powder billheads.

Rubber Goods

The rubber industry in the United States can hardly be said to have had any real and tangible existence until the discovery of the process of vulcanization in 1844 by Charles Goodyear. The first rubber ever imported into this country was brought into Boston in the year 1800 and came in In that same year a patent was granted to one Jacob Hummel, of Philadelphia, for a gum-elastic varnish; of which, however, there seems to have been no further mention. Some ten years later, in 1823, a Boston sea-captain, coming from South American ports, brought with him a pair of gilded rubber shoes which excited the greatest interest. Two years later, 500 pairs of rubber shoes, made by the natives along the Amazon, were brought into Boston, this time without the fantastical refinement of gilding. They were exceedingly thick, clumsy, and unshapely shoes, and yet they sold readily, bringing from $3 to $5 per pair as they were found that they were a secure protection against dampness. This was the e

Billhead of the Month: Schmit Bros trunks Oshkosh WI

I picked up this Schmit Brothers billhead recently in Eau Claire. I currently have it for sale on ebay right now. It is a nice triple graphic billhead. Here is my ebay write up: 1895 billhead for The Schmit Brothers Trunk Company manufacturers of trunks, traveling bags and valises of Oshkosh Wisconsin. Great header graphics with three images. Left side is the firm’s mill at Summit Lake, middle is the firm’s factory and left side is the firm’s warehouse. Billhead has creases. Peter Schmit was born in 1840 in Prussia. He emigrated to the U.S. in June 1854 and located inRacine WI. He was engaged in farming until 1861 when he enlisted in Company D, 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He engaged in the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Mine Run, Bull Run, Gettysburg, Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. He was mustered out in June 1865. He came back to Racine and kept a hotel until 1866 when he joined his brother Henry’s trunk business. Henry had established the bus

THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

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