Part I – Youle Billhead

As promised several months ago, here follows a three part series of the George Youle billhead I purchased off of

ebay many months ago. This first part is on the description of the billhead with following parts on the item

purchased and a little history of George Youle and his family.

The billhead is an early illustrated billhead dated December 19, 1822. Youle used the top portion of the billhead

to advertise everything he did.

George Youle Plumber & Iron Founder at No. 294 & 296, Water St. New York. Keeps constantly on hand a

general assortment of his Patent Cook Stoves & Cabouses, of every description together with stoves of various

sizes, & patterns for Churches, Halls, Manufacturers, Offices & c.

The center stove is nicely engraved and the word patent can be seen across its front. Engraved by Lewis sc. The

sc traditionally means engraved by. So, we can presume that the billhead stove graphic was Engraved by Lewis.

I have come up with very little that I can write about this Lewis.

The billhead is signed by George Youle, Jr. Part II will discuss what was purchased from Youle and its

significance.

Comments

Brian said…

One of the best ephemera blogs around. I wish more collectors would share their items on-line in this manner. The kind of research and writing you are doing here is what makes this beautiful paper of such interest and value. Great work.

June 7, 2009 at 4:45 PM

billheadcollector said…

Thank you for your kind words. I love researching what I buy and blogging about it makes it more fun.

July 4, 2009 at 8:36 AM

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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