THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

1856 billhead for Warnick, Bryan & Company of Utica New York. What attracted me to this billhead was the Indian graphic on the left. Printed by Nathan Lane & Co. of Wall St. New York City. The manufacture of tobacco and cigars in Utica began about the year 1835 by a man named Tomlinson. He was in business for a short time when he sold it to Leslie Warnick and John Bryan in 1839. The two were thought to be the pioneers in tobacco cutting in the city. In 1845 the firm moved to 112 Genesee Street from Liberty Street and eventually settled at 85 Genesee Street. In the books it states that in 1852 John G. Brown succeeded Bryan and the firm became Warnick & Brown. From the date of the billhead we can speculate that the date is incorrect. I suspect that Brown did join the firm in 1852 - becoming the "Co.", but that Bryan was still a partner. The other option is the firm reused billheads but it seems a stretch to use it for 4 years after 1852.

Since I have been cooped up all day here in Wisconsin due to the snow and blizzard conditions, I thought it would be appropriate to show some billheads, one receipt and a bill of lading too - all having an ice theme. Notice several of the billheads show a graphic of an ice wagon. Enjoy!

Historically, the trademark was simply a sign or mark used to identify the origin or ownership of of the goods its was affixed. At first these marks were not adopted in the maker's own interest but was put upon the manufacturer so that its product could be identified if it was of poor workmanship or inferior. Eventually, the trademark came to be regarded as a sign of quality and good reputation. Just a few images of trademarks used as a graphic on some billheads.

While color trade cards abound and the black and white versions are rarer, that is the exact opposite for billheads. As the popularity of trade cards died out, color became more popular on billheads. Also probably due to the decreasing cost of using color and the increasing importance o billheads as a means of advertising to companies. See below for some neat examples.

Tobacco advertising in America first appeared in 1789, when the Lorillard brothers advertised their snuff and tobacco products in a local New York daily paper. Advertising for tobacco, and most other products, over the next 70 years took this same form - mostly unadorned advertisements in local or regional newspapers. It wasn't until the 1840s that brand names slowly began to appear on labels. Customers traditionally would ask for the "best" product, rarely requesting a specific brand, when they purchased their tobacco from the local grocer, or possibly from a traveling peddler. After the Civil War, there was an increased demand for tobacco products in general. The tobacco companies used trade cards (similar to business cards), tin tags and posters to advertise their products. Color lithography developed in the late 1870s, and businesses could now promote themselves with a variety of attractive colorful images, some having nothing at all to do with any of their product...