New Arrivals
Engraved Ticket,Typography,New York University
New York, New York: University of the City of New York, 1859. Engraved ticket for entry into the 1859 Junior Exhibition of the University of the City of New York (later renamed New York University). The school was founded in 1831, and had already opened its first graduate school, the.....
Price: $65.00
Women in Librarianship,History of Hats and Bonnets,History of Women and Fashion
Danvers, Massachusetts: 1930s. A charming promotional leaflet for talks given by Eleanor Coray Forman on the history of women and bonnets: "In this unusual and inspirational talk Mrs. Forman uses fascinating bonnets to illustrate worthwhile qualities in life; old fashioned bonnets for a sense of humor, an aviatrix helmet for.....
Price: $125.00
Uncle Tom's Cabin,Race in America,American Novels
United States: c.1890. A late 19th-century reproduction of a photograph, with two actors portraying Uncle Tom and Little Eva from Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". In the image, Uncle Tom gestures with his right hand towards heaven, as Eva looks on. They both hold a book (presumably a Bible).....
Price: $50.00
Glass Manufacturers and Glaziers
Boston, Massachusetts: Tuttle, Gaffield & Co., 1860. Printed price list of German window and picture glass for sale by Tuttle, Gaffield & Co. of Boston. Each type of glass is graded by quality and sorted by size, with prices for each. Notes the sale also of rough plate glass, crown.....
Price: $100.00
Humorous Moveables, Paper with a Secret
United States: 1890s. A moveable depicting a gentleman in a top hat, who jumps back in alarm when a tab is pulled and an arm pokes out from the bushes holding a glass of what appears to be iced tea or lemonade. A humorous and well-designed moveable. Chromolithography on embossed.....
Price: $75.00
Tongue-in-Cheek Advertising,Men's Fashion, Paper with a Secret
Paris, France: Chapeau Henry, 1890s. A tongue-in-cheek 1890s advertising card for a Parisian hat maker, showing a balding man on front and the same man inside, but with a stylish hat to cover up his thinning hair. The secret, he says, is Henry, his hat maker. Has pricing and the.....
Price: $100.00
Chap books,Native Americans in Children's Literature
New York, New York: Leavitt & Allen, c.1830s. A children's story about a papoose, first published in the 1820s. 16mo (4.25" by 2.75"), pp. 16, illus., sewn in contemporary (slightly later?) bright blue paper wrps. Later pencil ownership inscription of "Lettie" to title-page. Less than 15 copies of any edition.....
Price: $85.00
Chap books,Children and Animals
New York, New York: T. Mason and G. Lane, 1837. A children's story about a girl and a cat, first published c.1828. 24mo (4.25" by 2.75"), pp. 26, illus., in original publisher's printed yellow wrps. In-text wood cut images. Early ownership inscription. 4 copies on WorldCat (Jan. 2024).
Price: $50.00
Printing Specimens,Chromolithography
Poughkeepsie, New York: A.V. Haight, Printer, 1892. A printed announcement heralding the "ninth annual Specimens of Printing" by the printer A.V. Haight. Popular in the 1880s and 1890s, Haight became known for his stylish and bright use of chromolithography in advertisements and other ephemera and job printing. The present announcement.....
Price: $85.00
Maine,Summer Resorts,Travel,History of New England
York Harbor, Maine: c.1930. A beautifully photo-illustrated travel brochure promoting York Harbor and the coast of Maine as a summer resort destination. Includes photos and descriptions of local historical sites, country clubs, recreation and sport, antique shopping, and a number of "quaint old houses", which the publication particularly relishes in.....
Price: $150.00
Dance Cards,German Heritage and Identity,Balls and Masquerades
[Mystic, Connecticut]: Social Society Frohsinn, 1911. Chromolithographed dance card for a February, 1911 masked ball hosted by a German heritage club, complete with attached miniature pencil and featuring an attractive embossed chromolithographed image of a masked woman on the front. Most likely the Frohsinn Hall in Mystic, Connecticut, which was.....
Price: $125.00
Engines,Innovation and Industry
New York, New York: Cammeyer & Sayer, c.1876. Illustrated advertisements for the Rider Compression Engine, marketed as an "unrivaled" engine for a wide variety of customers and uses including: households, printing offices, lithographers, locksmiths, sausage makers, railway stations, tanneries, and brick yards. The main selling point seems to be safety.....
Price: $125.00
United States Post Office,Urban Development,History of Pasadena,California
Washington, D.C. William Duff Hanie, 1887. Typewritten letter on official letterhead, signed by the Acting First Asst. Postmaster-General William Duff Haynie, informing Walter Raymond, Esq. that his request to rename the a local post office has been approved. Raymond, a Boston businessman, became known for founding a luxurious resort hotel.....
Price: $115.00
Marketing to Families,Household Products,Lighting the Home Pre-Lightbulb
United States: 1890s. Illustrated advertising handbill for a chemical compound marketed to families, "Eureka", which claims to prevent the "breaking of chimneys, and makes kerosene oil as safe as a candle". Note that the company seeks sales people of either gender ("Agents Wanted, Men or Women") for what appears to.....
Price: $175.00
Forges and Tools,American Manufacturing,Material History and Culture
Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Scale Co., c.1875. Illustrated bifolium (11.75" by 9"), advertising "Portable forges, blowers and tools" by the Chicago Scale Co. for a variety of uses: machine shops, blacksmithing, jewelers, mills, mines, farms, farrier work, and railroad work. Each forge and tool is illustrated with pricing, dimensions, and materials.....
Price: $175.00
Centennial Exposition of 1876,Philadlephia,American Manufacturing
Williamsport, Pennsylvania: E. Andrews, Saw Manufacturer, c.1876. Illustrated advertisement for E. Andrews, Saw Manufacturer, with an illustration of "The Old Anvil as it appeared at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876". The "Old Anvil" was "the first Saw Makers' Anvil brought to this Country. It has been used and.....
Price: $100.00
Law and Legal,Law Associations
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Allen, Lane & Scott, 1883. Engraved Law Association of Philadelphia certificate, finished in contemporary ink manuscript, certifying the membership of James Alcorn, Esq., signed by the treasurer and secretary of the organization. Measures 6.75" by 8.5", with engraved allegorical illustration of Lady Justice, and an eagle flanked by.....
Price: $115.00
Proof,Mezzotint,Etching
London: H.G. & Co., c.1820. Scarce mezzotint proof with etching of "Miss Nelly O'Brien", after the original painting by Joshua Reynolds. Signed "S.W. Reynolds" as engraver. Trimmed, measuring 8.5" by 6" and mounted on thicker card measuring 9.5" by 6.75". Plate mark visible.
Price: $150.00
Children's Serials,Rebus,Published for Children
New York, New York: Phillips & Hunt, 1880. Three (3) issues of a charming newspaper published for little learners. Each two-page serial offers illustrations, poetry, history, and moral lessons reinforcing Christian values. Two of the issues feature rebus stories. Each issue is printed in a smaller format to better fit.....
Price: $125.00
Penny Dreadful, Vinegar Valentine, Social History
[1860]. An 8" x 5 1/4" color lithograph illustration of a statuesque and proper lady borders by embossed whimsical anthropomorphic heart characters surrounding the margins. It is captioned: "Stepped from a pedestal to take the air", You'd think she had, she looks so statuesque, Or ancient Heroine from who.....
Price: $125.00
Volvelle,Time Zone,Pocket Devices
England: 1790s. A clever engraved volvelle device that allows the user to determine the time of day in another locale based on time zone. Shaped like a globe, the inner wheel is labeled with places ranging from Bombay to Mexico, Rio De Janeiro, London, Rome, and many others. Designed to.....
Price: $175.00
Pop-Ups and Moveable Cards,Birthday Greetings
England: c.1879. A charming pop-up/moveable birthday greeting card depicting a large bouquet of flowers. The message inside reveals itself when the viewer pulls gently on the bottom of the vase. It begins, "Awake! awake! it is the day you first beheld the sun..." Inscribed in pencil to verso, "Elizette Dec.....
Price: $100.00
Fortune Fish
Rochester, New York: J.G. Davis Co., c.1904. A nicely preserved example of a fortune fish, this one being used to advertise a granite flour company. Fortune fish, usually made from red cellophane, purport to tell your fortune by reacting to the body heat in your hand (e.g. curling up means.....
Price: $100.00
Moveables and Accordion-Style Pop-Ups
Germany: 1880s. A most charming German greeting card with a clever mechanism: when the embossed die-cut scrap is pulled down, the red tissue paper flower unfolds and reveals itself along with a hidden message wishing the reader happiness. The scrap depicts a rosy floral arrangement sitting atop a birch wood.....
Price: $100.00