Advertising

Ivory Soap Ad

Advertising is meant to persuade, and the themes and techniques of that persuasion reveal a part of the nation's history. The Museum has preserved advertising campaigns for several familiar companies, such as Marlboro, Alka-Seltzer, Federal Express, Cover Girl, and Nike. It also holds the records of the NW Ayer Advertising Agency and business papers from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Carvel Ice Cream, and other companies. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana comprises thousands of trade cards, catalogs, labels, and other business papers and images dating back to the late 1700s.

Beyond advertising campaigns, the collections encompass thousands of examples of packaging, catalogs, and other literature from many crafts and trades, from engineering to hat making. The collections also contain an eclectic array of advertising objects, such as wooden cigar-store Indians, neon signs, and political campaign ads.

Place: Ohio

Fire Department’s Insurance Company

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Fire Department’s Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced this fire mark in 1841. The rectangular cast iron fire mark features a raised central image of a double-decker hand pumped fire engine. The Fire Department’s Insurance Company was established in 1837 when the volunteer fire engine companies in Cincinnati started an insurance company for the benefit of the department. Each fireman could hold only 50 shares personally, and each fire company could hold no more that 1,500 shares though its individual members or by itself. Ten percent of the dividend was given to the Fire Association of Cincinnati to create a fund for the relief of sick or disabled firemen. The company remained in business until around 1848.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1841
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0459
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0459

Pure Ohio Maple Syrup

Tin cans were used to store a variety of different foods, and in this case, it was used to package maple syrup for either personal use or to sell commercially.
Description
Tin cans were used to store a variety of different foods, and in this case, it was used to package maple syrup for either personal use or to sell commercially. If the syrup was stored too long in the tin can, it would take on a slightly metallic flavor and therefore was not the best material to use for this purpose.
Maple syrup production is one of the few agricultural processes in North America that was not a European import but learned from the Native Americans in New England. Sap is typically collected from the Sugar, Red or Black maple, though it can be collected from other tree types. Northeastern North America is the most common area for maple syrup production, with Vermont, New York and Maine leading production in the U.S. Once the sap is collected, it must be boiled down to reduce the water content. It can require anywhere from 20-50 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup, depending on the sugar content of the sap. Each tree is capable of producing 35-50 liters of sap.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
AG.76-FT-01.0949
accession number
322793
catalog number
76-FT-01.0949
collector/donor number
808

“Glory! Glory! Hallelujah”

The sheet music for the song, “Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!” was arranged by Mr. Albert Leisure and published by the O. Armleder Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Description
The sheet music for the song, “Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!” was arranged by Mr. Albert Leisure and published by the O. Armleder Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. The sheet music served as advertising for the Armleder Company, a carriage and wagon manufacturing company, by changing the last line of the well known tune from “his truth is marching on,” to “the people know where to buy.” The image on the cover shows Uncle Sam filling orders to Armleder from all over the country and the world, while flabbergasted men representing Germany, England, and France look on.
Location
Currently not on view
arranger
Leisure, Albert
ID Number
1982.0005.11
accession number
1982.0005
catalog number
1982.0005.11

Bartley Campbell's Great Play Galley Slave

"This black and white print is a three-quarter length portrait of the actress Maude Granger looking over her shoulder.
Description
"This black and white print is a three-quarter length portrait of the actress Maude Granger looking over her shoulder. The Galley Slave’s complicated plot involves the betrayal of a well-born woman by her artist husband and her ultimate vindication and revenge." The Galley Slave was produced in 1879 but would later become a 1915 film starring Theda Bara.
Maud Granger (ca 1851-1928) was born Anna Brainerd Follen in Middletown, Connecticut. She made her New York stage debut in 1873 in Without a Heart and went on to perform in plays like The Mighty Dollar and Fifth Avenue . In her youth Granger was celebrated for her beauty, and she became a favorite of photographers. Her image even appeared on a set of trade cards titled “World’s Beauties,” distributed by Allen & Ginter Cigarettes. She appeared as Cicely Blaine in The Galley Slave in 1879 shortly before her popularity began to decline. She spent several years performing with small tour companies or playing supporting roles in major productions. However, Maud Granger reemerged as a character actress in the final years of her career, winning new acclaim for her performances in The First Year (1920) and Pigs (1924).
The playwright Bartley T. Campbell (1843-1888), was a journalist, novelist, poet, dramatist, and theatrical manager. He was born to Irish immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began his writing career at age 15 as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post . He also worked for newspapers in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and founded the Southern Monthly Magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana. After the success of his first melodrama, Through Fire , in 1871, Campbell gave up journalism for playwrighting and experimented with everything from comedies to domestic dramas to military sagas. Several of his works, including The White Slave , focused on racial themes and the plight of mixed race characters. Another of his plays, Siberia , featured many prominent actors of the day and toured in England, Australia, and New Zealand. After an 1876 trip to London, Bartley Campbell began to write the western dramas for which he became especially famous, including The Vigilantes , or, The Heart of the Sierras . He has been described as America's first "first fully professional dramatist" ( The Oxford Companion to American Theatre ), and he also produced and directed plays. Later in life Bartley Campbell suffered from financial and mental problems and died at the State Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, New York.
This lithograph was produced by Strobridge and Company and Matt Morgan. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909), had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Matthew Somerville Morgan (1837-1890) was a British-born artist and cartoonist. As a young man, Morgan studied scene painting in London and worked as an artist and war correspondent in Western Europe and Africa. He also established a London humor magazine, becoming especially well known for his attacks on the British royal family. He immigrated to the United States in 1870 and continued to work as a caricaturist and New York theater stage manager. His works included political cartoons drawn on behalf of liberal Republicans who opposed President Ulysses S. Grant. From 1880-1885 he was manager of the Strobridge Lithograph Company where he worked to improve theatrical lithography. In his later years he painted large panoramic scenes of the American Civil War.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
date made
1879
cited
Campbell, Bartley
depicted
Granger, Maude
maker
Strobridge and Company
artist
Morgan, Matt
ID Number
DL.60.3029
catalog number
60.3029
accession number
228146

Liberty Loan Pin

Round Liberty Loan pin with metal pin-back. The pin is blue with a white “V” in the center. White text reads “Liberty Loan.” A red, white, and blue plastic ribbon is attached to the pin. Blue text on the white portion reads “Volunteer.”Liberty Loans were part of the U.S.
Description (Brief)
Round Liberty Loan pin with metal pin-back. The pin is blue with a white “V” in the center. White text reads “Liberty Loan.” A red, white, and blue plastic ribbon is attached to the pin. Blue text on the white portion reads “Volunteer.”
Liberty Loans were part of the U.S. government’s effort to sell war bonds (also known as Liberty Bonds) during World War I to defray the expense of war. These bonds were issued by the U.S. Treasury. The First Liberty Bond Act was passed by Congress on April 24, 1917, and the bonds began issuance shortly thereafter.
Much like the use of military insignia to identify its wearer (by association with an organization) and his/her achievements, these pins and buttons were meant to be worn by Americans on the home front during World War I to show their membership in an organization and/or their contribution to a particular war effort, such as the United War Work Campaign. The pins and buttons displayed the wearer’s patriotism and generosity and undoubtedly also served to prompt others to become similarly involved in the various war efforts.
SOURCE:
Treasury Department, Liberty Loan Acts (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1921). books.google.com/books?id=4qFAAAAAYAAJ.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1917
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.0266
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0266

Devine's Cafe

A penwipe made of cream celluloid. It's a promotional piece advertising Devine's Cafe. On the back is a calendar.
Description (Brief)
A penwipe made of cream celluloid. It's a promotional piece advertising Devine's Cafe. On the back is a calendar. The penwipe looks like a modern book of matches, when you lift up the flap, you see the thick piece of red felt used to wipe off the tip of a fountain pen.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1912
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.1005
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1005

Fire Department’s Insurance Company

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Fire Department’s Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced this fire mark in 1837. The rectangular cast iron fire mark features a raised central image of a double-decker hand pumped fire engine. The entire mark has been painted red. The Fire Department’s Insurance Company was established in 1837 when the volunteer fire engine companies in Cincinnati started an insurance company for the benefit of the department. Each fireman could hold only 50 shares personally, and each fire company could hold no more that 1,500 shares though its individual members or by itself. Ten percent of the dividend was given to the Fire Association of Cincinnati to create a fund for the relief of sick or disabled firemen. The company remained in business until around 1848.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1837
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0458
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0458

First National Bank of Nashville

Celluloid notebook with image of George Washington and the U.S. flag on front. This was an advertisement for First National Bank of Nashville, "The Oldest and Largest Bank in Washington County."Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Celluloid notebook with image of George Washington and the U.S. flag on front. This was an advertisement for First National Bank of Nashville, "The Oldest and Largest Bank in Washington County."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1910
depicted
Washington, George
advertiser
First National Bank of Nashville
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.0479
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0479

View of the Great Ohio River Flood at Cincinnati, O. 1884

Color print of a flooded city (Cincinnati) street lined with indusrial and commercial buildings. The buildings are indentified with trade signs.
Description (Brief)
Color print of a flooded city (Cincinnati) street lined with indusrial and commercial buildings. The buildings are indentified with trade signs. Numerous boats, many of them bearing the names of the businesses along the street, are in the flooded street removing people and goods from the buildings to dry land in the foreground. Charts beneath the image give the high water marks for the Ohio River between 1832 and 1884 and the levels at various points during the flood of 1884.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Macbrair & Sons
ID Number
DL.60.3744
catalog number
60.3744

Celluloid Novelty

Flat, rectangular celluloid advertisment card for the Dearborn Chemical Company's Boiler Feed Water Treatment, which "prevents scale, corrosion and foaming." A calendar for 1931 is on the front.One side of this celluloid card has a calendar for 1931, and an advertisement for the
Description (Brief)
Flat, rectangular celluloid advertisment card for the Dearborn Chemical Company's Boiler Feed Water Treatment, which "prevents scale, corrosion and foaming." A calendar for 1931 is on the front.
Description
One side of this celluloid card has a calendar for 1931, and an advertisement for the Boiler Feed Water Treatment made by the Dearborn Chemical Company. The other side lists several Dearborn products.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1931
advertiser
Dearborn Chemical Company
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.0589
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0589

Key chain or luggage tag

An advertising novelty that can be used as a luggage tag or key chain. It consists of two pieces of sheet ivory celluloid held together at one end by a brad. Advertising copy for the Chevrolet REO Speed Wagon appears on the front and back.
Description (Brief)
An advertising novelty that can be used as a luggage tag or key chain. It consists of two pieces of sheet ivory celluloid held together at one end by a brad. Advertising copy for the Chevrolet REO Speed Wagon appears on the front and back. Inside are spaces for owner's name, address, and license number, as well as the vehicle's engine number.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1946
maker
American Art Works, Inc.
ID Number
2006.0098.1074
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1074

California Raisins School Friends Collector Album

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1986 - 1991
manufacturer
Antioch Publishing Company
user
California Raisins Advisory Board
publisher
Antioch Publishing Company
ID Number
1991.3182.23
catalog number
1991.3182.23
nonaccession number
1991.3182

The Chas. G. Braxmar Co.

A stamp holder made of cream celluloid. This promotional novelty advertises the Chas. G. Braxmar Co., a jewelry manufacturing firm. Advertising copy is found on both sides. This is clearly meant only for stamps; images of stamps decorate the top of the front and back.
Description (Brief)
A stamp holder made of cream celluloid. This promotional novelty advertises the Chas. G. Braxmar Co., a jewelry manufacturing firm. Advertising copy is found on both sides. This is clearly meant only for stamps; images of stamps decorate the top of the front and back. The back reads "Diamonds, Watches, Emblematic Jewelry, Badges, Medals, Lodge Supplies and Knights Templar Equipment."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1930
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.0968
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.0968

Bartley Campbell's Siberia A Jewish Massacre

This colored print depicts a town square where soldiers with swords are attacking men, women, and children. Several people are on the ground, dead or injured. At the center of the print is a fountain with a statue of the Virgin Mary.
Description
This colored print depicts a town square where soldiers with swords are attacking men, women, and children. Several people are on the ground, dead or injured. At the center of the print is a fountain with a statue of the Virgin Mary. A building emitting smoke and fire with the sign “Café Imperiale” stands on the left side of the square, and on the right another building carries the sign “Café du Peuple.” In the lower left-hand corner are the words “A Jewish Massacre,” indicating this is depicting a scene from the wave of anti-Jewish riots or pograms that swept through Russia during the 1880's and resulted in loss of life as well as emigration to other countries. A Russian Orthodox church with onion domes appears in the background. The drama Siberiafeatured many prominent actors of the day and toured in England, Australia, and New Zealand.
Bartley T. Campbell (1843-1888), was a journalist, novelist, poet, dramatist, and theatrical manager. He was born to Irish immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and began his writing career at age fifteen as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post. He also worked for newspapers in Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio, and founded the Southern Monthly Magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana. After the success of his first melodrama, Through Fire, in 1871, Campbell gave up journalism for playwrighting and experimented with everything from comedies to domestic dramas to military sagas. Several of his works, including The White Slave, focused on racial themes and the plight of mixed-race characters. After an 1876 trip to London, Bartley Campbell began to write the western dramas for which he became especially famous, including The Vigilantes, or, The Heart of the Sierras. He has been described as America's "first fully professional dramatist" (The Oxford Companion to American Theatre),and he also produced and directed plays. Later in life Bartley Campbell suffered from financial and mental problems and died at the State Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, New York. The Galley Slave, became a 1915 film starring Theda Bara.
This chromolithograph was produced by Strobridge Lithographing Company. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
cited
Campbell, Bartley
maker
Strobridge Lithographing Company
ID Number
DL.60.3020
catalog number
60.3020
accession number
228146

Fire Department’s Insurance Company

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Fire Department’s Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio issued this fire mark around 1848. This oblong oval cast iron fire mark features a raised central image of a double-decker hand pumped fire engine, with a border text that reads “FIRE DEPARTMENT/INSURANCE.” The Fire Department’s Insurance Company was established in 1837 when the volunteer fire engine companies in Cincinnati started an insurance company for the benefit of the department. Each fireman could hold only 50 shares personally, and each fire company could hold no more that 1,500 shares though its individual members or by itself. Ten percent of the dividend was given to the Fire Association of Cincinnati to create a fund for the relief of sick or disabled firemen. The company remained in business until around 1848.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1848
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0462
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0462

Fire Department’s Insurance Company

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Fire Department’s Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced this fire mark in 1841. The rectangular cast iron fire mark features a raised central image of a double-decker hand pumped fire engine. The Fire Department’s Insurance Company was established in 1837 when the volunteer fire engine companies in Cincinnati started an insurance company for the benefit of the department. Each fireman could hold only 50 shares personally, and each fire company could hold no more that 1,500 shares though its individual members or by itself. Ten percent of the dividend was given to the Fire Association of Cincinnati to create a fund for the relief of sick or disabled firemen. The company remained in business until around 1848.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1841
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0460
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0460

City Insurance Company Fire Mark

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
This City Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio issued this fire mark around 1849. The mark features a central image of an unusual rowing-type fire engine manned by six firemen. The mark has been painted red with gold trim and highly ornamental edges and painted gold text that reads “CITY INSURANCE CO/CIN.” The City Insurance Company operated from 1849 until 1857.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1849
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0463
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0463

The Mikado

This colored print depicts a man with Caucasian eyes and a Japanese hairstyle dressed in a kimono and holding an illustration from the operetta The Mikado.
Description
This colored print depicts a man with Caucasian eyes and a Japanese hairstyle dressed in a kimono and holding an illustration from the operetta The Mikado. The illustration shows three young women with similar Caucasian features wearing kimonos and ornamental sticks in her hair. The woman in the center holds a red parasol and the other two have fans. There is a structure on the left and a hanging paper lantern on the upper right. The lower portion of the print has a green dragon and a banner reading “Three Little Maids from School are We,” the title of a song from the operetta.
The Mikado was written by the British librettist W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and the British composer Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). It made its London debut in 1885 and opened in New York later that same year. The production ran for 250 performances, becoming one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular and enduring works. Although set in the mythical Japanese village of Titipu, the operetta's farcical mishaps and bumbling intriguers have been interpreted as satires of British political and social mores of the time.
Operettas rose to popularity in Europe in the second half of the 19th century and continued to draw large audiences for the next five decades. While grand opera was often seen as an art form for the elite, operettas aimed for greater mass appeal. Their major practitioners, including Johann Strauss II (1825-1899) in Vienna, Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) in Paris, and Gilbert and Sullivan in London, each had their own trademark style and subject matter. Their works generally were more lighthearted in tone, more farcical in plot, and might also include dancing and spoken dialogue. Gilbert and Sullivan focused on the absurdities of modern society in tales that featured star-crossed love, mistaken identity and class snobbery. With the celebrated New York debut of their operetta H.M.S. Pinafore in 1878, they helped generate some of the same enthusiasm for operetta in the United States that was already taking hold in Europe, anticipating the classic American musicals that would become so popular in the 20th century.
This lithograph was produced by the Enquirer Job Printing Company, a branch of the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specialized in circus and entertainment prints and was especially known for creating large billboards for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Enquirer Show Print
ID Number
DL.60.3048
catalog number
60.3048
accession number
228146

Eagle Insurance Company Fire Mark

Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number.
Description (Brief)
Beginning in the 1750s, some American insurance companies issued metal fire marks to policyholders to signify that their property was insured against fire damage. The fire marks bore the name and/or symbol of the insurer, and some included the customer’s policy number. The company or agent would then affix the mark to the policyholder’s home or business. For owners the mark served as proof of insurance and a deterrent against arson. For insurance companies the mark served as a form of advertising, and alerted volunteer firefighters that the property was insured.
The Eagle Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Ohio produced this fire mark in 1850. The oval mark is made of tinned sheet iron and features an image of a flying eagle carrying arrows and olive branches in its talons, with a footer text that reads “INSURANCE CO.” The Eagle Insurance Company operated in Cincinnati, Ohio from 1850 until 1894.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850
maker
unknown
ID Number
2005.0233.0455
accession number
2005.0233
catalog number
2005.0233.0455

Chero-Cola pocket mirror

Round pocket mirror and straight pin holder. The pins are stuck into the rim of the mirror. An advertising piece for Chero-Cola, made of ivory-grained celluloid and printed in black with a red trade mark.
Description (Brief)
Round pocket mirror and straight pin holder. The pins are stuck into the rim of the mirror. An advertising piece for Chero-Cola, made of ivory-grained celluloid and printed in black with a red trade mark. The front reads "In a bottle thru a straw Sanitary Always" and "Drink Chero-Cola There's None So Good."
Chero-Cola was a product of Union Bottling Works, a company started in 1905 in Columbus, Ga., by Claud A. Hatcher, a pharmacist. Chero-Cola was the first product in the Royal Crown line. The company became known as Chero-Cola shortly after it started, and in 1925 it became the Nehi Corporation. In 1934, Chero-Cola was reformulated and re-released as Royal Crown Cola.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905-1934
maker
American Art Works
ID Number
2006.0098.1168
accession number
2006.0098
catalog number
2006.0098.1168

Florence Stover from the Richmond and Von Boyle Comedy Company by Matthew S. Morgan of Strobridge Lithographing Company

This colored print is a bust portrait of Florence Stover. She is wearing a pink dress with a white lace collar and golden pearls and earrings.
Description
This colored print is a bust portrait of Florence Stover. She is wearing a pink dress with a white lace collar and golden pearls and earrings. The print advertises on the top of the poster that she will be appearing at the Newark Opera House, which was built in 1885 in New Castle County, Delaware.
Florence Stover was an actress who, in 1880, married the vocalist, dancer, and comedian Harry G. Richmond (1847-1885). Harry Richmond was born Augustus Van Boyle in Brooklyn, New York and performed with the Haverly Minstrels in 1878. The following year he produced The Candidate with his brother Aeland Von Boyle. A Florence Stover’s later performed in early film roles including Santa Claus vs. Cupid (1915), A Broth of a Boy (1915), and The Last Sentence (1917).
This chromolithograph was produced by Strobridge Lithographing Company and Matt Morgan. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Matthew Somerville Morgan (1837-1890) was a British-born artist and cartoonist. As a young man, Morgan studied scene painting in London and worked as an artist and war correspondent in Western Europe and Africa. He also established a London humor magazine, becoming especially well known for his attacks on the British royal family. He immigrated to the United States in 1870 and continued to work as a caricaturist and New York theater stage manager. His works included political cartoons drawn on behalf of liberal Republicans who opposed President Ulysses S. Grant. From 1880-1885 he was manager of the Strobridge Lithograph Company where he worked to improve theatrical lithography. In his later years he painted large panoramic scenes of the American Civil War.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
depicted
Stover, Florence
maker
Strobridge Lithographing Company
Morgan, Matt
ID Number
DL.60.3056
catalog number
60.3056
accession number
228146

Reliable Cooking

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Schneider and Trenkamp Company
ID Number
1992.0159.03
catalog number
1992.0159.03
accession number
1992.0159

sifter, toy

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1874
patent date
1871-05-16
1874-04-07
ID Number
DL.263901.0048
catalog number
263901.0048
accession number
263901

Deacon Crankett/ Wait For His Coming

This colored print depicts a man sitting in a two-wheeled buggy pulled by a horse. He is whittling a stick. Another man in a racing sulky is pulling up on his right. A lake appears in the background.
Description
This colored print depicts a man sitting in a two-wheeled buggy pulled by a horse. He is whittling a stick. Another man in a racing sulky is pulling up on his right. A lake appears in the background. The title “Deacon Crankett /by John Habberton / Author of “Helen’s Babies” appears at the top of the print and at the bottom are the words “Wait for His Coming. Printed at the lower border of the poster are the location and date of the performance: Park Theatre / Two Nights only / Tuesday & Wednesday Nov. 1 & 2.”
Deacon Crankett was a successful play described as both a “domestic drama” and “comic amusement.” The reviews in the New York Times mentioned it was a simplistic presentation “of weak morality and absurd situations.” The original name of the play was Joe Thatcher’s Revenge and Joe, the main character was first played at Haverly’s Fourteenth Steet Theater in the fall of 1880 by James O’Neill with Harry Lee as the understudy. It supposedly was performed over 500 times between 1880-1892.
The play was a creation of American dramatist, novelist, and literary critic John Habberton (1842-1921). Habberton published his critical writings in the New York Herald for twenty years, but he became best known for his 1876 novel Helen's Babies, which was part of the Ruby Books series for boys and girls. The book's humorous account of a bachelor salesman babysitting two small children was a hit with readers of all ages, including Rudyard Kipling. A silent film version of Helen's Babies was released in 1924. John Habberton also wrote a series of stories about early California life, many of which were collected in his 1880 book, Romance of California Life: Illustrated by Pacific Slope Stories, Thrilling, Pathetic and Humorous.
The Park Theater was built in 1798 on Park Row in Manhattan and was New York City’s premiere performance space in the early 19th Century. It attracted a diverse audience with each class sitting in its preferred section. Working class men sat in the pit; members of the upper class and women in the boxes; while the less affluent including immigrants, people of color, and prostitutes sat in the balcony.
This chromolithograph was produced by Strobridge Lithographing Company. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio ca 1847 by lithographer Elijah J. Middleton (cited in some sources as Elijah C. Middleton). Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 another lithographer, W. R. Wallace, along with the bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company became especially well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving the company, Elijah Middleton established a reputation as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
n.d.
maker
Strobridge Lithographing Company
ID Number
DL.60.3031
catalog number
60.3031
accession number
228146

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