The images in this post all come from Columbia University's very large assortment of commercial stationery (featuring architectural illustrations): the Biggert Collection.
The vast majority of the images below have been cropped, cleaned and variously doctored for display purposes, with an intent towards highlighting the range of letterform/font and design layouts. The underlying documents are invoices (most), letters, postcards, shipping records and related business and advertising letterhead ephemera from the mid-1800s to the 1930s.
Stewart Iron Works Company (Cincinatti, Ohio) 1926
=Manufacturers of iron fence, gates, jails, prisons and steel cells,
iron reservoir flower vases, lawn settees, ornamental iron and wire work=
Consolidated Engineering Co. (Baltimore, Maryland) 1914
=Engineers & Contractors. Building-Refrigeration-Paving. Reinforced Concrete=
Manchester Beef Co. (Manchester, New Hampshire) 1893
=Commission Merchants in Swift's Western Dressed Beef. Mutton lamb,
veal, tongues, tripe &c. Poultry a Specialty. Telephone Connection=
Evening Leader Book + Mercantile Printing (Carbondale, Pennsylvania) 1908
=The Leader guarantees the largest circulation of any paper in its field. Carbondale
typographical union label. Job promptly executed. Book and mercantile printing=
Colwell Lead Company (New York, New York) 1912
Mast, Buford & Burwell Co. Agricultural Implements (St Paul, Minnesota) 1893
L. P. Peck Furniture and Carpets (San Antonio, Texas) 1905
Allentown Manufacturing Co. Breing's White Lead (Paint) (Allentown, Pennsylvania) 1903
{reminds me of something}
=Ready mixed oil paint. Car, ship, bridge paints. Metallic oxide
paints. Paste & liquid wood fillers. Filler & stain combined.
Oil stains. Oil finish. Japans. Asphaltum varnishes &c &c=
Edwin B. Stimpson Company Rivets (Brooklyn, New York) 1925
=Cable address "Splitrivet" Brooklyn, NY. Eyelets, grommets, hooks, automatic
machines for attaching. Drawn and stamped metal articles, washers, wire forms=
Loring, Short + Harmon - Booksellers & Stationers (Portland, Maine) 1886
=Wholesale and retail and dealers in paper hangings. Manufacturers of blank books=
James A. McCafferty + Sons Mfg. Co., Inc. National White
Lead and Color Works (Brooklyn, New York) 1938
=Manufacturer of the original genuine combination gold seal whitelead.
Bedford prepared house paints. National liquid house paints.
Copper paints for ship bottoms. Anti-fouling paints. Deck & floor paints.
Gloss paints for barrels. Graphite paints in paste or liquid form. Pure putty.
Our colors are the best made in strength and purity. Varnishes & Japans=
Wm. S. Taylor + Co. Wholesale Lumber (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 1899
"Dear Sir;-
I regret exceedingly to report that my wife has a very painful carbuncle on the side of her head, which is very stubborn, and no doubt it will detain us here until Wedensday or Thursday morning. We had made every arrangement to leave Phila. to-morrow at 8.20am.
The writer will wire you on Wednesday next, or sooner, when you may expect us. As we have said before we are looking forward to enjoying your lovely resort but it would be most imprudent to leave home as conditions are at the present time.
With best wishes, I remain,
Yours truly,
Wm S Taylor"
Carbon Dioxide and Magnesia Company (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 1900
=Liquefied carbonic gas and appliances for its use.
Montgomery and Twenty-Ninth st Philadelphia=
Edward D. Depew & Co. Importers & Wholesale Grocers (New York, New York) 1908
=The Crest brand of canned goods will convince the public of their
superiority by trial of them. Teas and coffees specialties. All claims for damages
or deduction must be made within FIVE days after receipt of goods. We will make
no allowance for swells in canned goods after 30 days from the date of purchase=
Whittier Fuller Paints [later: WP Fuller & Co.] (Oakland California) 1890s
=Sole agents for French plate glass companies
- crystal sheet 21&26 ounces - and Valentine's
varnishes. Doors, windows and blinds, wallpaper,
moldings etc. Terms cash - payable in U.S. gold coin=
Egyptian Lacquer Mfg. Co. (New York, New York) 1913
Frank H. Lester Wholesaler of Bananas (New York, New York) 1904
=Ripe and shipping bananas all through the year. Commission merchant foreign fruits=
Hadfield-Penfield Steel Company (Willoughby, Ohio) 1923
=Clay working machinery, fuel oil engines, Liberty lathes,
bakery machinery, ship deck machinery, cement machinery,
rotary dryers, industrial locomotives, steel and grey iron castings.
Direct connections with all telephone & telegraphic services=
Munn Wired Envelope Company (New York, New York) 1900
=Capacity 5,000,000 envelopes a day=
Hoffman Corr & Hoffman Corkram & Co.
Contractors to the Government
=Rope, yarn, wick, waste, bags, twine, excelsior, moss, oakum, nets,
wadding, batts, awning stripes, burlaps, flags, hammocks & cotton duck=
Park Avenue Hotel (New York, New York) 1899
Parry Mfg. Co. (Carriages) Indianapolis, Indiana 1912
=The largest carriage factory in the world. Buggies, surreys,
phaetons, driving wagons, spring wagons, delivery wagons + carts=
Thomas P. Beals Co. Pine Ash + Hardwood Chamber Sets -
Woven Wire Matresses (Portland, Maine) 1890s
John Lucas + Co. Colors Ready Mixed Paints (PA NY NJ) undated
S. F. Leonard Seed Farmer + Merchant (Chicago, Illinois) 1890s
=Onion sets, bulbs, grass seeds, market garden trade a specialty.
While we exercise the greatest care to have all seeds pure and reliable,
we sell no seeds with warranty, expressed or implied in any respect,
and are not in any way responsible for the crop. If the purchaser does
not accept the seeds on these terms, they must be returned at once=
Williams Bros. Co. Picklers (Detroit, Michigan) 1906
=Manufacturers of Waldorf and Dragon brand food products. Pickles, vinegar, mustard, catsup, preserves, mince meat and other fine table condiments. Branch factories and salting works=
The New Home Sewing Machine Co (Orange, Massachusetts) 1910s
Walter Brewing Co. (Pueblo, Colorado) 1911
"The Robert Biggert Collection of Architectural Vignettes on Commercial Stationery was donated to the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library by Robert Biggert in honor of Lisa Ann Riveaux. This unique collection of printed ephemera contains over 1,300 items with architectural imagery spanning the dates 1850 to 1920, in more than 350 cities and towns in forty-five states, as well as the District of Columbia and U.S. possessions. The collection's billheads, letterheads, envelopes, checks, and business cards document the rise of the United States as an industrial nation, in often elaborate vignettes of factories, warehouses, mines, offices, stores, banks, and hotels."The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University (hosts of the collection) also link to a lengthy article (from the mid-1990s I think) by the collector himself: [pdf warning-->] 'Architectural Vignettes on Commercial Stationery', by Robert Biggert IN: Ephemera Journal [Volume VIII]. Well worth a read.
Related? Maybe: Banknote vignettes :: Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Typography :: Ornamental Typography :: Deco Vignettes :: Header Vignettes.
8 comments :
I miss this kind of headmasting to stationery. It was a gentler time, and the detail of the header printing made artwork of the letter you received. Some of these are pure works of art by the printer and engraver. Truly works of art. No one does this kind of thing any more. It's almost a completely lost art.
I guess the modern world is more geared towards smart logo symbolism than artistic aesthetics. In some senses, loss of a lot of the everyday commercial paper ephemera makes some of these design-y typeform skill less of a core role in business.
It's interesting how, back in the day, all the businesses got aboard the idea that gravitas was to be conveyed by showing or advertising the 'hardware' of the company: be it building, fruit or cow. It projects solidity and strength and perhaps conservatism (they're not a fly-by-night firm).
I worked for a big company in the city years ago and I thought they were daft in renting rather than buying our 30 storey building. Some of that physical and touchable wealth and worth still projects a feeling of safe, longlasting presence.
Belching smokestacks: always a symbol of industry, production and success.
some of us still boast our buildings..!
truly masterful work
What a great job it would be to create these works of art. I wonder what medium was used; woodcarving, metal etching, embossed pressing? Similar to the art on currency I would imagine.
I think the majority of these works were produced by lithographic printing.
At least, I *think* that's the process for the majority from before 1900, but I could be wrong : mass flyer/stationery printing may have had a different set of needs versus book illustrations; and lithography really took off in the US in the 2nd half of 1800s for books and music sheets for example.
I'm less familiar with the newer offset styles that gained momentum in the new century (even though it came into being in 1875) See, for instance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_printing
It seems to me that the Manchester Beef Company really missed an opportunity by failing to show the cow (bull?) in evening dress and answering the telephone. On the other hand, some would argue that that would have undermined the gravitas of the image. (Which could have been restored by a suitable smoke-billowing factory directly behind the animal...)
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