It was great to see so many friends in Murfreesboro !
Last night I gave a short program for the Friends of Whitaker Library at Chowan University . The talk was entitled The Stuff of History: Why Research and Academic Institutions Collect Ephemera. Unfortunately, I had a few "technical difficulties" with the PowerPoint, so I thought it might be helpful to add some of the images here to the blog. Hopefully everyone will enjoy seeing the items in more detail (click on the image to see enlargements).
Most of the ephemera downloaded (over the next few weeks) will be historic letterhead from Murfreesboro and nearby communities. If you have additional information about the businesses or individual owners represented ---- please leave comments. We would all like to learn more about these former local business leaders.
The letterhead has been found in various collections, and offers a fascinating snapshot of a place or time. Scholars of this subject point out that the rich illustrations and elaborate printing of commercial letterheads, billheads, and envelopes correspond with the dramatic rise in industrialization in America. According to one expert, the period 1860 to 1920 represents the heyday of commercial stationery. As commercial artists influenced the job printing profession, the illustrations became more detailed and creative.
R. Sewell, Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Groceries
Murfreesboro NC 1898
D.C. Barnes, Attorney and Councelor at Law
Murfreesboro NC
Fentress Lumber Co. Manufactureres, J.E. Fentress, Manager
Murfreesboro NC 1898
2 comments:
great program!
Thanks for posting these. It is nice to have a better view.
Thanks ! It's interesting to see that so many of the names on the turn-of-the-century letterhead are still local family names. Stay tuned .... more local ephemera to come
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