Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Grigg Block, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia.

About this Item

Title

  • Grigg Block, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia.

Summary

  • This advertising print from 1848 shows the business block named after John Grigg and containing Grigg, Elliot, & Company, the largest and most prosperous publishing firm in Philadelphia at the time. The firm was founded by John Grigg in 1823 and purchased by J.B. Lippincott in 1849. The print shows the block of buildings (10-20 North Fourth Street) covered in signage and including Barcroft, Beaver & Company, dry good dealers, and S.M. Day, wholesale combs, brush and fancy goods trimmings (both at number 10). Next come Goff & Peterson, importers and manufacturers of saddlery and carriage and harness trimmings (number 12); Grigg, Elliot & Company (number 14); C.H. & George Abbott, dealers and importers of hardware and cutlery and C. Ahrenfeldt & Company, importers of toys and fancy goods (number 16); C.B. Lassell & Company, hats and caps, and Charles Wingate, dealer in shoes, boots, and palm-leaf hats (number 18); and Edwin & John Tams, importers and dealers of china, earthenware, and glass (number 20). Patrons exit and enter the various storefronts; delivery men haul, load, and remove goods from horse-drawn and push carts; laborers load goods into shop storage cellars and use a pulley to raise a large cask; store clerks inspect and open newly arrived packages on the sidewalk; a horse-drawn dust-settling machine passes in the street; and artisans and merchandise are visible in several of the shops' upper-floor windows. Partial views of the adjacent buildings and a nearby alley with a laborer and push cart are also visible. The print is by William H. Rease, the most prolific lithographer of advertising prints in Philadelphia during the 1840s and 1850s. Born in Pennsylvania circa 1818, Rease became active in his trade around 1844. Through the 1850s he mainly worked with printers Frederick Kuhl and Wagner & McGuigan in the production of advertising prints known for their portrayals of human details. Although Rease often collaborated with other lithographers, a listing in O'Brien's Business Directory indicates that by 1850 he had founded his own establishment at 17 South Fifth Street, north of Chestnut Street. After a partnership with Francis Schell that lasted from about 1853 to 1855, in 1855 he relocated his shop to the northeast corner of Fourth and Chestnut Streets, where, in addition to advertising prints, he produced certificates, views, maps, and maritime prints.

Names

  • Rease, William H., circa 1818-1893 Lithographer.

Created / Published

  • Philadelphia : Printed by F. Kuhl, 1848-12.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1848-12
  • -  Advertising
  • -  Bookbinders
  • -  Booksellers and bookselling
  • -  Carriage and wagon making
  • -  Carriage manufacturers and dealers
  • -  Ceramic industries
  • -  Cities and towns
  • -  Clothing stores
  • -  Dry goods stores
  • -  Glass industry
  • -  Hardware stores
  • -  Harness making and trade
  • -  Hat trade
  • -  Horses
  • -  Laborers
  • -  Lithographs
  • -  Merchants
  • -  Saddlery
  • -  Stationers
  • -  Storefronts
  • -  Stores and shops
  • -  Street cleaning
  • -  Street scenes
  • -  Toy stores
  • -  Wagons

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Digital catalog number: POS 331"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 print : lithograph, hand-colored ; 61 x 91 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: The Library Company of Philadelphia.
  • -  Content in English.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Philadelphia on Stone

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021670284

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Rease, William H., Circa Lithographer. Grigg Block, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia. United States of America Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1848. Philadelphia: Printed by F. Kuhl, -12. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670284/.

APA citation style:

Rease, W. H. (1848) Grigg Block, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia. United States of America Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1848. Philadelphia: Printed by F. Kuhl, -12. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670284/.

MLA citation style:

Rease, William H., Circa Lithographer. Grigg Block, North Fourth Street, Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Printed by F. Kuhl, -12. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670284/>.