Monthly Archives: November 2017

Elephant’s Head and Gate of Crawford Notch

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Trade Card for H. Thompson’s Grand Soap, Buffalo, NY. Circa 1879 – 1886. Lithographer:  Clay & Richmond, Buffalo, NY.

Price:  $12.00           Size:  About 3 and 3/8 x 5 and 3/8″

Another H. Thompson’s Grand Soap trade card, this one showing the rock formation, Elephant’s Head, the gate of Crawford Notch, in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, and a stage coach continuing on its way, after coming through the pass. (We’re using this card to segue from trade cards, in general, to a short upcoming Western theme.) But, anyway, she’s a beauty, a little soiled, but there don’t seem to be too many H. Thompson’s out there currently. This one might have been one of a series of well-known locations as there’s another card that can be found for the soap manufacturer (at Hagley Digital Archives) of Monument Rock, Echo Canyon. Curiously, “Grand” the brand name of soap, is not turning up in online searches, so exactly when Grand Soap was introduced and how long it was manufactured is unknown.

Clay & Richmond, lithographers, Buffalo.

As for the printer, they are Clay & Richmond. Per the 1879 Buffalo City Directory, the firm was Hugh M. Clay, W. E. Richmond and Henry A. Richmond. 1878 shows Clay and Co. (Hugh Clay and W. E. Richmond). Prior to 1878 Clay had been part of Clay, Cosack & Co. And we see Clay & Richmond listed in city directories as late as 1886 (Clay with H. A. Richmond). C & R’s location was in the Coit block, W. Swan, corner of Pearl. To do the company justice more research would be needed so we’ll just put up this quick offering for now. Our card is the second one we have, the first being Queen Anne Soap, Detroit Soap Co.

Sources:  Crawford Notch. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crawford_Notch (accessed November 10, 2017).

The Courier Co.’s Buffalo City Directories, 1877 – 1886. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

H. Thompson’s Grand Soap

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Trade Card for H. Thompson’s Grand Soap, Buffalo, NY. Lithographer:  Gies & Co., Buffalo, NY. Circa 1874 – 1890s.

Price:  $15.00           Size:  3 and 1/16 x 4 and 11/16″

“Ask your grocer for H. Thompson’s Grand Soap, Manufactured only by H. Thompson, 270 to 280 Perry, & 233 to 241 Chicago St., Buffalo, N.Y.”

Here’s a gorgeous card in peach and blue of a little girl holding her doll, and standing in front of a wooden trellis upon which a flowering vine is supported. Though the card says “over” at the bottom right, there is nothing on the reverse. This is another card by Gies & Co.

Hugh Thompson, soap and candle manufacturer

According to his obituary appearing in the Buffalo Commercial, “Mr. Thompson was born in Carhill, Ireland, February 29, 1824. He came to this country with his parents as a young boy. After spending about two years in parts of New York state and Ohio, the family settled in Buffalo in 1833.”

Hugh Thompson manufactured soap and candles (and was a dealer in soap making supplies) at the corner of Perry and Chicago streets in Buffalo for around thirty-seven years. He and his wife, Rebecca (Bell) Thompson, also native of Ireland, had four children, Mary, William, Louisa and Clara, all born in New York. Hugh died April 1, 1905 at his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Per the below 1881 Buffalo city directory ad, the business was established in 1853:

A kind-hearted man

Where was Carhill, Ireland? It’s not found on a present-day map, but may have been the same “townsland” mentioned in The Guardian (London, England) news clipping from 1858, shown below:

Sources:   The Courier Co.’s Buffalo City Directory, 1881. pp. 173, 656. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. (Ancestry.com).

“Obituary. Hugh Thompson.” The Buffalo Commercial, April 3, 1905. Monday, p. 5. (Newspapers.com).

Year: 1880; Census Place: Buffalo, Erie, New York; Roll: 828; Family History Film: 1254828; Page: 8C; Enumeration District: 119. (Ancestry.com).

Hugh Thompson. Memorial # 75112709. Findagrave.com.

“Counties Of Wexford And Carlow.” The Guardian, (London, England) June 8, 1858. Tuesday, p. 1. (Newspapers.com).

Donaldson Brothers Lithographers, Five Points, Manhattan, NY

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See the prior post and our B. J. Stone trade card.

Donaldson Bros, circa 1872 – 1891

Donaldson Brothers was a very successful lithography and printing company which ran from about 1872 to 1891 before being consolidated with the American Lithographic Company. According to Frank’s obit appearing in the weekly publication American Stationers, it was Frank who founded Donaldson Bros., and this may be correct, but we wouldn’t want to assume, since this is a statement from one source. Our short write-up on this litho firm is just skimming the surface with a few details, as in-depth would be quite time-consuming. In any case, the firm was Frank J., George W., John L. and Robert M.,  all born in Edinburgh, Scotland of parents John Donaldson and Barbara Hume (Montgomery) Donaldson. The family emigrated to the U.S. in 1856. The 1860 Federal Census finds the family living in Brooklyn, NY. The 1878 New York City directory shows all four brothers as lithographers at the address of 2 Mission Place, New York, which was in the Five Points neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.

Below, Frank J. Donaldson’s obituary appearing in American Stationer, June 1896.

Below, a couple of clips from a lengthy article from the New York Times on the fire in Five Points that took place December 9, 1875, from which, of course, the company rebuilt (with improvements).

Sources:  Donaldson Brothers 1872 – 1891 “D – Publishers.” MetroPostcard. (accessed November 4, 2017).

Trow’s New York City Directory, 1878. Vol. 91, p. 356. (Ancestry.com).

Year: 1880; Census Place: Cranford, Union, New Jersey; Roll: 800; Family History Film: 1254800; Page: 201B; Enumeration District: 171. (Ancestry.com).

Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls. (Ancestry.com).

George William Donaldson. Find A Grave Memorial# 63258205. Findagrave.com.

American Stationer, Vol. 39. Number 24, June 11, 1896. p. 1012. (Google.com.)

“Fire at the Five Points.” New York Times, December 10, 1875. Friday, p. 8. (Newspapers.com).

A Pleasant Reflection

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Trade card, Soapine. Kendall Mfg. Co. Donaldson Bros. Lithographers, circa 1870s – 1890s.

Price:  $7.00          Size:  2 and 15/16 x 4 and 1/4″

Kendall Manufacturing Co.’s Soapine, had a very long run, from 1827 to the late 1950s;  here is yet another example of the Victorian Era advertising for the product, one of many that can be found online. The card’s condition is not great, note the crease and there’s a small tear in the top right and a little of the wording torn off of the back, but still it’s a beautiful and imaginative design:  A Tahitian-haired little lady in pink and blue (and love that yellow hat) somehow, lol, blowing a bubble that has the Soapine box inside. Note the iridescence to the bubbles, the lady’s shadow, and the wood flooring. (It always seems like in noticing the details we’re transported back in time; we imagine a sense of the artist’s thought process…..adding in the lady’s bracelets….)

Donaldson Bros., Five Points, N. Y.

Our trade card is the second one we have for Donaldson Brothers, of Five Points, NY. See also B.J. Stone Trade Card, New Haven, CT. And per MetroPostcard, Donaldson Bros. was Frank J., George W., John L. and Robert M. Donaldson, and operated from about 1872 – 1891 before being consolidated with the American Lithographic Company. The 1878 New York City directory shows all four brothers as lithographers, at the address of 4 Mission Place. Five Points was a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, NY.

Sources:  Donaldson Brothers 1872 – 1891 “D – Publishers.” MetroPostcard. (accessed November 4, 2017).

Trow’s New York City Directory, 1878. Vol. 91, p. 356. (Ancestry.com).

Five Points, Manhattan. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Points,_Manhattan (accessed November 5, 2017).