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Photo, Print, Drawing American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House, Philadelphia. American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House Philadelphia

About this Item

Title

  • American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House, Philadelphia.

Other Title

  • American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House Philadelphia

Summary

  • This advertising print from around 1848 shows a view of the American Hotel, located on Chestnut Street, opposite the State House (today known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. The five-story hotel was built by John L. Ridgway in 1844 at 181-83 (later 517-19) Chestnut Street. Male and female guests sit under an awning on the front porch, enter the building, and stroll on the second floor balcony. Other patrons are visible, through the open windows and entrance, in the saloon and at the front desk. Curtains adorn several of the upper windows. Rolled carpets are showcased in the display windows of the business of "J. & B. Orne," a tenant in the hotel building. Henry A. Charter, originally with partner C. James McClellan, served as the proprietor 1845-48. Next door is the haberdashery of J. Sill and Company. 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 Artist.

Created / Published

  • Philadelphia : Thomas Sinclair's Lithography, 1845.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1845
  • -  Advertising
  • -  Cities and towns
  • -  Clothing stores
  • -  Hotels
  • -  Lithographs
  • -  Merchants
  • -  Rug and carpet industry
  • -  Storefronts
  • -  Street scenes

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Digital catalog number: POS 17"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 print : lithograph ; 53 x 43 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

  • 2021670352

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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

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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 Artist. American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1845. Philadelphia: Thomas Sinclair's Lithography. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670352/.

APA citation style:

Rease, W. H. (1845) American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1845. Philadelphia: Thomas Sinclair's Lithography. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670352/.

MLA citation style:

Rease, William H., Circa Artist. American Hotel. Henry A. Charter. Chestnut Street, opposite the State House, Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Thomas Sinclair's Lithography. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670352/>.