Top of page

Photo, Print, Drawing Robert Wood's Steam Iron Railing Works, Ridge Road Above Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia. Robert Wood's steam iron railing works, Ridge Road above Buttonwood St, Philadelphia

About this Item

Title

  • Robert Wood's Steam Iron Railing Works, Ridge Road Above Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia.

Other Title

  • Robert Wood's steam iron railing works, Ridge Road above Buttonwood St, Philadelphia

Summary

  • William H. Rease, born in Pennsylvania circa 1818, was the most prolific lithographer of advertising prints in Philadelphia during the 1840s and 1850s. This advertisement shows the long and narrow steam-powered iron railing works on the 1100 block of Ridge Road owned by Robert Wood. Signboards on the facade advertise "Wood's steam iron railing manufactory, all kinds of ornamental & architectural iron work made to order" and "manufacturer of iron railings for cemeteries." Laborers are visible through the open windows and doors on all levels of the factory. Two men carry an iron piece into the building past a display of ornamental iron sculpture, which includes a large lyre. Workers in the street load and unload iron railings and bars. A crowded Girard College & Exchange line omnibus traveling north on Ridge Road has stopped by the factory, and children play on a makeshift seesaw alongside. The image is surrounded by a border of iron-work models; at the base are steps with ornate iron railings and a grand ornamental gateway. Wood's firm was the largest supplier of sculptural and ornate ironwork to the Laurel Hill Cemetery in the mid-19th century. Rease became active in his trade around 1844, and 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, by 1850 he promoted in O'Brien's Business Directory his own establishment at 17 South Fifth Street, above Chestnut Street. In 1855 he relocated his establishment to the northeast corner of Fourth and Chestnut Streets (after a circa 1853-55 partnership with Francis Schell), 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 : Wagner & McGuigan?, 1847-04.

Headings

  • -  United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
  • -  1847-04
  • -  Advertising
  • -  Architectural decorations and ornaments
  • -  Carriages and carts
  • -  Factories
  • -  Horse-drawn vehicles
  • -  Iron foundries
  • -  Iron industry
  • -  Ironwork
  • -  Laborers
  • -  Lithographs
  • -  Merchants
  • -  Stores and shops
  • -  Street scenes
  • -  Wagons

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "Digital catalog number: POS 656"--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 print : lithograph ; 60 x 45 centimeters.
  • -  Reference extracted from World Digital Library: Rease, William H., Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary, Library Company of Philadelphia, http://www.lcpdigital.org.|Library External Company of Philadelphia, http://www.librarycompany.org/laurelhill/gravelot.htm. External
  • -  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

  • 2021670277

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 Artist. Robert Wood's Steam Iron Railing Works, Ridge Road Above Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1847. Philadelphia: Wagner & McGuigan?, -04. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670277/.

APA citation style:

Rease, W. H. (1847) Robert Wood's Steam Iron Railing Works, Ridge Road Above Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania United States of America Philadelphia, 1847. Philadelphia: Wagner & McGuigan?, -04. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021670277/.

MLA citation style:

Rease, William H., Circa Artist. Robert Wood's Steam Iron Railing Works, Ridge Road Above Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Wagner & McGuigan?, -04. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021670277/>.