A Strong U.S. Flag, 1903, and an Alphabet of Advertised Needs

JF Ptak Science Books    Post 2444

Aside from everything else in this pamphlet, there is a lovely double-page illustration of a United States flag that is very striking:

The other nice part is that the pamphlet--part of my haul of the "Pamphlet Collection"of the Library of Congress some years back--is that it was once the property of May Wright Sewall (1844-1920), who was one of the major leaders in the history of women's rights in the USA, her influence and leadership spread over several decades. (She was on the executive committee of the  National Woman Suffrage Association from 1882 to 1890; was president of the National Council of Women for the United States from 1897 to 1899, and president of the International Council of Women from 1899 to 1904, among much else.) The pamphlet also has a stamp showing that it was donated from the Sewall estate by her literary executor in 1923.

• This item is offered for sale via our blog bookstore, here.

The other bit that strikes me are the ads which are everywhere on the pamphlet--from crowding out the title on the front cover to loading up the interior pages; the work does have some nice illustrated history of the flag which is engulfed by ads. It is interesting to look at the ads to get a bit of an idea of the geography of need-and-satisfying it:   

A Near Alphabet of (100+) Advertisers  in the 28pp document include:

• Bailing Machines
• Beer Dusseldorfer Beer--we follow the flag! ("Telephones 576")
• Beer ("American Brewing Company" Telephones 407")
• Boarding, Feed and Sale Barn 
• Books ("Blank books and stationery")
• Canned Fruits from Ko=We=Ba
• Carriages ("The Co-operative Carriage Co.")
• Clay working machinery (from C.A. Potts)
• Coal, Coke and Wood
• Dental College of Indiana
• Electrical Supply 
• Flour, Grain and Hay from the Wm Rouse & Son central elevator
• Groceries ("Groceries, Meats and Canned Goods, always fresh")
• Iron work 
• Jewelry
• Lumber & Shingles
• Millinery
• Oil and Supply for the mill
• Pharmacy 
• Pianos
• Pianos, player (from "the Aeolian Company")
• Pulleys, Paper
• "Pictures and Picture Framing"
• Regalia ("The Indianapolis Regalia Co., for Lodge Regalia, Costumes, Flags, Badges, Banners")
• Rocking Chairs (and go-carts and children's carriages)
• Safe Deposit Vault
• School ("Knickerbocker Hall, Boarding and Day School for Girls")
• School ("Girls' Classical School"--this is actually a school run by Ms. Sewall)
• School ("Tudor Hall School for Boys")
• Shoes
• Stationery
• Tailor
• Tin, sheetwork and furnace work
• Undertaker
• Upholstery
• Wagons
• Water ("Indianapolis water Co supplies excellent water for domestic use")