Conditions Governing Access
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Conditions Governing Use
Preferred Citation
Custodial History
Biographical / Historical
Scope and Contents
Processing Information
Existence and Location of Copies
Related materials in the Huntington Library
Arrangement
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Jay T. Last Collection of Fashion Prints and Ephemera
Creator:
Last, Jay T.
Identifier/Call Number: priJLC_FASH
Physical Description:
74.07 Linear Feet
(5 flat-file drawers, 52 binders, and 5 flat-boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1577-1943,
bulk 1825-1900
Abstract: The Jay T. Last collection of fashion
prints and ephemera contains approximately 7,500 items dating from the 1570s to the 1940s,
with the bulk of the items spanning from 1825 to 1900. This collection consists of fashion
plates, advertising prints, broadsides, and promotional ephemera produced for clothiers and
tailors, dry goods suppliers, garment manufacturers, fashion publications, and textile
companies affiliated with the design, production, and/or sale of clothing, accessories, and
dry goods. While most of the materials are American, there are also notable quantities of
foreign items in the collection, including French fashion plates and foreign textile
labels.
Language of Material: Materials are in English and
French.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2005.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Jay T. Last collection of fashion prints and ephemera, The
Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Custodial History
This collection forms part of the Jay T. Last Collection of Graphic Arts and Social
History, which was donated to the Huntington Library by Jay T. Last in 2005 as a gift in
progress. The bulk of the Fashion Prints and Ephemera were transferred to the Library
between 2010 and 2013.
Biographical / Historical
The Jay T. Last Collection is an unparalleled archive of printed paper artifacts that
documents American lithographic, social, and business history. The collection began in the
early 1970s when, physicist and Silicon Valley pioneer, Jay Last moved to Southern
California and started collecting citrus box labels he found at local flea markets and
rummage sales. As his collection grew, Last realized that these labels conveyed important
information about commercial printing, graphic design, and social history, and he expanded
his collection to include other forms of American visual culture. Today this collection
contains more than 200,000 lithographic prints, posters, and ephemera of mostly nineteenth
and early twentieth century American origin and represents works by more than five hundred
lithographic companies.
Scope and Contents
The Jay T. Last collection of fashion prints and ephemera contains approximately 7,500
items dating from the 1570s to the early 1900s, with the bulk of the items spanning from
1825 to 1900. This collection consists of fashion plates, advertising prints, broadsides,
and promotional ephemera produced for clothiers and tailors, dry goods suppliers, garment
manufacturers, fashion publications, and textile companies affiliated with the design,
production, and/or sale of clothing, accessories, and dry goods. While most of the materials
are American, there are also notable quantities of foreign items in the collection,
including French fashion plates, fez labels in several languages, and foreign textile
labels. Labels affixed to textile samples of various sizes are also included.
Materials are broadly divided into two series: small-size items (11 x 14 inches or
smaller) and large-size items (typically larger than 11 x 14 inches). Small-size items are
described broadly at the series level; large-size items and select small-size items are
fully inventoried with printers, artists, and publishers indexed by name. The collection
includes 250 large-size items comprised mainly of lithographic advertising prints and
fashion plates. Small-size items number approximately 7,250 and contain a variety of
promotional materials including trade cards, calendars, booklets, product labels, fashion
plates, periodicals, clippings, and printed billheads and letterheads with manuscript text.
Each series is divided into subseries according to the kind of business, service, or trade
sponsoring the advertisement. Types of businesses have been identified according to the
principal type of product(s) manufactured or sold by the business. These subseries are
arranged as follows: Accessories; Clothiers, Tailors, and Dry Goods; Fashion Plates And
Periodicals; Footwear; Garments; Headwear; Sewing Supplies; and Textiles.
This collection contains many American and European printed illustrations, commonly known
as "fashion plates," that typically depict men, women, or children modeling current clothing
and dress styles. Small plates (usually 14 x 10 inches or less in this collection)
illustrated the pages of magazines and bound volumes that were marketed specifically for
women. Larger plates, primarily intended for display, advertised the products and services
of fashion designers, tailors, and pattern makers.
The collection provides a resource for studying clothing and dress, sales and merchandise,
textiles, and sewing, as well as changing fashion trends in the United States and Europe in
the 19th century. The images are primarily promotional in nature and provide information
about the history of the American fashion, clothing, dry-goods, and textile industries and
the evolution of their advertising strategies in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As
graphic materials, the prints offer evidence of developing techniques and trends in
printmaking, and of the artists, engravers, lithographers, printers, and publishers involved
in the creative process.
Processing Information
Processed by Charla DelaCuadra in 2015.
Existence and Location of Copies
Related materials in the Huntington Library
-
Huntington
Library French Fashion Plates Collection,
ephFASH
-
Jay T. Last
Collection of Fashion: Honig & Schutter Business
Correspondence,
priJLC_FASH_Honig
-
Jay T. Last
Collection of Fashion: Hunt Business Ephemera,
priJLC_FASH_Hunt
The Huntington Library Rare Books Collection contains one related item (Call number: 66643)
that is listed in the "Related Materials" section in Series I, Subseries C in this finding
aid.
The Huntington Library Historical Prints Collection contains one related item
(priHHC_FASH_0000014) that is listed in the "Related Materials" section at the beginning of
Series II, Subseries B in this finding aid.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series and subseries:
- Series I. Fashion Prints and Ephemera (small size), approximately 1577-1943, bulk
1825-1900
- Subseries A. Accessories (small size)
- Subseries B. Clothiers, Tailors, and Dry Goods (small size)
- Subseries C. Fashion Plates and Periodicals (small size)
- Subseries D. Footwear (small size)
- Subseries E. Garments (small size)
- Subseries F. Headwear (small size)
- Subseries G. Sewing Supplies (small size)
- Subseries H. Textiles (small size)
- Series II. Fashion Prints and Ephemera (large size)
- Subseries A. Accessories (large size)
- Subseries B. Clothiers, Tailors, and Dry Goods (large size)
- Subseries C. Fashion Plates and Periodicals (large size)
- Subseries D. Footwear (large size)
- Subseries E. Garments (large size)
- Subseries F. Headwear (large size)
- Subseries G. Sewing Supplies (large size)
- Subseries H. Textiles (large size)
Items are arranged numerically by call number and described in the following format:
Title of print. Date. Artist(s) (when known). Printer(s).
Publisher(s)
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Billheads
Broadsides
Business cards
Business records
Business records -- United States -- 19th century
Business records -- United States -- 20th century
Clippings
Ephemera.
Engravings.
Fashion plates
Fashion prints
Intaglio prints
Leaflets (printed works)
Labels
Letterheads
Lithographs.
Newspapers
Periodical illustrations
Periodicals
Printed ephemera
Promotional materials.
Relief prints
Sample books
Samples
Textiles
Trade cards
Views
Advertising -- Clothing and dress.
Advertising -- Fashion.
Children's clothing -- Pictorial works
Children's shoes -- Pictorial works
Clothing and dress -- Pictorial works
Clothing trade.
Commerce -- Pictorial works
Corsets -- Pictorial works
Dress accessories -- Pictorial works
Dresses -- Pictorial works
Dressmaking -- Patterns
Dry-goods.
Fashion -- Pictorial works
Footwear.
Fur garments -- Pictorial works
Hat trade.
Hats -- Pictorial works
Manufacturing industries.
Men's clothing -- Pictorial works
Military uniforms -- Pictorial works
Notions (Merchandise).
Rubber industry and trade.
Shoe industry.
Shoes -- Pictorial works
Storefronts -- Pictorial works
Textiles.
Thread.
Umbrellas -- Pictorial works
Women's clothing -- Pictorial works
A. Brett & Co.
A.E. Baker's Lithog'hy.
Ackermann, Emil F., 1840-
Augte. Godchaux & Cie.
B.W. Thayer & Co.
Baillie, James S., fl. 1838-1855
Baker & Godwin.
Baker, Godwin & Co.
Baker, Joseph E., approximately
1837-1914
Beard, Albin, 1808-1862
Bonnard, J.
Bufford, John Henry,
1810-1870
C.L. Crapper & Bro. Lith.
Calvert Lithographing Co. (Detroit,
Mich.)
Cameron, John, approximately 1828-
Capewell & Kimmel (Firm)
Chanson (Engraver)
Cosine, W. S.
Crawford, C. G.
Croker, H., Jr.
Currier, Charles, 1818-1887
Deferneville, P.
Desgrange, Isabelle.
Dupuy (Printer)
Duross Bros.
Duval & Hunter.
E. Wells Sackett & Rankin.
Elite Styles Company
Elsas Paper Co.
Endicott, George, 1802-1848
Esnault, A.
Farwell, F. F.
Feder, Joel.
Ferd. Mayer & Sons.
Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing
Company
Fournier (Firm)
Frazer & Denis.
G.W. & W.H. Dobbins.
Geddes Sons.
Geo. H. Walker & Co.
Gilquin Fils. Imp.
Godchaux, Alp.
Grant & Co.
Graphic Company
Gray Lith. Co.
Gray, L. (Lithographer)
Harper & Brothers.
Harris, George S.
Hatch & Co.
Heffron & Phelps.
Heppenheimer & Maurer.
Holland, A. (Printer)
Imp. Falconer.
Imp. Leroy.
J. Ottman Lithographic Company
J.C. Kneeland & Co.
J.H. Bufford's Lith.
J.J. Little & Co.
Julius Bien & Co.
Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing
Company
King & Baird.
Lindner, Eddy & Clauss.
Major & Knapp Engraving, Manufacturing &
Lithographic Co.
Major, Knapp & Co.
Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann.
Mayes (Engraver)
Men's Outfitter.
Michelin, Francis, 1809 or 1810-1878
Moras, Ferdinand, 1821-1908
Morse, W.J. (Willis J.)
New York Times Company
Noel, Laure, 1827-1878
O.H. Bailey & Co.
Oliver, John Wise, 1815-1908
P.S. Duval & Co.
Parker, Gray.
Pictorial Advertising Co.
Pictorial Printing Co.
Rabouille, Charles.
Rau, J., approximately 1821-
Rease, W. H.
Rogowski & Co.
S.T. Taylor Co.
Sackett & Wilhelms Litho. & Prt.
Co.
Sackett, Wilhelms & Betzig.
Schuller, Jno.
Seringe Freres (Firm)
Shober & Carqueville.
Stahl & Jaeger.
Standard Print.
Tappan & Bradford.
Times Print (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Toudouze, Anaïs Colin, 1822-1899
Valois, Ed.
Van Ingen, William H., approximately
1831-
W.H.H. Rogers & Co.
Wagner & M'Guigan.
Ward & Biddulph.
Wex & Irish.