Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Last (Jay T.) Collection of Fashion Prints and Ephemera
priJLC_FASH  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • 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

    Selected items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the Huntington Digital Library. 

    Related materials in the Huntington Library

    1. Huntington Library French Fashion Plates Collection,  ephFASH
    2. Jay T. Last Collection of Fashion: Honig & Schutter Business Correspondence,  priJLC_FASH_Honig
    3. 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.