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Last (Jay T.) Collection of Military Prints and Ephemera
priJLC_MIL
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Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Jay T. Last collection of military prints and ephemera
Creator:
Last, Jay T.
Identifier/Call Number: priJLC_MIL
Physical Description:
59.78 Linear Feet
(8 flat-file drawers, 32 binders, and 1 flat-box)
Date (inclusive): 1785-1966, bulk 1860-1900
Abstract: The Jay T. Last collection of military prints and ephemera contains approximately 4,900 printed items from 1785 to 1966, with
the majority of material dating from 1860 to 1900. The collection consists of prints depicting primarily American battle scenes,
forts, camps, prisons, and military officers; advertising ephemera with military-related images, more than 3,000 Civil War-era
patriotic envelopes, and over 100 Civil War-era song sheets.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
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.
[Identification of item]. Jay T. Last collection of military prints and ephemera, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Jay T. Last, 2005.
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 military prints and ephemera materials were transferred
to the Library between 2010 and 2013.
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.
The Jay T. Last collection of military prints and ephemera contains approximately 4,900 printed items from 1785 to 1966, with
the majority of material dating from 1860 to 1900. The collection consists of prints depicting primarily American battle scenes,
forts, camps, prisons, and military officers; advertising ephemera with military-related images, more than 3,000 Civil War-era
patriotic envelopes, and over 100 Civil War-era song sheets.
Materials are arranged in two series: small-size items (11 x 14 inches or less) and large-size items (bigger than 11 x 14
inches). Small-size items measuring less than 8 x 10 inches are described broadly at the series level; large-size items and
small-size items between 8 x 10 inches and 11 x 14 inches are fully inventoried, and all printers, artists, and publishers
are indexed by name. The collection has nearly 400 large-size items comprised mainly of lithographic and engraved prints including
printed illustrations of battlefields, certificates and contracts, and portraits of major military and political figures during
wartime. Small-size items in the collection number almost 4,500 items and are comprised mainly of patriotic envelopes (also
known as patriotic covers) from the American Civil War. Other stationery such as postcards and printed billheads and letterheads
(with and without manuscript text) are found in this series, as well as advertising ephemera with military-related illustrations.
The collection mainly includes prints and ephemera related to the American Civil War, both contemporaneous and commemorative
in nature. The American Revolutionary War, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War are also represented. The
images are primarily documentary or patriotic in nature and provide information about the American military, as well as the
evolution of advertising strategies employed by businesses during periods of conflict in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
As graphic materials, the items offer evidence of printmaking techniques and trends, as well as information about the artists,
engravers, lithographers, printers, and publishers involved in the creative process.
Processed by Charla DelaCuadra in 2016.
- Envelopes Issued During the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865 collected by John P. Nicholson, (call #95458)
- Broadside Songs and Ballads of the Rebellion 1861-1865 collected by John P. Nicholson, (call #100053)
Both of the above are part of the John Page Nicholson Papers and Civil War Collection, a large group of manuscripts, rare
books, and prints and ephemera related to the American Civil War.
The Huntington Library Historical Prints Collection contains two related items (priHHC_MIL_0000004; priHHC_MIL_0000005) that
are listed in the "Related Materials" section at the beginning of Series II, Subseries A in this finding aid.
Existence and Location of Copies
Selected items from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the
Huntington Digital Library
The collection is arranged in the following series and subseries:
- Series 1. Military prints and ephemera (small size), approximately 1785-1900, bulk 1861-1865
- Subseries A. American Civil War (small size), approximately 1861-1900
- Subseries B. Other military (small size), approximately 1785-1900
- Series 2. Military prints and ephemera (large size), approximately 1832-1966, bulk 1860-1900
- Subseries A. American Civil War (large size), 1861-1912
- Subseries B. Other military (large size), 1832-1966
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
Business cards
Certificates
Chromolithographs.
Contracts
Ephemera.
Ephemera -- United States -- 19th century
Ephemera -- United States -- 20th century
Engravings.
Handbills
Intaglio prints
Leaflets (printed works)
Letterheads
Lithographs.
Maps
Newspapers
Patriotic envelopes
Pictorial envelopes
Political cartoons
Portrait prints
Postcards
Printed ephemera
Promotional materials.
Registers
Relief prints.
Stationery
Tickets
Trade cards
Views
Admirals -- United States -- Pictorial works
African American men -- Pictorial works
African Americans -- Pictorial works
Andersonville Prison -- Pictorial works
Artillery -- Pictorial works
Battlefields -- Pictorial works
Battles -- Pictorial works
Bombardment -- Pictorial works
Cannons -- Pictorial works
Cavalry -- Pictorial works
Columbia (Symbolic character) -- Pictorial works
Confederate States of America.
Correctional institutions -- Pictorial works
Eagles -- Pictorial works
Families -- Pictorial works
Flags -- Pictorial works
Fortification -- Pictorial works
Generals -- Confederate States of America -- Pictorial works
Generals -- Pictorial works
Generals -- United States -- Pictorial works
Horses -- Pictorial works
Hospitals -- Pictorial works
Indians of North America -- Pictorial works
Maps -- Pictorial works
Mexican War, 1846-1848 -- Pictorial works
Military camps -- Pictorial works
Military hospitals -- Pictorial works
Military prisons -- Pictorial works
Military service, Voluntary.
Monuments -- Pictorial works
Naval battles -- Pictorial works
Parades -- Pictorial works
Politicians -- Pictorial works
Presidents -- Confederate States of America -- Pictorial works
Presidents -- United States -- Pictorial works
Prisoners of war -- United States
Sailors -- Pictorial works
Ships -- Pictorial works
Soldiers -- Pictorial works
Spanish-American War, 1898 -- Pictorial works
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Maps.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Military life -- Pictorial works
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Pictorial works
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Registers.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865.
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Pictorial works
United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Pictorial works
Confederate States of America. Army -- Prisons -- Pictorial works.
Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889 -- Pictorial works.
Farragut, David Glasgow, 1801-1870 -- Pictorial works.
Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 -- Pictorial works.
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845 -- Pictorial works.
Jackson, Stonewall, 1824-1863 -- Pictorial works.
Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870 -- Pictorial works.
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Pictorial works.
McClellan, George Brinton, 1826-1885 -- Pictorial works.
Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866 -- Pictorial works.
Sherman, William T. (William Tecumseh), 1820-1891 -- Pictorial works.
Taylor, Zachary, 1784-1850 -- Pictorial works.
United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.) -- Pictorial works.
Washington, George, 1732-1799 -- Pictorial works.
A. Brett & Co.
A. Brown & Co.
A. Hoen & Co.
Abbott, Nathan B., b. 1833
American Lithographic Co.
B.B. Russell & Co.
Bachelder, John B. (John Badger), 1825-1894
Bachmann, John, active 1849-1885
Baillie, James S., fl. 1838-1855
Baker & Godwin.
Baker, Joseph E., approximately 1837-1914
Baum, C., approximately 1824-
Becker, O. (Otto F.)
Beever, W. A.
Benecke, Theodore.
Bien, Julius, 1826-1909
Bill, Henry, 1824-1891
Bingham & Dodd.
Blatz, Henry.
Boell, William.
Boetticher, Otto, b. ca. 1816
Bohn, Casimir.
Boston Stereotype Foundry.
Brady, Mathew B., approximately 1823-1896
Breuker & Kessler Co.
Britton & Rey.
Bross & Co.
Brown, Barzilai S.
Brown, Eliphalet M., 1816-1886
Bufford, John Henry, 1810-1870
Burk & McFetridge.
Caldwell & Co. (New York, N.Y.)
Calhoun Printing Company.
Calvert Lithographing Co. (Detroit, Mich.)
Chapin, John Reuben, 1823-1894
Childs, J. (John)
Clarke, Wm. M. (Lithographer)
Clay, Cosack & Co.
Clay, Edward Williams, 1799-1857
Combe (Artist)
Combe, Voltaire, 1837-1916
Craig, Finley & Co.
Crow, Thomas & Eno.
Currier & Ives
Dainty, John (Publisher)
Daughaday & Becker.
Davis, W. W. H. (William Watts Hart), 1820-1910
Day, Ward S.
De La Matyr, E. B.
Donovan, John (Artist)
Doolittle, H. S.
E. Sachse & Co.
E. W. Smith & Co.
E.B. & E.C. Kellogg (Firm)
Easel Monument Association
Eaton, Amos Beebe, 1806-1877
Edward Weber & Co.
Ehrgott & Forbriger.
Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co.
Endicott & Co. (New York, N.Y.)
Endicott, George, 1802-1848
Eno, Henry C.
F. A. Wenderoth & Co.
Fabronius, Dominique C.
Fenderich, Charles.
Feusier & Turberg.
Feusier, A.
Fisher, Robert J., Capt.
Fox, Stanley.
Fritsch, F. J. (Franz J.)
Fuchs, F.
G. & W. Endicott (Firm)
Garland, Francis.
Gay, James D.
Geo. S. Harris & Son.
Geological Survey (U.S.)
Gibson & Co. (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Gibson, John (Lithographer)
Goff & Bro.
Goupil & Cie.
Gurney, Jeremiah, 1812-1895
H.H. Lloyd & Co.
H.S. Crocker & Co.
Harper & Brothers.
Haskell & Allen.
Hayes Lithographing Co.
Heine, Wilhelm, 1827-1885
Herline & Hensel.
Hilton & Co. (New York, N.Y.)
Historical Printing Society.
Hoffy, Alfred M., approximately 1790-
Holland, R.
Hopps, Harry R.
J.H. Bufford & Co.
J.H. Bufford's Lith.
J.H. Bufford's Sons Lith.
Jas. B. Rodgers Co.
Joel, Joseph A., -1906
Johnson, Chauncey A.
Jones, T. R. (Thomas R.)
Julius Bien & Co.
Kelly, Thos., active 1867-1868
Kemper, H. W.
Keppler & Schwarzmann.
Keppler, Joseph Ferdinand, 1838-1894
Keystone Publishing Co.
Kimmel & Forster.
King & Baird.
King, C. Frank.
Knickerbocker, C.
Kramer, Peter, 1823-1907
Kugler, L.
Kurz & Allison.
L. Johnson & Co.
L.H. Bradford & Co.
Lewis & Goodwin.
Lipman, L. (Louis)
Lit. Armanino.
Lyons, W.
Magee, John L.
Magnus, Charles, 1850-1900
Marshall, R. B. (Robert Bradford), 1867-1949
Mathews, Alfred Edward, 1831-1874
Matson & Co.
Mayer & Stetfield.
Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann.
McCallum, Andrew, 1821-1902
McCallum, J.
McElroy (Artist)
McLean, A. (Alexander), approximately 1823-
McRae, John, 1793-1880 (engraver)
Middleton, Strobridge & Co.
Milmore, Martin, 1844-1883
Milwaukee Lith. & Engr. Co.
Monumental Bronze Co.
Muller, Luchsinger & Co.
N. Currier (Firm)
National Union Executive Committee (U.S.)
Needham, Dwight.
Newell, J. P., active 1858-1866
Newman, F.
Noble, William Pinkney, 1830-1879
Ordway, Alfred, 1821-1897
P.S. Duval & Co.
P.S. Duval & Son.
Palmer, F. (Fanny), 1812-1876
Parsons, Charles, 1821-1910
Pendleton, John B., 1798-1866
Perry, George T.
Pettibone Bros. Mfg. Co.
Phelps, Humphrey, active 19th century.
Poinsett, A.
Porter, Geo. W.
Pringle, J.
Pringle, James Fulton.
Queen, James Fuller, 1820 or 1821-1886
Recorder Co.
Reed, Charles Wellington, 1841-1926
Risso Lith.
Robinson, Henry R., -1850
Roesler, J. Nep., approximately 1826-
Rosenthal, L. N. (Louis N.)
Rosenthal, Max, 1833-1918
Sarony & Co.
Sarony & Major.
Sarony, Major & Knapp Lith.
Sartain, Samuel, 1830-1906
Sartain, William, 1843-1924
Schabelitz, C. (Charles)
Schell, Francis H., 1834-1909
Schell, Frederic B.
Schrader, Theodore, 1812-1897
Schroeder & Sanders.
Schroeder, H. (Henry)
Schussele, Christian, 1826?-1879
Schutz, J.
Schwamb, Chas. A.
Sergeant, Robert W.
Smith, A. C., active 1831-1856
Smith, B. F. (Benjamin F.), 1830-1927
Smith, William, printseller.
Soderholtz, E. E. (Eric Ellis)
Stetfield, C. (Charles)
Strobridge Lithographing Company.
Strong, Thomas W.
Swinton, Frederick J.
T. Sinclair's Lith.
Theo. Leonhardt & Son.
Thomas & Eno.
Traubel, M. H. (Morris H.), 1820-1897
Trochsler, A. (Albert)
Truth Co.
United States Military Register Co.
W. Endicott & Co.
W. Schuchman Lith.
Wagner & M'Guigan.
Walke, Henry, 1808-1896
Walter, C. (Artist)
Weale, John, 1791-1862
Welcker, F.
Werner Company.
Whiting, Daniel Powers, 1808-1892
Willard, Archibald M., 1836-1918
Williams, Job T. (publisher)
Woods, Oliver Evans.
Wynkoop, Hallenbeck & Thomas.
Yeager, Joseph, approximately 1792-1859