California business ephemera collection, 1849-2000

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Summary

Abstract:
Consists of a variety of ephemera pertaining to California businesses, mainly from San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, with large portions from Sacramento, Stockton, and Los Angeles. The bulk of the material dates from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century. Businesses range from major companies to small enterprises. Types of business represented include: mining, manufacturing, financial, utilities, import, transportation, travel, restaurants, and retail. Contains ephemera related to many aspects of business, including: advertisements, promotional and sales material, manufacturers sales catalogs, brochures, trade cards, forms, business cards, annual reports, stock certificates, theatrical playbills, travel guides, menus, tickets, invitations, newsletters, directories, receipts, letterhead, newspaper clippings and magazine articles.
Extent:
78.5 Linear feet
Language:
English and Collection materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], [File name], California Business Ephemera Collection, California Historical Society.

Background

Scope and content:

Consists of a variety of ephemera pertaining to California businesses, mainly from San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, with large portions from Sacramento, Stockton, and Los Angeles. The bulk of the material dates from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century. Businesses range from major companies to small enterprises. Types of business represented include: mining, manufacturing, financial, utilities, import, transportation, travel, restaurants, and retail. There are significant holdings for longstanding businesses, including Gump's, Emporium, Orpheum Theatre, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Palace Hotel, Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and Standard Oil Company.

Contains ephemera related to many aspects of business, including: advertisements, promotional and sales material, manufacturers sales catalogs, brochures, trade cards, forms, business cards, annual reports, stock certificates, theatrical playbills, travel guides, menus, tickets, invitations, newsletters, directories, receipts, letterhead, newspaper clippings and magazine articles.

Individual ephemera files can contain a single item or more extensive amounts of material, ranging from commercial print material to handwritten documents.

Processing information:

Processed by California Ephemera Project staff, funded by a Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources, in 2009-2010.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged alphabetically.

Accruals:

Additions to the collection are ongoing.

Physical location:
Collection is stored onsite.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

California Historical Society collections have been transferred to Stanford University Libraries. Collections will be unavailable as Stanford accessions them and updates records. Please contact chscollection@stanford.edu with any inquiries.

Terms of access:

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], [File name], California Business Ephemera Collection, California Historical Society.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
chscollection@stanford.edu
Website