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California Business Ephemera Collection
BUS EPH
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Title: California business ephemera collection
Collection Identifier: BUS EPH
Dates: 1849-2000
Extent:
157 boxes
(78.5 Linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
www.californiahistoricalsociety.org
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
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.
Collection is open for research.
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.
[Identification of item], [File name], California Business Ephemera Collection, California Historical Society.
Biography Collection
California Ephemera Collection
Menu Collection
Theater Ephemera Collection
Additions to the collection are ongoing.
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.
Collection is arranged alphabetically.
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.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Business enterprises--California--Los Angeles.
Business enterprises--California--Sacramento.
Business enterprises--California--San Francisco.
Business enterprises--California--Stockton.
Business enterprises--California.
Companies.
Company stores.
Small business--California--San Francisco.
Small business--California.
California Ephemera Project.
Advertisements.
Annual reports.
Brochures.
Business cards.
Business records.
Clippings.
Invitations.
Letterheads.
Manufacturer's catalogs.
Menus.
Newsletters.
Playbills.
Promotional materials.
Receipts (financial records)
Stock certificates.
Tickets.
Trade cards.
Travel guidebooks.