Advertising and Consumption

Many of the items within the collection give a sense of the impact that Chinese commodities had on American consumer culture. The increasing popularity of tea on Western shores stimulated a desire for accompanying porcelain teapots and tea services, as seen in the Nantucket Collection; Partial Orange Tea Service and Partial Tea Service with Gilded Border. As well as porcelain; art, furniture, and clothing also began to arrive into America as souvenirs on board trading vessels and Western consumers soon became fascinated with their distinct artistic style. It was perhaps their scarcity and uniqueness that led many Westerners to regard these products as symbols of luxury as well as artefacts from a distant land that epitomised beauty and sophistication. The Canton Overseas Trading Company Chinaware and Sundry Catalogue showcases a selection of these unique products, and the accompanying price list gives an indication of how much each item was sold for.

6 Delightful Cruises to the West Indies n.d. Poster
Anti-Chinese Trade Card c. 1880 Advertisement
Beauty and Grandeur-The Yangtze Gorges n.d. Poster Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Canton Overseas Trading Company Chinaware and Sundry Catalogue 29 Dec 1933 Catalogue, Scrapbook
Catalogue... Vantine's the Oriental Store 1920 Catalogue
Chinese Gift Note n.d. Ephemera Xu, Chang Cai
Colonist Excursions for Pacific Coast Points 1912 Ephemera
Comfortable Summer Furniture...Vantine's the Oriental Store 1912 Catalogue
Empress of the Atlantic c. 1915 Poster Canadian Pacific Limited
Get your Canadian Home from the Canadian Pacific: a Handbook Regarding Sunny Alberta and the Opportunities Offered you by the Canadian Pacific Railway in that Province 1912 Pamphlet, Ephemera
Honolulu Directory and Historical Sketch of the Sandwich Islands Oct 1871 Printed Book
The Ideal World Cruise via the Mediterranean 1938 Poster Fraser, Norman
J W Paxson & Company, Philadelphia c. 1885 Advertisement Haugg, Louis
Penn Steam Engine & Boiler Works, Foot of Palmer Street, Kensington, Philadelphia c.1854 Advertisement Rease, W H; Schell, F
Philadelphia & New York Pekin Tea Company Jul 1847 Advertisement Rease, W H
Poster for Du Pont Company "Ponsol" Dyes c.1930 Advertisement
Prices Current for China Provisions, Most Suitable in This Market: Expressly for Chinese Use c1850s Mercantile Papers
Ship Sailing Cards: A-B 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: C 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: D-E 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: F-G 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: H-J 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: K-Ma 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: Mc-O 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: P-R 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: S 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Ship Sailing Cards: T-Z 1857-1894 Ephemera, Advertisement
Tea Wrapper n.d. Ephemera
Thru the Orient: A Pictorial Booklet of the Geo. H Maus Incorporated Organization in the Far East 1935 Catalogue
Trans-Canada Limited-Fastest Train Across the Continent 1924 Poster Kauffmann, G Y
Travel by the All Red Route-Canadian Pacific Steamships, Trains, Hotels c. 1920 Poster Leighton, Alfred Crocker
Warnick & Leibrandt's Philadelphia Stove Works and Hollow-Ware Foundry c. 1850 Advertisement Rease, W H
World Cruise-Canadian Pacific c. 1925 Poster Stuerken, E A