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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Letterbook, 1815-1819 |
| Reference | Col. 235, box 1, folder 9 |
| Library | Winterthur Library |
| Collection | The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera |
| Collection Series | Latimer Family Papers, 1801 - [c. 1860], bulk 1815-1842, Series II: China Trade |
| Date | 1815-1819 |
| Author / Creator | Latimer, John Richardson |
| Description | Kept by John R Latimer, the volume contains correspondence and accounts relative to the China trade in chinaware, especially nankeen, opium, tea, silks, etc. Most of the letters were written from Canton to Philadelphia by Latimer to customers about their orders and the market (copies of orders included). Some instructions from Philadelphia to agents in Canton are also featured. The volume closes with lists of products (types of teas, silks, opium) and descriptions of china patterns. |
| Document Type | Correspondence, Manuscript |
| Theme(s) | Trade and Commerce |
| Keywords | tea, commodity, trade, silk, nankeen, textiles, cloth, opium, china, chinoiserie, fabric, accounts, list, instructions, customer, order, market, product, invoice |
| Countries | China; USA |
| Ports | Guangzhou, China; Philadelphia, USA |
| Additional Information |
John Richardson Latimer was the grandson of American milling and shipping businessman James Latimer, who had emigrated from Ireland in 1736. John’s uncle George Latimer ran a counting house in Philadelphia, and it was here that John received his early training. George arranged for him to enter the China trade, and he made his first supercargo voyage to Canton in 1815. From that time until 1838 John made regular voyages between China and his home in Delaware, spending most of his time abroad. He imported tea, opium, fabric, and porcelains from China. Profits from his years in China allowed him to retire at the age of forty. He died at his home in 1865. Paper watermarked T Gilpin & Company, Brandywine. Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Winterthur Library catalogue. |
| Copyright | Winterthur Library |
