Hardware Dealers' Magazine was originally intended for hardware dealers and features ads and articles targeting store owners. Today it is a useful tool for researching the history of retail and hardware stores and the items they sold at the turn of the 20th century.
Did you know that insurance companies get rated on their financial strength? The Library of Congress holds a wide range of insurance ratings guides from various agencies going back to the 19th century.
In 1876, human hair imports to the United States were valued at $4.5 million in today’s dollars. Where did all this hair come from and what was it used for? We investigate the hair industry and Library of Congress resources relevant to trade data, including our new research guide on international economics and trade.
As the Library of Congress continues to acquire material, some of the titles from Jefferson’s library that were lost in the 1851 fire have returned to the shelves. This year, the Library acquired one business title and two agricultural titles that were part of Thomas Jefferson’s original collection.
The Library of Congress Business Section invites you to a 30-minute webinar at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, September 24. The session will highlight collections featuring materials related to the hospitality industry.
Railroad industrialist Jay Gould and stockbroker Jim Fisk artificially drove up the gold market in 1869 in a scheme that resulted in a dramatic price crash on September 24, 1869, known as Black Friday. This post looks at three political cartoons that depict the players involved in the 1869 Gold Crisis.
This last post about the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal is all about tea! It includes a wonderful chart looking at both coffee and tea consumption from 1886-1925.