Abstract Notable for its rarity (over 90% of the ephemera processed is unique to the Phillips Library) and its diversity, the Essex County Advertising Ephemera Collection represents over 300 years of design, printing, advertising, and social history. The bulk of the ephemera dates from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, with particular strength in late nineteenth-century materials. The majority of the materials originated in Salem, but the collection includes ephemera from about...

Abstract

Sailing ship cards have been identified as the earliest form of multi-color advertising in the United States. Printed to announce the departure of commercial ship sailings for both passengers and freight companies, the ephemeral nature of these cards makes them very rare. The collection contains 1,296 cards, 1,193 of which are unique, and 103 of which are duplicates.