Printing Plate
date: label: date made
content: ca 1811
name: label: associated person
content: Altemus, Leonard
label: maker
content: Bower
notes: label: Description
content: Vertical rectangular printing plate for a trade card for "LEONARD ALTEMUS: / Taylor / 83 / NORTH third STREET / PHILADELPHIA"; engraved in reverse. Top half of design depicts Liberty seated at left next to a shield blazoned with the coat of arms of Pennsylvania and surrounded by commercial and agricultural goods; she holds a liberty pole in her right hand and points her left to an American eagle with banner "Let an American Honour merit! Wherever it be Found" in its beak that hovers amidst clouds above a three-masted barque sailing towards a sun with face on the horizon; broken tree stump at right. Tradesman's name, address and product advertisment in oval below. Signed at bottom center "Bower". Plate reverse stamped incuse "J\B/. KEIM / PHIL\A/." in roman letters.
label: Description
content: Leonard Altemus (1763-1826) worked for several years as a tailor at 64 Sassafras before appearing in the 1811 directory at 83 N. Third Street; two years later, he is listed as a tavern keeper on Filbert Street. Jacob Keim is listed in Philadelphia directories from 1809 to 1845 as a steel and copperplate maker, while engraver John Bower worked in Philadelphia, 1809-1819.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1981.0263.01
label: accession number
content: 1981.0263
label: catalog number
content: 1981.0263.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: copperplate
label: Object Name
content: printing plate
label: Object Name
content: trade card
label: Object Type
content: plate
label: Other Terms
content: Plate; Engraving
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: copper (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall, plate wrapped in print: 1/2 in x 5 3/4 in x 3 7/8 in; 1.27 cm x 14.605 cm x 9.8425 cm