ITEM DESCRIPTION
Original 1876 chromolithographed advertising calendar card issued as part of the Home Insurance Company Almanac, printed by Kronheim & Co. of New York for the United States centennial year. One side presents a complete twelve-month 1876 calendar under the title “Home Insurance Company Almanac,” surrounded by ornate red, green, and gilt ornamental borders, with a circular “1876” medallion worked into the side design and a bold line across the bottom boasting the firm’s “Cash Assets $5,500,000,” alongside the small imprint for Kronheim & Co., 9 Dey Street, New York.
The reverse features a finely engraved architectural view titled “Art Gallery, Centennial International Exhibition, 1876. Philadelphia,” showing the great exhibition art gallery building (later known as Memorial Hall) in Fairmount Park. The domed central pavilion rises above long arcaded wings, surmounted by a classical statue, while crowds of visitors wander the landscaped grounds below, arriving by carriage, on horseback, and on foot. Printed captions at the lower corners give the building’s impressive footprint, “Length, 365 ft.” and “Width, 210 ft.,” underscoring the scale of the Centennial art museum that showcased fine arts from the United States and abroad during the 1876 fair.
Produced by master chromolithographers Kronheim & Co., these Centennial Home Insurance Company calendars were high-end advertising premiums given to clients and agents, combining practical calendars with patriotic historical imagery. Surviving examples are documented today in institutional collections, where individual calendar leaves and complete sets are noted for their rich colors, intricate borders, and carefully rendered scenes tied to Revolutionary history and to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. This particular card, pairing a full-year calendar on the face with the Art Gallery view on the back, illustrates how the company tied its brand to both financial solidity and to the nation’s grand centennial celebration in Philadelphia.
Physical condition is good overall for a fragile, roughly 150-year-old advertising calendar card, but it does show the expected age and handling wear. The heavy card stock has even age toning and scattered light foxing and speckling on both sides, along with a bit of surface soil and faint smudging, especially in the wide margins surrounding the Philadelphia view. Corners are softly rounded, and the edges show minor rubbing, a few small nicks, and tiny edge flakes; there is a small notch or hanging slot at the center of the top edge with a little associated chipping. The front calendar side shows a couple of small stains or darker spots near the left border, but the calendar grid and lettering remain clear and legible, and the red, green, and gold tints retain a pleasing, slightly mellowed appearance. On the reverse view there is an old scrap of paper or adhesive remnant in the right margin that slightly intrudes into the main image. The card lies generally flat without any harsh creases or folds, and overall presents very well for display despite its evident 19th-century use.
Make sure to see the photos above for complete details.
Measures approximately 7 1/2 inches tall by 5 inches wide.
KEYWORDS
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