Showing minor signs of age, wear and handling - mostly top edge toning. Expected fold creases from posting. No major issues to note. Eye-catching bold header typefaces / fonts. Overall, in good to very good condition. Will display well in your collection. You will receive the exact sheet shown in the photos. It measures approx. 6" x 9 1/2"

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Clarke Bros. & Co. – Peoria, Illinois – September 19, 1910 – Clarke's Pure Rye Whiskey – Payment Acknowledgment – Bateman-Switzer Company, Great Falls, Montana Original September 19, 1910, commercial correspondence issued by Clarke Bros. & Co. of Peoria, Illinois, distillers of the well-known Clarke's Pure Rye whiskey. The document is addressed to Bateman-Switzer Company of Great Falls, Montana, and acknowledges receipt of a $59.09 payment applied to an outstanding account. Printed in attractive dark purple-blue ink, the stationery features an unusually elegant arrangement of ornamental script lettering, a diagonally shaded upper heading, and a ruled accounting section occupying the lower portion of the sheet. The correspondence provides an interesting example of the business relationship between an established Midwestern whiskey distiller and a wholesale liquor merchant in Montana during the years immediately preceding National Prohibition. Company History – Clarke Bros. & Co. Clarke Bros. & Co. operated in Peoria, Illinois, an important American distilling center during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Peoria's location along the Illinois River, its access to Midwestern grain supplies, and its extensive railroad connections helped make the city one of the nation's leading whiskey-producing centers. By the late nineteenth century, Peoria supported numerous distilleries, grain-processing establishments, cooperages, warehouses, and related businesses. Clarke Bros. & Co. marketed whiskey under the Clarke's Pure Rye name, emphasizing the type and quality of its product in an increasingly competitive national spirits market. The company's correspondence with a Montana wholesaler demonstrates the geographic reach of Peoria's distilling industry, which supplied whiskey to merchants throughout the United States. Clarke's Pure Rye Whiskey The letterhead prominently identifies the company as: "Clarke Bros. & Co. – Distillers of Clarke's Pure Rye." Rye whiskey was an established American spirit during the nineteenth century, traditionally associated with Pennsylvania and Maryland but also manufactured and marketed by Midwestern distillers. Rye whiskey generally employed a grain mixture containing a substantial proportion of rye, giving it a characteristic flavor distinct from corn-based bourbon whiskey. By 1910, rye whiskey was sold under numerous proprietary brands, with producers emphasizing purity, consistency, and reputation. The word "Pure" was particularly significant in the pre-Prohibition whiskey trade, when consumers and merchants were increasingly concerned with distinctions between straight whiskey, blended whiskey, and compounded spirits. The Clarke's Pure Rye designation therefore served both as a brand identity and as a statement of the product's intended quality. Contents of the September 19, 1910 Letter The letter acknowledges receipt of correspondence dated September 14, 1910, containing a draft for $59.09. The company confirms that the payment has been credited to Bateman-Switzer's account. The principal wording reads: We are in receipt of your favor of Sept. 14th, containing draft for $59.09, in payment of amount due us as per statement, which has been duly passed to your credit with thanks. The letter concludes with the printed signature Clarke Bros. & Co., followed by the initials "H." on the authorization line. An accounting section printed beneath the letter records the same payment amount of $59.09, with the date August 16, 1910. This earlier date likely identifies the invoice or account entry to which the September payment was applied. The document therefore serves as both a formal acknowledgment of payment and a simplified account statement. Commercial Credit and Whiskey Distribution The correspondence illustrates ordinary wholesale credit practices in the American liquor trade before Prohibition. Manufacturers and wholesale merchants frequently conducted business through open accounts, with payments made by bank drafts or other negotiable instruments. Written acknowledgments provided confirmation that payments had been received and properly credited. The approximately one-month interval between the August 16 account entry and the September 19 acknowledgment is consistent with the commercial credit arrangements commonly used by wholesale businesses. For distant customers such as Bateman-Switzer Company in Great Falls, written correspondence was an essential means of maintaining accurate accounts with manufacturers and suppliers. The document also illustrates the importance of the railroad-connected distribution system that allowed Midwestern whiskey producers to serve western markets. Stationery and Printing Details The letterhead is especially attractive for its combination of decorative script and practical commercial design. The company name appears in large, flowing purple-blue lettering, accompanied by the prominently displayed product name "Clarke's Pure Rye." The upper portion features a diagonal division between lightly tinted and uncolored paper areas, giving the heading an unusually distinctive appearance. Much of the correspondence consists of preprinted script text, with the date, recipient, payment amount, and other particulars added by typewriter. This combination of preprinted correspondence and individually entered information was an economical and efficient method of handling routine business communications. The lower portion contains a ruled account section headed "To Invoice," with columns for recording dates and amounts. The result is a combined letter, receipt acknowledgment, and accounting form on a single sheet.

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