19th and early 20th century building trade ephemera enriches narratives of bldg. 51 museum artifacts

for the past ten years, i've invested thousands of dollars in building trade catalogs, with builders' hardware, millwork, architectural house plans, and stained glass window makers comprising the bulk of my research library. in recent years i've eagerly latched onto "google books" as a resource -- as more and more of its collection has become downloadable -- and pumped the brakes on acquiring the actual catalogs. the virtual library i've since created quickly superseded the physical, which saved a great deal of money and space.

as of late however, i'm returning to buying ephemera again, either because the catalogs available for purchase do not exist in digital format, or because of a blossoming desire to complement and strengthen the narrative of various artifacts housed in the bldg. 51 museum. through post cards, letterheads, business cards, etc., i'm able to dial into various facets or perhaps "subtexts" that enrich the story. sometimes this is as simple as the identification of a manufacturer through a period business card, or a collection of postcards portraying a building from which artifacts were removed. the latter offers the ever-rewarding "in situ" picture of artifact integrated into its greater whole (i.e., the completed building). the vast amount of souvenirs, letters, cards, books, photographic images, and more provide a flexibility, to focus on various aspects of the story that i find compelling.

in many cases the artifacts stand alone as objects of art, but i still attempt to build a narrative that assigns them greater meaning or significance. i try to accomplish this one piece at a time. ultimately the work is not only incredibly rewarding, but provides a number of novel lenses to view the artifact through.

rare glimpse inside the sullivan and adler-designed chicago stock exchange building in 1905 through this single page mooney & boland detective agency advertisement.