(COLONIAL EPHEMERA - SOCIAL CLUBS) [Union Club]

At a Meeting of the President and Members of the Union Club, on Saturday Night, the 9th. inst. it was unanimously agreed upon to dine together ... [opening lines of letterpress dinner invitation and club announcement card]

[Philadelphia ?]: [s.n.], “Monday Jan. 11th, 1768”. Dinner invitation and club announcement card, (60 x 90mm), letterpress card with ornamental border; in twelve lines. Unique? Docketed in ms. to verso with name of a prominent Philadelphia merchant. Lightly tanned, else fine.

An early example of printed ephemera pertaining to an American social club in colonial Philadelphia possibly for Quaker merchants. This card describes the "Union Club” and is dated January, 1768. The card announces that its members were to hold a dinner the following week “...at Mr. Lindsay’s Long-Room on Thursday next” whereupon “Ten Gentlemen in Public Office” would be invited in addition to the regular club members. Additional details are printed (dues, rules for inviting guests, etc.) and an RSVP was requested. This planned dinner makes it clear that the purpose of the club was at least partly social, while the ten invited politicians suggests a shared social environment for economic networking. This item is not found on OCLC, nor can we locate anything pre-1800, that pertains to the club on OCLC, nor any specific literature that discusses the club. [144704]

$600

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