California Business Ephemera Collection

Consists of a variety of ephemera pertaining to California businesses, mainly from San Francisco and the greater Bay Area, with large portions from Sacramento, Stockton, and Los Angeles. The bulk of the material dates from the mid 19th century through the early 20th century. Businesses range from major companies to small enterprises. Types of business represented include: mining, manufacturing, financial, utilities, import, transportation, travel, restaurants, and retail. There are significant holdings for longstanding businesses, including Gump's, Emporium, Orpheum Theatre, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Palace Hotel, Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and Standard Oil Company.

Contains ephemera related to many aspects of business, including: advertisements, promotional and sales material, manufacturers sales catalogs, brochures, trade cards, forms, business cards, annual reports, stock certificates, theatrical playbills, travel guides, menus, tickets, invitations, newsletters, directories, receipts, letterhead, newspaper clippings and magazine articles.