MG-219. PHILADELPHIA COMMERCIAL MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, [ca. 1840-1954].
Dedicated in 1897 by President William McKinley, the Philadelphia Commercial Museum promoted American and foreign commerce and industry through a series of changing exhibits. Located at 34th and Vintage Streets, Philadelphia, the museum is today called the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center. In 1961 over six thousand prints of varying sizes were given to the Pennsylvania State Archives by the Commercial Museum. Used to illustrate commerce, trade, business, and industry in the United States and the world, most of the images were gathered from Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area. Included in the collection are photographs of workers in Philadelphia’s major industries, including African Americans.