New York Chamber of Commerce collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The New York Chamber of Commerce Collection spans the period from its fouding in 1768, until 1976, and primarily contains photographs of the Chamber of Commerce building, as well as images of members and events.
Historical Note
The New York Chamber of Commerce was founded on April 5, 1768 by a group of merchants interested in the trade and commerce of New York City. The stated purpose of the organization was "promoting and encouraging commerce, supporting industry, adjusting disputes relative to trade and navigation, and procuring such laws and regulations as may be found necessary for the benefit of trade in general." The group received a royal charter from King George III in 1770, becoming the "Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New York in America."
During the Revolutionary War, the membership was divided. Patriots left New York City during the British invasion while their loyalist colleagues remained, holding meetings and conducting business. Following the evacuation of the British in 1783, the patriot membership returned and quickly regained control. The group received a new charter and were renamed the "Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York."
Through the years the organization has counted some of the most powerful men in New York among its members, including more than half of the city's mayors between 1872 and 1901. The influential members of the Chamber played a large roll in shaping both New York City and the United States. The New York Chamber of Commerce campaigned for the building of the Erie Canal, supported Abraham Lincoln's campaign for president, organized the "Committee of Seventy," which helped drive the Tweed ring from power, and played a key role in creating the city's first subway system.
Source:
Grey, Peter P. The First Two Centuries: An Informal History of the New York Chamber of Commerce. New York: New York Chamber of Commerce, 1968.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in three series:
Series I. Printing Blocks
Series II. Documents
Series III. Images
Scope and Contents
The New York Chamber of Commerce Collection spans the period from 1768-1976 and primarily contains photographs of the Chamber of Commerce building, as well as images of members and events.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: New York Chamber of Commerce Collection, PR 277, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Partnership for New York City, April 29, 2008.
About this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: Printing Blocks
Scope and Contents note
Series I. Printing Blocks is comprised of eleven printing blocks, ranging in size from 2 1/4x 1/4 inches to 4 x 5 1/2 inches, from various companies, including the American Maize-Products Company, Chase National Bank of the City of New York, and the March of Dimes. There are no printed positives from these blocks in the collection. The blocks are identified by a title, taken from the block's text, and listed individually in the box list.
[The Greater New York Mutual Savings Bank in Brooklyn]
[Orvis Brothers Co.]
[General Reinsurance Company]
[American Surety Company, New York Casualty Company]
[Pease & Elliman Inc.]
[Geo. E. Mallinson Importing Co., Inc.]
[American Maize-Products Company]
[The Chase National Bank of the City of New York]
General note
includes an image of Rockefeller Center
[Chase Banking Facilities in New York City]
General note
includes an image of 18 Pine Street & 11 Broad Street
[A Bicentennial Evening, The Great Hall]
General note
includes an image of the Chamber of Commerce Building, 65 Liberty St.
[The Fight is Yours, Join the March of Dimes]
General note
includes an image of a soldier and a child with crutches
Series II: Documents
Scope and Contents note
Series II. Documents include certificates, correspondence, posters, and other printed ephemera related to, or published by, the New York Chamber of Commerce. Material in this series is first organized by size then sorted by subject.
Subseries I. Boxed Files contains material measuring 9 x 14 in. and smaller. Organized by type, material includes Chamber of Commerce monthly bulletins, two New York City guidebooks published by the Chamber of Commerce from 1950, and several programs from dinners and events such as the Citizens Preparedness Parade in 1916. A number of typed pages from the Grant Monument Association detail the completion of the monument. Also included is one copy of the Catalogue of Portraits in the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York: 1768-1924 and a supplement published in 1941. These books contain reproductions of the portraits hanging throughout the Chamber of Commerce building.
Subseries II. Flat Files contain a letter from Herbert Hoover, a poster advertising a 1976 street fair and a 1939 map of lower Manhattan illustrated with depictions of historic landmarks, people and events. Certificates include membership certificates to the Chamber of Commerce, a memorial certificates for Joseph Conrad Simmons and Francis T. Walker, and a certificate celebrating the Chamber of Commerce's 200th anniversary. Also included is a broadside, printed in 1768, announcing the Chamber's creation. This is the only known extant copy.
BOXED FILES
Chamber of Commerce Bulletins, 1929, 1962
Chamber of Commerce Portrait Catalogue & Supplement, 1924, 1941
Grant Monument Association, 1928-1929
New York City Guides, 1950
Programs, 1901-1976
FLAT FILES
Certificates, 1866-1921, 1967
Correspondence, 1949
Broadsides & Posters, 1768, 1938, 1976
Series III: Images
Scope and Contents note
Series III. Images contain primarily gelatin silver photographs of the Chamber of Commerce as well as portraits of members and events. The series has been divided into two subseries: Photographs and Non-Photographic Images.
Subseries I. Photographs contains albumen and gelatin silver prints ranging in size from 6 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches to 16 x 21 inches. Many of these are mounted on board and are extremely fragile. Among these photographs are images of the Chamber of Commerce Building at 65 Liberty Street, including exterior images by Pach Brothers and a large number of interior photographs. Portraits include both individual and group portraits. Individual portraits show Edward VIII, Prince of Wales during his visit to the Chamber of Commerce in 1919 and Georges Clemenceau, former prime minister of France, at a Chamber of Commerce meeting in 1922, as well as John Lindsay delivering a speech in the Great Room. Group portraits include member banquets and images of Li Hung Chang's visit to Grant's Tomb. Events show both the dedication of the Washington statue at the Sub-Treasury Building as well as the celebration commemorating the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington. Miscellaneous photographs contain a single aerial view of Jones Beach, including the water tower.
Subseries II. Non-Photographic Images contains two portraits. One, a reproduction of an etching, is a portrait of Isaac Low. The other is a painted portrait of an unidentified man.