The Horn Blowing Rooster is a Shippers Ticket
John Lowe
Salter (28Jan1853 – 24Oct1907) – born in Portsmouth, NH, son of sea captain and
ship owner John E. Salter, and Anne M. (Kennard) Salter. He was the great-great-grandson of Captain
Titus Salter. He moved to NYC in his
late teens, and was living there in 1874, at the time of his father’s death. In 1876 he married Mabel Shores. They had five children, 2 daughters and 3
sons – all of his sons would eventually work in the dry goods business. At some point in the late 1870s he was
employed by Low, Harriman & Co. The 1886
trademarks filed by Low, Harriman & Co. for “First Call” and the Horn
Blowing Rooster were signed by John L. Salter, member of the firm, and were
indicated to have been in use since August 1883. The trademarks from those original designs
stayed with the Salter family even after they merged with Woodward, Baldwin
& Co. in 1927. In 1954, just before
the retirement of John L. Salter, Jr, the trademarks were transferred to
Woodward, Baldwin & Co. John L.
Salter, Jr retired from Woodward, Baldwin & Co in 1956.
Dry Goods Commissions – The Companies
Oliver Harriman worked for
dry goods commission house of McCurdy, Aldridge & Spencer, continuing with
them until their retirement to form the succeeding business Low, Harriman,
Durfee & Co. with James Low, his future son-in-law, as the senior
partner. McCurdy, Aldridge &
Spencer was founded in 1820 by Herman Dagget Aldrich and Robert Henry McCurdy,
Spencer joined later. When the three
partners retired, the Low Harriman partnerships began.
The Louisville Directory
and Business Advertiser of 1861 has a listing for James Low & Co (James
Low, John, Joseph T., & Samuel D. Tompkins & James D. Smith) dry goods,
210 Sixth in NYC. According to the
Kentucky State Register and other business directories, they were in business
by at least 1844 on the N.E corner of Main & Wall Streets, Louisville, KY. In 1859, newspaper ads in the Daily Courier,
Louisville – for the James Low & Co. appeared for handkerchiefs, threads,
laces, ladies’ collars, gloves, etc. Ads appeared in newspapers for James Low
& Co. dry goods throughout the 1850s – 1860s.
The 1866-67 NYC Co-Partnership
Directory lists the Dry Goods Commission company of Low, Harriman, Durfee &
Co. (James Low, Oliver Harriman, George Durfee and John W. Bigelow) 45 Park
Place in NYC.
Joseph Tompkins Low, son of James Low, was a clerk for the dry
goods jobbing house Wicks, Smith & Co.
In January 1867 he joined his father in the firm Low, Harriman & Co.
In
the 1868-69 NYC Co-Partnership Directory, the company became Low, Harriman
& Co. (James and Joseph T. Low, Oliver Harriman and John W. Bigelow) 65
Worth in NYC.
Mathew C.D. Borden graduated from Yale in 1864 and began his
business career in 1865 with Lathrop, Luddington & Co, a large jobbing
house in NYC. In 1868 he was connected with the commission house of Low,
Harriman & Co, selling agents for American Print Works of Fall River.
In the
March 1874 co-partnership directory, the company is listed as Low, Harriman
& Co. (James & Joseph T. Low, Oliver Harriman, John W. Bigelow and
Matthew C.D. Bordon) 65 Worth in NYC.
In the March 1876, 1878 and 1879 co-partnership
directories, the company is listed as Low, Harriman & Co. (James &
Joseph T. Low, Oliver Harriman and Matthew C.D. Bordon) 65 Worth in NYC.
In 1879
Matthew D.C. Borden left Low, Harriman & Co and joined with his brother,
Thomas J. Bordon who worked as a clerk, agent, treasurer and director of
American Print Works.
In the 1879-80 Lain Directory G of Brooklyn, John L. Salter,
age 26 was employed in the dry goods business at 67 Worth in NYC. According to ads, Low, Harriman & Co
occupied 65 & 67 Worth address in NYC.
Unsure of when he started his employ with Low, Harriman & Co, but is listed as working there in 1879.
In
1885, Joseph T. Low was identified in several newspaper clippings as the head
of the firm Low, Harriman & Co. and that James Low had retired.
In January
1886, a notice in The New York Times indicated that Oliver Harriman was
retiring from the business of Low, Harriman & Co. (Oliver Harriman, Jos. T.
Low, John L. Dudley and J. Low Harriman) and a new co-partnership would be
forming to continue the dry goods commission business in the same style with Jos.
T. Low, J. Low Harriman, Chas. H. Bebee and John L. Salter.
April 1886 – Trademarks
filed by Low, Harriman & Co. by John L. Salter, member of the firm.
In the
March 1888 co-partnership directory, the company is listed as Low, Harriman
& Co (Joseph T. Low, J. Low Harriman, Charles H. Bebee & John L.
Salter) 65 Worth in NYC. Oliver Harriman
retired in 1886 and James Low had already retired, and now their sons were in the
business.
In the March 1889 co-partnership directory the firm Low,
Harriman & Co is listed as dissolved and new company listed as Joseph T.
Low & Co. (Joseph T. Low, Charles H. Bebee and John L. Salter) 65 Worth in
NYC,
In the 1890 directory, the co-partnership of Joseph T. Low & Co.
remained unchanged.
On December 31, 1896 the firm Joseph T. Low & Co
announced they would be dissolving and Mr. Joseph T. Low retiring from the
business. Other members of the firm
listed as Charles H. Beebe and John L. Salter.
In the 1897-98 Lain’s Directory,
John L Salter is listed at working in the dry goods business at 70 Worth Street
in Brooklyn, NY. This is during the gap period between the dissolution of Joseph T. Low & Co. and John striking out
on his own. Not sure what company
resided at that address at that time.
James Low, retired dry goods merchant, died
on May 17, 1898, at the home of his daughter Mrs. Oliver Harriman in NYC. He conducted a very successful dry goods
jobbing business (James Low & Co) in Louisville, Kentucky prior to going to
NYC to establish the commission house of Low, Harriman, Durfee & Co., which
subsequently became Low, Harriman & Co.
His son, Joseph T. Low, who was also his business partner, retired from
the business in 1896.
In the Trow’s 1898 business directory of the boroughs of
Manhattan and the Bronx, City of New York, John L. Salter is listed as a Dry
Goods Commission Merchant as 34 Thomas in NYC.
He was not noted in the 1897 volume of the directory. Also in the year of 1898, John L Salter paid
a $5,000 mortgage to Mabel S. Salter (his wife); and his son John L. Salter, Jr
joined with him in his dry goods commission business, John L. Salter.
By 1901,
John L. Salter had set up his business at 47 Leonard Street in NYC according to
the 1901-02 Club Men of New York.
1905 – Trademarks filed by John L. Salter, for
his company of the same name.
1907 John L. Salter passed in October 1907; two of
his sons, John L. Salter, Jr and Robert Shores Slater formed the succeeding
business John L. Salter and Sons.
In the Trow’s 1909 directory, the company is
listed as John L. Salter & Sons (Robert S. & John L. Salter, Jr, only)
47 Leonard in NYC,
In the years 1912-1916 to John L. Salter & Sons provided prices
for many of the branded products to Fibre and Fabric, the American Textile
Trade Review for their Fabric Selling Supplement. Brands “First Call” and “2nd to None” are
listed along with many other bleached cotton brand names.
Eventually, all three of
John L Salter’s sons worked for the dry goods commission business.
In 1927 John L.
Salter & Sons merged with Woodward, Baldwin & Co as the Salter
Department, Textile Finishing. By this
time, Thomas Manning Salter had joined the dry goods business and remained with
the Salter Department after the merger.
Woodward, Baldwin & Co. started out in 1828 as the firm of Jones
& Woodward, in Baltimore, MD. After
a few name iterations, it finalized in 1856 as Woodward, Baldwin & Co. and
set up in NYC in 1860 at 43-45 Worth Street.
In 1929, Robert S. Salter left Woodward,
Baldwin & Co. to pursue other interests.
In 1935, Thomas M. Salter was
placed in charge of the gray goods for the direct firm of Woodward, Baldwin
& Co.
The First Call and Horn Blowing Rooster trademarks transferred in 1954
from John L. Salter, Jr. to Woodward, Baldwin & Co.
John L. Salter, Jr retired
from Woodward, Baldwin & Co in 1956.
KEY TO IMAGES
Column 1: 1886 Trademarks
filed by Low, Harriman & Co by John L. Salter, member of the firm; No.
13,162 “First Call”; No. 13,215 Horn
Blowing Rooster; Shipping Ticket (in color) First Call trademark registered No.
13,162; Redwork Horn Blowing Rooster close-up provided by Lynn Evans Miller,
owner of the quilt (photo used with permission)
Column 2: 1905 Trademarks filed
by John L. Salter; No. 47,337 (Serial 3,408) “First Call”; No. 47,028 (Serial 3,406) Horn Blowing
Rooster; No. 46,903 (Serial 3,407) “2nd to None”
Column 3: Company Ads: James
Low & Company, Louisville, KY (Kimball & James’ Business Directory,
1844, page 363); 1883 ad for Low, Harriman & Co (not sure of publication,
only the ad was being sold); 1878 ad for Low, Harriman & Co (Advertisement
in the April 1878 Bulletin of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers)
Column
4: Joseph T. Low & Co (1889 United States Export Almanac); John L. Salter
& Sons (1914 Dry Goods Economist); Woodward, Baldwin & Co (1910 American’s
Textile Reporter); Fibre and Fabric, the American Textile Trade Review, Current
Market Standards, Fabric Selling Supplement, J.L. Salter & Sons (Oct 4,
1913 and November 27, 1915)
Column 5: 1954 Trademarks filed by Woodward,
Baldwin & Co; No. 606,492 (Serial 671,400) Horn Blowing Rooster with First
Call text; No. 606,493 (Serial 671,401) Horn Blowing Rooster
ORIGINAL TRADEMARKS
US Serial 13,162; Registered
on 06Apr1886 by Low, Harriman & Co. (per John L. Salter, member of the firm)
for Bleached, brown and colored cotton goods.
Description: Text “First Call” The
trademark has been in use continuously since August 30, 1883. Stencil or otherwise form the trademark on
the pieces of goods, OR Print the trademark on labels to be applied to the
pieces of goods
US Serial 13,215; Registered on 20Apr1886 by Low, Harriman
& Co. (Per John L. Salter, member of the firm) for Bleached, brown and
colored cotton goods. Description: Representation of a rooster and a horn, in
which the rooster is represented as standing on one foot, and holding a horn
with his other foot. The mouth-piece of
the horn is represented as being in the rooster’s mouth, and its flared end as
rising above the rooster’s back. These
have generally been arranged with a background, wherein are represented trees,
a church, and mountains; but the rooster and horn may be differently arranged,
and the rock, trees, church, and mountains can be changed at pleasure or
omitted without materially altering the character of our trademark, the
essential features of which are the representation of the rooster and the horn,
said rooster standing on one foot and holding the horn with his other foot, the
mouthpiece of the horn being placed in the rooster’s mouth, and its flared end
rising above the rooster’s back. The
trademark has been in use continuously since August 30, 1883. Print the trademark on labels to be applied
to the pieces of goods
Informational
Sources on Textile Labels or Shippers Tickets
Textile Trademark – Adrian
Wilson of New York – collects textile trademark stamps and record books used by
merchants or fabric finishers – lots of good images
Ivory for Cotton – Madelyn Shaw and Amy J. Anderson
(only the first page of the article, if you google “Ivory for Cotton” several
examples of textile labels from the Wiley on-line library appear)
Shippers Tickets – Science and Industry Museum…https://blog.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/displaying-shippers-tickets/
A google search on textile “shippers ticket” –
Images – will yield an abundance of these colorful labels
