Summary

Creator:	Davis, John L.
Date(s):	1861-1896
Call Number:	MSS 0097, Item 0108
Language:	Materials entirely in English.
Abstract:	Philadelphia chemist John Davis’s manuscript book is filled with medicinal formulae and numerous laid-in receipts and household hints. There are over 135 items as varied as medicinal receipts, graduation announcements, poetry, sketches, and a silhouette.
Physical Description:	1 volume (238 pages and approximately 135 laid-in items) 20 cm
Source:	Gift of Barry Moyerman, 1974.
Processing:	Processed and encoded by Lindsey Baker, June 2007. Updated by E. Evan Echols, August 2015. Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Biographical and Historical Notes

John L. Davis, a chemist at the Powers and Weightman Chemical Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the mid to late nineteenth century.

Sources

Information derived from the collection.

Scope and Content Note

Philadelphia chemist John Davis’s manuscript book is filled with medicinal formulae and numerous laid-in receipts and household hints. There are over 135 items as varied as medicinal receipts, graduation announcements, poetry, sketches, and a silhouette.

This nineteenth century manuscript book of medicinal formulae belonged to John L. Davis, a chemist at the Powers and Weightman Chemical Company in Philadelphia. The book is lacking its covers and contains 238 lined pages of which about ninety feature tipped-in receipts and newspaper clippings of advertisements. More than 135 loose items, such as clippings, sketches, and other ephemera have been removed from the volume and housed with the collection in a separate folder.

The incomplete un-bound book begins with an index starting with the letter "E." The volume contains medicinal formulae, household recipes, and beauty hints. Receipts include instructions for ginger beer, bug poison, hope’s dysentery mixture, black ink, cologne, hair dye, spiced brandy, and cholera mixture. The separated clippings and ephemera vary in topic and are often dated. These include poems, medicinal receipts from doctors' offices, sketches, a silhouette, and graduation announcements. A letter dated 1896 is addressed to "John L. Davis, c/o Powers & Weightman, 9th & Parrish Sts., Philadelphia."

Using these materials

Shelving Summary

• Item 0108: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0097

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

MSS 0097, Item 0108, John L. Davis medicinal formulae and household recipes, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Related Materials in This Repository

This item forms part of MSS 0097 Diaries, Journals, and Ships' Logs collection.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Names & Subjects

Names

• Davis, John L.
• Powers and Weightman

Subjects

• Chemists (scientists)
• Formulas, recipes, etc--History--19th century
• Housekeeping--History--19th century
• Medicine--Formulae, receipts, prescriptions--History--19th century

Formats

• Clippings (information artifacts)
• Recipes
• Silhouettes
• Sketches