(LABOR) Group of 3 circulars for the Charles H Smith Co lab

Sale 2471 - Lot 241

Price Realized: $ 688

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900

(LABOR.) Group of 3 circulars for the Charles H. Smith & Co. labor exchange, offering "Colored Domestic Help from Virginia." Various sizes, all 6 x 7 inches or smaller, light wear to one of the circulars, one with faint 1889 ink stamp. Richmond, VA, 1889 and undated

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Charles H. Smith & Co. was a "general help & labor exchange" which specialized in sending domestic servants from Virginia to the north. These circulars were provided to prospective employers. One card describes the virtues of "Colored Domestic Help from Virginia": "As a rule, these servants are polite, willing, and obliging. Long accustomed to being subservient, they are by nature docile and obedient, and appreciate the kindly treatment they receive at the hands of Northern people." Another card is headed "Our Terms" and explains the process "to order male or female colored house-servants" for "patrons in New York or vicinity"--it sounds as simple as ordering a chair or a pet. Finally, a smaller card offers advice for "When the new hand arrives."