These are 3 bill heads for the San Francisco Dealer Osgood & Stetson, designed by noted lithographer and artist Grafton Tyler Brown. Brown (1841-1918) was the first son of light-skinned African Americans Thomas and Wilhelmina Brown. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the precocious teenager arrived in Sacramento in 1858, where he became a hotel steward, and quickly gained public attention for his artistic ability. In 1860 he [x=#8220/]passed[x=#8221/] into the majority society by taking a job with San Francisco lithographer Charles Kuchel. Brown bought the business and for fifteen years engaged in a design battle with San Francisco[x=#8217/]s letterpress printers and other lithographers. Although he was African American, he was able to pass as "white"and had a pretty successful career in later years.
Date: 1876
Country (if not USA):
State: California
City: San Francisco
Provenance: Ken Prag Collection