Business Ephemera.

Businesses are constantly producing items of ephemera such as billheads, posters, flyers, advertising cards etc. and have been doing so for many many years. This is the link page to our collection of Co. Roscommon business ephemera. If your business is not included here please contact us and we will rectify the matter. All types of business ephemera, new and old, welcome.

The paper cover for one dozen box's of Ryan's Household pills.

"For Influenza, Bronchitis, Asthma, Colds, Pneumonia and all ailments of the chest and lungs". Price 2/=

Patrick Ryan & Son. Ryan's Corner, Boyle, Co. Roscommon.

No date.

Paper bags for James J. Harlow of Main Street and James Brennan of Castle Street, Roscommon.

No dates.

Images are not to scale.

Whiskey Label for James J. Harlow, Roscommon. No date.

(More business ephemera at bottom of page)               

Background.

Business ephemera has been around for almost as long as people have been trading. It consists of many different types of document, used during the day to day business of any shop, factory, pub, restaurant etc. and intended to last only as long as needed, typically a day or a week perhaps, at most, and then to be discarded as no longer required. While there may be dozens, hundreds or even thousands of copies printed at the time, the disposability of these items make them rare survivors in most cases. They are however very valuable reminders of what people liked at any given time, what fashions, for example, they followed and can be a real "eureka" moment, if your family happened to be in business and this item belonged to your ancestors. To check out our collection follow the relevant alphabetical link below (in blue). Some of our collections are very small with only one or a few examples, but we welcome any additions.

Auctioneers Brochures.

Full colour brochures were produced by Roscommon Auctioneers during the middle of the first decade of the 21st. century. These colourful documents are a great source for local history and a valuable resource for art & design students seeking inspiration.

Billheads. 

This link is to our Billheads home page. Billheads are used for a large number of purposes. This is the same link as on our main page but is included here for completeness.

Bottle labels.

In the past vendors bottled their own stout and ale and the label on the bottle carried their name. This link is to our small collection of such material. More examples always wanted.

Breweries.

This link is to information and ephemera for the small number of breweries that have existed in Roscommon. More information on this subject urgently wanted. Please contact us.

Directories. 

This link is to our Telephone Directories home page. The first section contains our collection of business directories. Business directories are usually discarded as soon as a new one comes in. They are therefore quite scarce. This is the same link as on our main page but is included here for completeness.

Illustrated Matchbox.

The illustrated matchbox was an invention of the latter part of the twentieth century. These colourful items are an interesting highlight of a curious social theme, when smoking in public was accepted. See our collection here.

Illustrated Tea Bag.

These bags were filled with loose tea by the vendor - when tea came in leaves, rather than teabags! This is our Roscommon collection.

Letterheads.

Letterheads on paper have been in use since at least the 19th century. They were the forerunner of the illustrated billhead. There is some overlap. This link is to our collection of business headed paper.

Postcards.

Business postcards were used for simple, non-confidential business correspondence. This link is to our small collection.

Posters.

Posters are a very important part of everyday life for any business. Posters are rare, simply because they are intended to be shown for a short while and then discarded. This is the link to our collection of Roscommon Business Posters.

Receipts.

Receipts are today produced by computer and have little aesthetic value for collectors. But in the past receipts were written by hand and they often contain a wealth of information about people who did business in the area. Receipts were often discarded by the receiver. This link is to our collection of business receipts. (Please note that where Billheads were used as receipts they are included under the Billheads link above.)

Advertisement from a plastic bag issued by Byrons Shoes, Castlerea.

Sticker for Shannon View Lounge, Portrun.

Label from a bottle of medicine from Philips' Medical Hall  (McGuinness' Pharmacy), Main Street. Roscommon.

Advertising Card (right) for Frances Crowe, textile artist, of Four Mile House, Co. Roscommon. Title: The Wave. (No date).

Selected Fruit (Raisins). Cardboard box packaging for James C. Doorly, Roscommon. Early 20th century?

If you have any similar material that you no longer require please contact us.

Images not to scale.