C.C. Daniels and Co. Business Papers, 1872-1879 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains ten volumes of materials including invoices, circulars, and inventories from Charles C. (possibly Cotton) Daniels’ corner store in Chicago, Illinois, from 1871 to 1879. Four of these volumes are large albums of invoices, price lists, and advertisements, which were often stylized with different fonts and printing elements, including some images. They came from a wide variety of businesses, ranging from James S. Kirk & Company Soap Makers to Louis Reinach’s Depot for Fire Works. The materials in this collection show the many kinds of goods Daniels sold in his corner store, from various types of tea to children’s schoolbooks.  Six of the ten volumes in this collection are thin daybooks with intricate records of inventories and notes about shop upkeep from 1871 to 1879.

Biographical/Historical Context:

The store C.C. Daniels and Co. was sometimes referred to in advertisements as “Cheap Corner." The storefront may have moved or expanded over the 1870s, as the address of the establishment is listed at 656, 658, and 650 Archer Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. The store sold books, newspapers, tobacco, candy, toys, coffee, tea, and similar goods.

Acquisition Source: The Library purchased this collection in 2022 with support from both the E. Kenneth Gray Endowment Fund and a gift given by Mary Sue Schusky in memory of her father, Irving Dilliard, Class of 1927.