Samuel H. Colesworthy, Jr. (1845-1921) and his family were longtime booksellers located at 92 Exchange Street in Portland, Maine. The datestone on the building at that address still says, "Colesworthy, 1829-1889" (and the round object affixed to the wall below the stone is a cannonball!).

Colesworthy’s business card is blank on the other side and likely dates to the late nineteenth century.

Established 1829.
S. H. Colesworthy, Jr.,
Dealer in Books, Stationery, and Wall Papers, Blank Books, Pocket Cutlery, Plush Goods, &c.
92 Exchange St., Portland, ME.

The name as well as the second to last line are set in Erratick (c.1887). Note the use of “&c” for “et cetera”. “Books, Stationery” and the last line are in a Latin Antique, while “Wall Papers” features Souvenir (1884), an all-caps Latin with curling terminals and a hatched splt shade. The high-waisted caps used for the small intermediate lines are from Outing. Last but not least, the sans at the top might be Gothic No. 122.

This is one of the first copies of Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, known today as The Watchtower. The logo appears to be custom drawn – the repeating letters W and T in “WATCH TOWER” aren’t identical. One wood type design that’s distantly related is Page’s No. 51, cut by Wells as Mansard No. 1, and digitized as Mansard. Solotype had a phototypeface named Delwin that’s likewise vaguely similar.

While “Herald of Christ’s Presence” is in caps from a generic oldstyle roman, the light italic used for the quote from Isaiah 21:11 can be identified as Lithographic Italic (Farmer, before 1867), which provided the inspiration to Club Lithographer (DJR, 2020). The line below with information about place, date and issue is set in a Celtic. A French Antique Extended, a French Clarendon, and Tendril (MacKellar, Smiths & Jordan, 1878) are combined for the publication’s title in the left column. There’s also a slab serif and a grotesque. Body copy is set in a Modern/Scotch.

J. S. Locke & Co., a publisher and stationer located in Boston, used this advertising trade card to invite customers to view the valentines offered for sale in 1881.

For another valentine trade card from 1881, see Our Valentines Will Be Sold at Cost Today.

An Opening Exhibition of Fine Foreign and Domestic Valentines, From Feb. 7, to Feb. 14th, 1881. You are invited to attend. J. S. Locke & Co., 304 Washington St.

The tracked-out caps with horizontal contrast are from the original style of Fashion. This design was patented in 1876 by Andrew Little. Three condensed styles as well the bolder Fashion Antique were added until 1891. The other typefaces used on this card are yet unidentified – let us know if you have any leads.

This is a sample acquaintance card dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
See May I C U Home This Eve? for another card with the same illustration and a different distinctive typeface.
For another sample acquaintance card with this illustration, see Love Speaks—Without Me Thou Would'st Die.
For additional cards, see my Acquaintance Cards album.

May I C-U-Home This Eve.
Yours Truly. Please Answer.
Acquaintance Card. Name on 25 for 10 cts. Ast’d.

The shaded caps are from Souvenir, a typeface patented in December 1884 and credited to Andrew Little of Farmer, Little & Company in New York. “This Eve” is set in Bowl, shown by the same foundry in 1887. It’s a wide Latin with curved strokes, angled serifs, and some decorative dots, but otherwise similar to Washington (Central, 1886). The italic is unidentified – it appears to be a precursor to designs like Bell or Austin. “Yours truly” and “Please answer” is lettering.