1860s Gum Copal Circular and Price List

Boston, Massachusetts: Stephen Whipple & Bro, 1860. Very good. Light spotting, letter folds.. Lithographed circular advertising gum copal sold by the Boston-based company Stephen Whipple & Bro., accompanied by a blank price list. Gum copal is a type of resin produced by tree sap in East Africa, and was exported to America in large quantities in the 19th century for uses ranging from incense and perfume to printing inks, paints, varnish, and adhesives. The price list, which remains blank, includes different grades of the product, and their places of origin: "Zanzibar", "Angola", "Benguela", and "North Coast". Also lists "Gum Kowrie", which was sourced from New Zealand and largely wiped out by the 1900s. Interesting ephemeral evidence of empire, trade, global commerce and human's effect on nature in the 19th century. 8" by 5", versos blank.