Cross Sections of Business History

Extract

The Society has prepared an exhibit of historical material in connection with the Tercentenary Celebration of Harvard University. Taking his cue from the year of Harvard's founding, the Executive Secretary has arranged documents and pictures to illustrate briefly the chief developments in American business during the past three hundred years. Business records collected by the Society (with some supplementary material from the Baker Library collections) have been placed in four groups, focusing upon the years 1636, 1736, 1836, and 1886. A brief description of the outstanding business features of the period accompanies each group of documents. These descriptive statements give a perspective upon business which is illuminating to many people, and they are reproduced here for the benefit of those who cannot see the exhibit itself.