This 1887 billhead documents a transaction from Smith, Perkins & Co., a Rochester-based wholesale grocery firm operating during the late nineteenth century, a period of rapid urban and commercial expansion.
Wholesale grocers played a critical role in regional distribution networks, supplying retailers with foodstuffs, imported goods, and tobacco products such as cigars. Firms like Smith, Perkins & Co. served as intermediaries between producers and local merchants, helping standardize pricing, credit, and delivery across growing markets. Billheads from this era functioned not only as accounting records but also as branded business stationery, reinforcing trust, scale, and longevity through typography, engraved imagery, and formal language.
The billhead features an engraved illustration of the company’s Exchange Street premises alongside bold decorative lettering identifying the firm as wholesale grocers. Handwritten entries record the sale of cigars, with ruled columns and ink notations reflecting period bookkeeping practices. The combination of printed branding and original handwriting preserves a clear snapshot of everyday commercial exchange in Rochester during the 1880s.
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