Image:Seattle - C. Sidney Shepard Co. - 1900.jpg

"The wholesale house of C. Sidney Shepard & Co., Seattle," from brochure Seattle and the Orient (1900).

Visible signs in the photo say:

• At left a series of signs, the only legible word of which seems to be "CIGAR" on the second line from top.
• Just left of corner of building: at top of sign seem to be a list of six cities, the first three of which are at best marginally legible, last three being "Denver, Colo. / Chicago, Ill. / Seattle, Wash." Then "C. Sidney Shepard & Co. / Manufacters of / stamped & japaned tin ware, / aluminum ware, / metals, t[???]ers supplies, / house furnishing hardware". Then another sign below that with four words, the second of which is "dealer".
• Over the left street-level window, again "C. Sidney Shepard & Co." There appear to be some small, illegible paper signs in the window. There is also illegible lettering on two of the windows to the right of the center.
• There is also lettering in relief at top center of building, but it doesn't seem quite legible. (Given the information below, though, and what I can make out, I'd guess "Post Edwards".)
• Lettering along the middle rail of the fence at left says "Try S&S Calume[t Ci]gar"

This was a branch of a Buffalo, New York-based company. Seattle and the Orient doesn't give much indication where this building was, simply "Seattle". According to Polk's Seattle City Directory 1899 (Polk's Seattle Directory Co., 1899), p. 883, it was at 1313–1315 First Avenue. According to for 1315 1st AVE / Parcel ID 1976200060 on the site of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods, "a northern portion... demolished in 1966, is identified on the 1893 [Sanborn] map and on the 1912 [Baist] map as the “Hotel Vendome/ Post Edwards Building.” They say the building was also known as the Sultan Hotel and the Tolias Building. As of 2007, it is the home of The Lusty Lady. It has also been home to Seven Seas Tavern and Sultan’s Cinema. The Department of Neighborhoods write-up is lengthy and interesting, worth a look.

p. 102 of Seattle and the Orient (more properly, Seattle …and the… Orient), a 1900 "souvenir" pamphlet edited and compiled by Alfred D. Bowen and published by The Times Printing Company (that is, the Seattle Times).

Scanned at 300 dpi; images cleaned up using Picture Publisher's "remove pattern" feature.

1900

Book edited and compiled by Alfred D. Bowen. The photo is uncredited.

PD-US