1835 Bordeaux Brandy Shipment to Philadelphia Merchant John D. Laffitte—Wax Seal
An original French commercial invoice documenting a substantial shipment of Bordeaux eau-de-vie, or brandy, to Philadelphia merchant John D. Laffitte.
Prepared at Bordeaux on March 5, 1835, the invoice covers 10 half-pipes and 20 quarter-pipes of third-proof eau-de-vie—30 commercial casks equivalent to approximately ten full Bordeaux pipes. Its ruled cargo table records shipping marks, cask sizes, gross and net weights, leakage allowances, charges and commissions, with a total value of approximately 4,423 francs.
The document was folded to serve as its own transatlantic mailing cover and addressed:
Monsieur John D. Laffitte
négociant
à Philadelphie
The exterior directs it by the ship Concorde, Captain Mason. A substantial original red wax seal remains attached. The manuscript also carries a French fiscal notation indicating payment of the applicable stamp duty.
The recipient, John D. Laffitte, was evidently engaged in the nineteenth-century Bordeaux–American wine and spirits trade. His surname resembles that associated with Château Lafitte, the Camblanes-et-Meynac estate named for Bordeaux wine merchant Raymond Lafitte, and with Château Lafite, later Château Lafite Rothschild. However, no direct family, ownership or commercial connection between John D. Laffitte and either wine estate has presently been established. The shipment described here consists of Bordeaux brandy and does not identify a particular château or vineyard.
An evocative survivor of the thriving nineteenth-century commerce that carried Bordeaux wines and spirits across the Atlantic to American merchants. Its detailed cargo accounting, Philadelphia destination, maritime address panel and surviving wax seal provide considerable historical and visual interest.
Date: March 5, 1835
Origin: Bordeaux, France
Destination: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Recipient: John D. Laffitte, merchant
Cargo: Thirty casks of third-proof Bordeaux eau-de-vie
Ship: Concorde, Captain Mason
Language: French
Features: Detailed cargo table, merchant signatures, fiscal notation and original red wax seal
Condition: Considerable edge losses and tears, original mailing folds, creasing and toning. Portions of the writing and cargo table are affected, but the principal content, address panel and wax seal survive. Please examine the photographs carefully.
An original French commercial invoice documenting a substantial shipment of Bordeaux eau-de-vie, or brandy, to Philadelphia merchant John D. Laffitte.
Prepared at Bordeaux on March 5, 1835, the invoice covers 10 half-pipes and 20 quarter-pipes of third-proof eau-de-vie—30 commercial casks equivalent to approximately ten full Bordeaux pipes. Its ruled cargo table records shipping marks, cask sizes, gross and net weights, leakage allowances, charges and commissions, with a total value of approximately 4,423 francs.
The document was folded to serve as its own transatlantic mailing cover and addressed:
Monsieur John D. Laffitte
négociant
à Philadelphie
The exterior directs it by the ship Concorde, Captain Mason. A substantial original red wax seal remains attached. The manuscript also carries a French fiscal notation indicating payment of the applicable stamp duty.
The recipient, John D. Laffitte, was evidently engaged in the nineteenth-century Bordeaux–American wine and spirits trade. His surname resembles that associated with Château Lafitte, the Camblanes-et-Meynac estate named for Bordeaux wine merchant Raymond Lafitte, and with Château Lafite, later Château Lafite Rothschild. However, no direct family, ownership or commercial connection between John D. Laffitte and either wine estate has presently been established. The shipment described here consists of Bordeaux brandy and does not identify a particular château or vineyard.
An evocative survivor of the thriving nineteenth-century commerce that carried Bordeaux wines and spirits across the Atlantic to American merchants. Its detailed cargo accounting, Philadelphia destination, maritime address panel and surviving wax seal provide considerable historical and visual interest.
Date: March 5, 1835
Origin: Bordeaux, France
Destination: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Recipient: John D. Laffitte, merchant
Cargo: Thirty casks of third-proof Bordeaux eau-de-vie
Ship: Concorde, Captain Mason
Language: French
Features: Detailed cargo table, merchant signatures, fiscal notation and original red wax seal
Condition: Considerable edge losses and tears, original mailing folds, creasing and toning. Portions of the writing and cargo table are affected, but the principal content, address panel and wax seal survive. Please examine the photographs carefully.
