William H. Rease, born in Pennsylvania circa 1818, was the most prolific lithographer of advertising prints in Philadelphia during the 1840s and 1850s. This advertisement shows the multiple buildings of the foundry established in 1841 on the 1400 block of South Front Street near Reed Street, which operated there until the late 19th century. The buildings, most with smokestacks, include an office, sheds, and shops. Foundry employees exit and enter the buildings, pile wood, lead horse-drawn carts and drays into and out of the small complex, and move cauldrons lining the sidewalk. The firm specialized in pots, pan, kettles, and other housewares in addition to agricultural implements. Rease became active in his trade around 1844, and through the 1850s he mainly worked with printers Frederick Kuhl and Wagner & McGuigan in the production of advertising prints known for their portrayals of human details. Although Rease often collaborated with other lithographers, by 1850 he promoted in O'Brien's Business Directory his own establishment at 17 South Fifth Street, above Chestnut Street. In 1855 he relocated his establishment to the northeast corner of Fourth and Chestnut Streets (after a circa 1853−55 partnership with Francis Schell), where in addition to advertising prints he produced certificates, views, maps, and maritime prints.