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 wide, spacious interior of the clothing store tenanted by Daniel H. Rockhill and Franklin S. Wilson at 205−7 (later 603−5) Chestnut Street. Clerks and patrons organize and sort through goods displayed in piles on tables throughout the ornately decorated store, which is adorned by pilasters, rounded pediments, rosettes, and flowery chandeliers and light fixtures. Two clerks assist patrons in the foreground; one speaks with a woman and a young boy, and the other helps two gentlemen. Rockhill & Wilson moved their business from 111 (later 321) Chestnut Street to this location in 1857 and operated here until 1882. They also had premises at 28 South Sixth Street. 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.