Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Fitch, John (1743-1798) to John Nicholson

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04647 Author/Creator: Fitch, John (1743-1798) Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 13 February 1793 Pagination: 1 p. : docket ; 31 x 21 cm. Order a Copy

Fitch, an inventor, suggests that Nicholson pay Mr. Stokes for use of Stokes' unspecified model. Instructs Nicholson, Comptroller-General of Pennsylvania, to take a receipt for this payment, which "may appear to a jury as a purchase" in case Stokes attempts to claim exclusive rights to the model. Includes a fragment possibly removed from this document with the notation "fragment text does not match document text."

Fitch is most noted for his creation of the steamboat.

Fitch, John, 1743-1798
Nicholson, John, 1757-1800

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