Invoice of goods shipped from New Orleans to Matamoros, Mexico in 1847

This image is of an invoice of items shipped from an English firm in New Orleans, Thorn & McGrath, to José San Román in Matamoros, Mexico. It consists primarily of men’s clothing. Studying this invoice gives us a significant insight into how European networks drew the local into the global. Almost all of the items are made from cotton, a product that could not be grown in the region at the time. Additionally, factories in Western England likely produced the clothing as the styles, like d’Orsay coats, were all the fashion rage in England. Questions for students might include: How does a simple invoice like this demonstrate connections between the local and global? What items from the global market were in the highest demand on the Rio Grande?

This source is a part of the Connecting Local and Global History via Mercantile Networks teaching module.