David Jayne (1798-1866) purchased a drug store in Philadelphia in 1836. His patent medicine business grew quickly and he built this new building in 1850 based on the designs of Philadelphia architect William J. Johnston (1811-1849). The project was taken over by American architect, Thomas U. Walter (1804-1887) in 1849. The building was located at 242 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm of Dr. D. Jayne and Son was one of the largest patent medicine firms in the United States, and this building was "the most conspicuous building of the time" in Philadelphia. The company printed annual medical almanacs as a marketing tool and often included an image of the large ten story building on the cover. The building has since been demolished and Independence National Historic Park now stands where the building was once located.

William B. Gihon (dates unknown) was an illustrator and engraver who worked in the Philadelphia area during the mid-to-late nineteenth century.