Riggs & Brother was started in 1818 by Wm. H. C. Riggs, a Philadelphia clock and watch maker.  The firm became W. H. C. Riggs & Son in 1863, and Riggs & Brother in 1865, and through 1901. The business expanded to include repair work, supplying nautical paraphernalia, and industrial timepieces, in addition to the retailing of jewelry, silverware, clocks, and watches. PhiladelphiaBuildings.org shows they were at one time located at 310 Market Street. Further information on the firm is available from the Winterthur Library.

Winterthur records indicate the firm was heavily involved in issuing an annual "Nautical Almanac."  Other nautical paraphernalia were–or soon became–a direct concern of the business.  Along these lines, they also dealt in charts, depth gauges, chronometers, compasses, weather instruments, and telescopes.  One bit of Riggs correspondence in their collection is with a Kansas City firm that was investigating the purchase of a telescope to be placed at the Grand Canyon for use by tourists.