Western

021955 — Rochester NY: Western New York Nursery Company. Very Good. Hardcover. Black staplebound cloth over thick cardstock. Boards are rubbed on edges and moderately worn. Binding is solid with slight separation at front. Interior mostly clean with soiling to edges; a few of the plates show light foxing. One plate has 1 3/4 inch closed tear. Brown endpapers. Front endpaper has an inch closed tear and 1/8 inch hole. Inside front board reminds the salesman to "Please handle Plate Book carefully and do not mark prices on the plates. " Produced by the Western New York Nursery Company and printed by Vredenburg & Company both of Rochester New York. From the University of Rochester "In the latter half of the nineteenth century Rochester New York was a leading American nursery center. Auxiliary to the nursery businesses there developed allied enterprises one of which was the production of colored fruit and flower prints designed to aid nurserymen and their travelling salesmen sell plants. This business in nurserymen's plates as these prints were also termed flourished until changes in marketing nursery products and the increasing use of colored illustrations in nursery catalogues caused its decline. By the early years of this 20th century the production and use of these plates was ending. A typical nurserymen's color plate was approximately 9 by 12 inches or the smaller "pocket size" of 6 by 9 inches which was introduced in the early 1870's. Each pictured a specimen of fruit flower shrub ornamental tree or occasionally a hardy vegetable such as rhubarb. Under the illustration would be its name perhaps a brief description of its attributes as much for the benefit of the salesman as the potential customer and the name and often city of the producer of the plate. These plates were generally printed on heavy paper stock to withstand wear." Our copy has chromolithographic plates divided into equal parts of fruits and ornamental plants. The book can be dated to no earlier than 1904 as the "Perfection Grape" won a Gold Medal at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition. An attractive salesmans fruit and plant book from the early 20th century. ; 5.5" x 8.5"; 72 pp . Western New York Nursery Company hardcover books