1848 – Illustrated broadsheet promoting an “improved” bread-making machine for bakeries
Boston, Massachusetts: G. W. Adams & Company. Envelope or Cover. This four-page broadsheet contains a one-page advertisement for “Critcherson’s Improved Bread Machine” on the front and a one-page manuscript business letter regarding a land purchase inside. It was sent from Boston on August 8th by G. W. Adams & Company to George Dodds of Plattsburg, New York. It bears a red, circular Boston “10” postmark on the address panel. In nice shape.
The broadsheet features two illustrations of the bread machine which could be used
“For Making Ship Bread [Hardtack], Hard and Soft Crackers, Sugar & Soda Biscuit.”
It also boasts that
“The Machine is simple and compact in its construction, and not likely to get out-of order, and will be sold at a price that will bring it within the means of all Bakers.”
Prospective customers were invited to view the machine in operations at over 125 locations in 13 different states.
As a closing, Adams & Company provide a printed certificate from John Cricherson, the machine’s inventor, stating that he had transferred all rights to his machine to the company.
. Very good. Item #010839Unlike modern automated home breadmakers, this was an industrial machine, designed for commercial bakers and navy suppliers to automate the efficient heavy-duty mixing, kneading, and cutting of large batches of dense, unleavened or low-leavened hardtack and cracker doughs for maritime and mass-market consumption, rather than doing the heavy manual labor by hand.
By mechanizing this tedious process, machines like Critcherson's laid the early technical groundwork for modern commercial bakeries.
At the time of listing, nothing similar is for sale in the trade. No similar items have appeared at auctions per the Rare Book Hub and ASBA. No similar broadsides are held by institutions per OCLC.
.Price: $250.00