several rare 19th century hardbound builders' hardware catalogs join bldg. 51 archive

images and descriptions of examples provided below are courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive.

chicago hardware mfg. company, 1888:

all original and hard to find profusely illustrated 1888 chicago hardware manufacturing company "catalogue no. 7," designed and published for the chicago hardware mfg. co., chicago, il. the catalog's pages feature highly detailed images or illustrations with carefully drafted design specifications for each of the hardware lines offered. the catalogue includes, but not limited to, doorknobs, escutcheons, sash locks as well as other fine commercial building hardware or house “trimmings.”

the 1888 hardcover is partially detached from the binding but still retains the debossed gold metallic lettering accentuated with distinctive graphic design elements of the period, including a stamped or pressed foliated design motif on the top corner of the front cover. the hardware catalogue also includes a full price guide dating to 1890.

in 1878, a new means of opening doors was patented by milton and sidney niles and manufactured by the chicago hardware company. when installed on a door, the "niles patent" locks and doorknobs appear no different than hardware fabricated by other manufacturers of the period. the innovation of the niles system is in the installation: the doorknobs were designed with extra-long shanks that fit directly and securely into mortise locks, with each knob activating the latch independently of the other. as advertisements of the era for chicago hardware exclaimed, the niles knobs and locks were “always perfectly adjusted.” they effectively eliminated set screws and the washers required to adjust the fit of the doorknobs in the escutcheon plate. with the advent of the niles patent, it was said, “one need never have to worry about jiggling handles, door thicknesses and stripped screws ever again.”

russell & erwin, 1870:

images from two hardbound russell & erwin mfg. company "real and compression bronze builders hardware" profusely illustrated catalogs with detailed woodcuts are shown below. both catalogs are housed in the bldg. 51 archive where they away digitalization.

a partial history behind the russell & erwin company, its competitor, p. & f. corbin and the merger of the two companies after 1900 is written below.

new britain, connecticut, established its dominance as the center of american hardware manufacturing as early as the late 1700's. blacksmith shops provided a multitude of goods, including nails, hinges, locks and keys that were distributed by traveling peddlers to the farms and small towns of early america. by the mid-1800's entrepreneurs formed factories to better produce goods that were in greater demand.

the russell & erwin manufacturing company originated in 1839 when h.e. russell, cornelius b. erwin, and frederick t. stanley formed a partnership to produce locks and builders' hardware, under the name of stanley, russell & company. when mr. stanley withdrew from the partnership in 1840, smith matteson and john h. bowen were added, changing the name of the company to matteson, russell & company. in 1846, with the death of mr. matteson and the expiration of the partnership terms, the company's name changed to russell & erwin. in 1851 the partnership was reorganized as a joint stock company and was from that time known as russell & erwin manufacturing company, until its merger with p.& f. corbin in 1902. cornelius erwin served as president of the company from 1851 until his death in 1885. the company is best known as the pioneer of the wrought steel lock industry.

p. & f. corbin originated in 1849 when brothers philip and frank corbin, and edward doen established the firm of doen, corbin & co., to manufacture ox balls. the company's name changed to p. & f. corbin in 1851. in the last half of the 19th century they broadened their products to include coffin trimmings, knobs, and stove handles. in 1868 they began specializing in the manufacture of builder's hardware and locks.

the american hardware corporation was formed in 1902 as a holding company through the merger of the russell & erwin manufacturing company and p. & f. corbin, which were at that time separate and independent and rivals in the market for builders' hardware. at the time of the merger the two companies produced nearly one-half of the total hardware of this type in the united states. the two merged companies remained as distinct divisions of american hardware corporation and two other divisions - corbin cabinet lock company and the corbin screw corporation - were added later.

philip corbin, president of p.& f. corbin, served as american hardware corporation's first president until his death in 1910. charles m. jarvis served from 1910 to 1913, succeeded by henry c.m. thomson. in 1924 mr. thomson was succeeded by george t. kimball.

corbin screw corporation, a unit of the american hardware corporation, was formed in 1903 from the merger of the screw divisions of p. & f. corbin and russell & erwin manufacturing company. it specialized in machine and other types of screws, bolts, chains, and escrutcheon pins.

corbin cabinet lock company was established in 1882 as a unit of p. & f. corbin and became a division of the american hardware corporation in 1905. it produced cabinet hardware, padlocks, trunk locks, mail boxes, post office lock boxes, house letter boxes, straps, and brackets.

during both world wars the companies manufactured such items as gun parts and hand grenades. in 1950 they employed 4,200 persons and occupied 2,255,912 square feet of floor space in three factories in new britain.