William Bradley
Walter Hubbard
The partnership of Nathaniel & William L. Bradley, Walter Hubbard, and Orson & Chitten Hatch began as Bradley, Hatch & Company. Clocks were the sole product of the newly formed company. The Hatch brothers sold their interests two years later and Nathaniel Bradley, William Bradley and Walter Hubbard reformed the company which they named simply "Bradley and Hubbard". Clocks continued to be the main line of production throughout the 1850's and 1860's. A lot of their clocks had "Blinking Eyes". (eyes moved up & down as clock ticks)
Bradley & Hubbard are best known for their Lamps. The discovery of oil in Pennsylvania in 1859 also had a great impact on their product line. They begin production of kerosene burning lamps. By 1871, kerosene virtually replaced whale oil for heating and illumination. New ways of burning kerosene more efficiently were needed. Between 1868 and 1875, Bradley and Hubbard secured 33 patents relating to the design of oil burning lamps In all, the company would eventually patent a total of 238 designs. By the 1890's, the B&H name was synonymous with high quality & artistic excellence.
Doorstops, Bookends and other metal novelities were introduced in the early 1900's.
B&H Doorstops became known as
The Bradley and Hubbard Manufacturing Company survived the Great Depression, but after 88 years in business, it was sold in 1940 to the Charles Parker Company. Charles Parker Company was also of Meriden. CN. Famous for its Parker sporting shotgun, the company also made household items such as coffee mills, waffle irons, lamps, locks, and door knockers.
| # 1. SHOWROOMS | |
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They had showrooms in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia | |
| # 2. SALESMEN | |
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Traveling salesmen sold items throughout the country | |
| # 3. RETAIL STORES | Items were sold by the large retail firms |
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| # 4. PRE-PRODUCTION SAMPLES | B & H would fabricated about 20 pre-production samples.
These samples would be sent to dealers. Each Sample was marked with a red painted number. The dealers would then sent in orders. If B&H got enough orders, they would produce that doorstop
"the Pre-Production Samples are highly collectible" |
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| # 5. 1934 CATALOG It was not until the year of 1934, did B&H publish their first catalog. Items from that Catalog are listed below: | |
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Stamp and Pen Boxes |
Fountain Pen Holders (Hand) Book Consoles Smoking Stands Tantalus Sets Ornamental Figures Figures Lighters Ash Trays Cigar Jars Cigarette Boxes Cigarette Jars Smokers' Service Pipe Holders Desk Lamps Combination Sets Decanters Holder Paper Cutters Serverette Serving Tray |
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| 1. Two protrusions on backside with rubber bumpers |  |
| 2. Their Logo on the Back |  |
| 3. The Green Pebble Back except for large doorstops |  |
| 4. Their Markings for Letters: |
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WARRIOR # 7795
LADY WITH a PARASOL # 7796
OWL, Large # 7797
GIRL HOLDING DRESS # 7798
ELEPHANT # 7799
RABBIT # 7800
ROOSTER
SQUIRREL
WHISTLING JIM
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
EDGAR ALLEN POE's HOUSE
WASHINGTON's COACH
BOSTON TERRIER
TALL FLOWER VASE
3 KITTENS on a BOOK
OWL, Small
DACHSHUND