Previously, I posted an 1852 invoice from a stove dealer G. C. Phillips.The post focused on the fact that the invoices and letterhead from the middle of the 19th to the early 20th century were beautifully decorated with logos, depictions of product and oftentimes a factory with smoke belching from a tall chimney.

However, to look no further than the decorative nature of these items would miss something of equal interest. The use of the written word by the businessmen of that period elevates the mundane stuff of business to a whole other level. They clearly were as adept crafting words as they were making product. This brief paragraph from the Flood and Conklin Company attempting to resolve a customer’s misunderstanding of a discount and still keep their business is a case in point.