rare 1888 original hardbound chicago hardware mfg. company builders' hardware product catalog

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.”