A Grouping of Agricultural Advertising Materials Sent to the Amana Society - Seed Catalogue, Incubators, Soap - German and English

Milwaukee Wis: Multiple, 1888. General wear. Letter folds. Small tears on some items.. A collection of four circulars advertising various agricultural and farming supplies send by W. Wernich, a Seed Merchant in Milwaukee, WI. Two of the items are for supplies sold by Wernich himself, the other two are from different business in Milwaukee. The first of Wernich's materials is a Seed Directory, in German, for a variety of different grasses and grain seeds he sold. It is a large single page, double-sided, advertisement, the front of which lists the seeds and their price. The backside has sixteen black and white illustrations of the plants that the seeds grow into. Measures 14" x 10 1/2". The second advertisement for Wernich is single fold page that is more extensive seed directory for "Unser Deutscher Amerikaner", which roughly translates to "Our German American". This directory includes information on where they source the seeds from and instructions on how to order from the company. The seed list has been divided into categories, and while the majority of the advertisement is in German several of the seed names are not, such as Mammoth Pearl (a white rose) and Norway Spruce. Measures 11" x 8 1/2" (folded), 17" x 11" (unfolded). The next item is a single page, double-sided, advertisement in English by Milwaukee Incubator Company which sold an incubator to hatch chicks in. The circular includes a description of the item as well as three black and white illustrations of it, directions for use, and several testimonials from satisfied customers. Measures 10 3/4" x 8 1/2". The last item, is a single fold circular by Dr. Wolf's Vermin Soap, which was a veterinary soap used to rid a variety of livestock animals of parasitic diseases. It apparently also worked on bed bugs, (by scrubbing the infested furniture) and on plants with insect infestations. The circular includes a price list for the different quantities available as well as directions for use on the different types of domestic animals and plants. The entire circular is then repeated in German. Measures 9 1/2" x 4 1/4" (folded), 9" x 8 1/4" (unfolded). The circulars themselves were sent to John Heinemann, of the Amana Society, in Middle Amana, IA. The Amana Society, also know as the Amana Colonies, was a farming society located in a grouping of seven villages located in Iowa near Iowa City. Originally German immigrants fleeing religious persecution, they settled first in New York, and then in Amana in 1855. The seven villages comprise of 26,000 acres, and at the time of settlement, the society practiced a form of communism, though in 1932, there the society incorporated and is now considered to be more of cooperative capitalism. The Amana Society still exists today as the Amana Society, INC., and the villages themselves are listed as National Historical Landmarks. In addition to the specialized crafting and farming occupations that they are known for, they have also now become a tourist destination area known for its restaurants and craft shops.

Items dated by the stamp on the envelope, which is a 1 cent Benjamin Franklin that was issued between 1870-1888.