When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
100% response ~ 26 YEARS ON ~ 5-STAR SERVICE~ FREE SHIPPING
WHAT SHALL I BUY? (1877)
T. Steele & Son, Hartford & Paris — Illustrated Jewelry & Silverware Trade Manual
Lavish Gilded Age catalog issued “with compliments” of Hartford jeweler T. Steele & Son—importers of fine silver, clocks, bronzes, and diamond jewelry.
Includes engraved views of the firm’s ornate showroom, Hartford storefront, and Paris branch.
Also features unexpected sections onField SportsandGame Laws, with an 1870s editorial fromThe Meriden Republicancelebrating the rise of the “gentleman’s sporting papers.”
An extraordinary blend ofVictorian luxury marketing and early conservation awareness.
Hardcover in royal-blue cloth with gilt title and embossed border. Minor corner wear, light soil; very good for age.
Perfect crossover piece for collectors of early advertising, jewelry trade history, and sporting Americana.
Free Media Mail shipping included; USPS Priority Mail upgrade available for response ~ 26 YEARS ON ~ 5-STAR SERVICE~ FREE SHIPPING
WHAT SHALL I BUY FOR A PRESENT: A MANUAL
By T. Steele & Son, Importers and Jewelers
Hartford, Connecticut, and Paris, France, 1877
A superbly illustrated Gilded Age trade catalog issued “with compliments” of T. Steele & Son, Importers and Jewelers of Hartford and Paris. This elegant manual, printed in red and black throughout, showcases the finest jewelry, silver, clocks, bronzes, and statuary available to the firm’s clientele. It is both a lavish gift guide and a piece of early American luxury advertising, designed for the cultivated Victorian household.
Engraved plates depict the Steele & Son storefront in Hartford’s Miler’s Building, along with a detailed interior view of the jewelry salon—gaslight chandeliers, marble counters, mirrors, and statuary included. Other sections illustrate silver spoons, prize cups, and elegant tableware sets with prices ranging up to $150 for gold watches, diamond rings, and silver services.
What sets this example apart are its remarkable back pages, including a reprinted editorial, “Regarding Our Field Sports,” fromThe Meriden Republican, praising the new respectability of outdoor leisure and the “gentleman’s sporting papers.” It is immediately followed by an extract from theConnecticut Game Law, titled “Preserve the Fish and Game,” making this catalog not only a record of luxury goods but also a document of 19th-century American attitudes toward recreation and conservation.
Bound in royal-blue cloth stamped in gilt and blind, with ornate border design and “What Shall I Buy?” in gilt on the front cover. All edges red. Moderate rubbing to corners and spine ends, a few small spots to cloth, and minor edge wear consistent with age. Clean and complete within, with all engravings intact and crisp.
A scarce and culturally revealing publication merging art, commerce, and the emerging American ideal of refinement through leisure.
This 1877 T. Steele & Son manual bridges multiple collecting interests: Victorian jewelry trade history, early American retail advertising, Hartford and Connecticut history, and the beginnings of the conservationist mindset in Gilded Age culture. Comparable Tiffany or Gorham trade books bring high prices; this Hartford example, with its dual Paris imprint and illustrated interiors, is especially uncommon and desirable.
Free Media Mail shipping included; USPS Priority Mail upgrade available for $8.95.
PAYMENTPayment throughPaypal ispreferred.Also accepted are Venmo, G Pay, Visa,
MasterCard, Amex and Discovercard.Please pay at time of purchase.
SHIPPINGUSA- -FREE!WORLDWIDE - -YES!Calculated at checkout.RETURNS100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEENo-quibble 100% refund of the purchase price when returnedin original condition within 30 days of receipt.
A SAMPLE OF RECENT response
"Priced right. Quick shipping.Thanks!”
“Perfect transaction, expertly packed - thank you!"
"Absolutely brilliant. Exactly as described. Immediate shipment."
"Great book. This seller is the best. A highly recommended 5 star seller."
"A true pleasure to trade with. Could not ask for more and highly recommend!"
"Exceptional communication and superb service!!! Strongly recommend this seller."
"Seller was very honest - I discovered I already had book and he issued refund immediately."
"The quality is better than I expected."
"First class."
