Blakely Printing Co

Blakely Printing Co.
Life Span: 1886-TBD
Location: Franklin
Architect:

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1871

Blakely C. H.

Blakely David

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1874
Blakely D. & C. H. (David and C. H. Blakely and Charles L. Seymour) book and job printers, 88 Dearborn

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1880
Blakely C. H. (Cyrene H. Blakely and Charles L. Seymour) printers and blank book mnfrs. 88 Dearborn

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1885
Blakely C. H. & Co. (Cyrene H. Blakely and John A. Lane) printers and blank book mnfrs. 68 and 70 Wabash av,

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1887
Blakely Printing Co. The, David Blakely, pres; Joseph A. Bockuns, sec; 186 Monroe

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904
Blakely Printing Co (The) Charles F Blakely v pres; F F Kenworthy sec and mngr 126 to 132 Market tel Main-370

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1911
Blakely Printing Co (The) E. F. Hamm pres; Wm Eastman v pres; William C Tyler treas 30 S Market tel Main-370
Blakely-Oswald Printing Co (The) John I Oswald pres and treas; Chas F Blakely v pres; James P Kugler sec; printers 30 S Market tel Main-2353

Inter Ocean, May 2, 1886

The Blakely Printing Co.
The Blakely Printing Company gave an elegant reception last night to their employes and friends, who assembled several hundred couples strong in the new building about to be occupied by the company at Nos. 184 and 186 Monroe street. It is 190 feet long. 45 feet wide, and five stories high. One floor was used as a ball-room and one for the collation. The programme consisted of twenty numbers, which were named after the publications issued by the Blakely Company.

Centennial History of the City of Chicago, Its Men and Institutions, Inter Ocean, 1900

The Blakely Printing Company.
It is a trait of human nature that men like to do business with a successful firm. It gives an object additional value if the trademark or imprint upon it shows it to be the production of a house which has attained success in its line. The accumulated reputation won by years of honest effort is no small matter, and it is not the least valued asset of The Blakely Printing Company.

“Despise not the day of small things” was said long ago, and this company takes a pride in recalling its start, some twenty-eight years back, in a modest building on a side street. In 1871 they established a primitively equipped printing office, which by 1899 has grown to be one of the leading houses in America for the publication of periodicals, newspapers, commercial printing and bookmaking of the highest possible grade.

A matter which is a source of pride to The Blakely Printing Company is this, that among their patrons today are business firms who first dealt with them twenty-five years ago. That is something which goes to bear witness to the honorable, energetic and satisfactory treatment characteristic of the company.

But it is not alone on a past reputation that The Blakely Printing Company asks continued patronage. it is because they are alert, progressive and fully equipped for the most exacting work, be it large or small. At Nos. 126, 128, 130 and 132 Market street they have a manufacturing plant large enough to meet any demand, with an equipment of modern machinery: devices, and all that skilled ingenuity can perfect, and a force of experienced and artistic craftsmen competent to execute the most difficult job. This volume of the History of Chicago is from their press.

A cordial invitation is given to all who wish to inspect a model establishment. A personal visit or a note of inquiry will be appreciated.

Centennial History of the City of Chicago, Its Men and Institutions,Inter Ocean, 1905

The Blakely Printing Company.
In 1898, when the Stereotypers’ union marched out in a body and the Chicago newspapers were compelled to suspend publication, at a time when the public thirsted for news of the Spanish-American War, it remained for an enterprising printing firm, The Blakely Printing Company, to fill in the gap and supply the public with a newspaper that contained complete and authentic intelligence. It will be remembered that the Chicago papers did not appear on July 2, at the time when Shafter was knocking at Santiago’s gates and an encounter between Schley’s and Cervera’s naval forces was hourly expected. C. F. Blakely, vice-president of The Blakely Printing Company, 126-132 Market street, and W. M. Knox, president of the Press Club, heard of the walk-out, and decided to supply the deficiency. The Blakely Company had all the necessary facilities, presses, etc. Knox organized his “staff” at three in the morning, and offices were established at Blakely’s. Telegraphic service was secured at eight in the morning the presses started, and in five minutes the sheet was on the street. It was a four-page affair, as large as the Inter-Ocean. It contained not merely the latest war news, with full details of the American victories in Cuba, but all the current news, even including the base-ball scores. The paper’s circulation the first day reached 40,000; on the fourth it sold 1,000,000 copies. The publication was suspended as soon as the dailies resumed issue. The projectors pocketed a handsome profit and a handsomer reputation for enterprise and push.

The Blakely Printing Company, among the oldest concerns of its kind in Chicago, was established in 1871 on Green street, near Randolph street, on the West Side, since which time they have grown to be one of the largest and most modern equipped printing houses in the West. They are now located at 126-132 Market street, occupying a large portion of the front and rear buildings.

Their plant is in operation both day and night, employing a large force of the most skilled and intelligent workmen. The company has a reputation for turning out high-class work. This volume is a product of their pressrooms. Their most worthy pieces of work were the two volumes The Book of The Fair and The Book of Wealth. The latter was the most expensive modern book ever published. The edition de luxe was limited each volume sold for $2,500. W. K. Vanderbilt, J. Pierpont Morgan, Alva E. Belmont, Caroline Astor, J. J. Astor and Helen Gould were among the subscribers.

Mrs. David Blakely is president of the company; C. F. Blakely, vice-president and founder, is its active head. J. I. Oswald, secretary and manager, has been associated with the concern for twenty-five years; Hawley Olmstead, the treasurer, has been with them for the last fifteen years.

Chicago Tribune, February 20, 1898
Bound in covers of heavy golden silk, lined with a white brocade of the same rich fabric, embellished with frontispieces in original water color, and illustrated throughout its 1,000 pages in every style known to the modern printing art, The Book of Wealth is under publication in Chicago.

It is the most wonderful book in the world, its sponsors say—an illustrated summary of all that is most worth knowing, all that ever can be remembered of the history of every nation and era of all times, from the dawn of civilization in Egypt and Chaldea to the culture and industrial development which mark the closing years of the nineteenth century, especially in the United States of America.

The two editions of this work will cost $250,000. In all only 400 copies will be printed—150 of the first or cygne noir edition at $2,500 a copy, and 200 copies of a less embellished edition at $1,000 a copy. Each copy is made up of ten sections of 100 pages each—1,000 pages in all. The covers are 17×22 inches in size.

In addition to the 2,500 illustrations in the book proper each cygne noir copy is accompanied by ten portfolios covered with embroidered silk and containing 100 large size pictures in hand-retouched color, etching, and other elaborate processes.

Of the ten sections of The Book of Wealth seven are completed. The remaining three will be printed within a year.

The author is Mr. Hubert Howe Bancroft of San Francisco. The inspiration that led him to undertake the work was found in the World’s Columbian Exposition while he was preparing matter for his subsequently published Book of the Fair, itself a prodigious venture.

While this unique literary effort is called The Book of Wealth the author insists that it is not intended exclusively for rich persons nor as a glorification of them. Its purpose is to show what has been done for the world by men and women who have used their riches of mind and purse for the advancement of the peoples of the earth.

Chicagoans in the Book.
The three volumes yet to be published will deal with United States citizens of this class. The Chicagoans whose achievements it is planned to give are:

Philip D. Armour

William Deering

Marshall Field

Cyrus H. M’Cormick

Joseph Medill

The Chicago Tribune

Samuel M. Nickerson

George M. Pullman

Mrs. Potter Palmer

Miss Frances Willard

cygne noir

Chicago Fair the Inspiration.
In Jackson Park during the exposition period there was gathered much that represented the wealth and civilization of all lands. Behind this, of course, was the vast material that could not be brought here for display. The immense wealth of the world, as evidenced by the few “samples.” impressed Mr. Bancroft so deeply that the suggestion came to him to gather from the four corners of the earth and place in one grand volume all that represented the wealth of the nations.

The Commissioners General of foreign countries were in Chicago then. They promised their aid in gathering material for text and illustration. The work was begun then in earnest. Pictures were made largely from nature, and the text was secured from the most authentic sources, with the result that after six years of labor seven of the ten sections, as said in the foregoing, are completed.

The first section may be taken as a type. It is covered with rich old gold armure silk made for the purpose and imported to this city by a Chicago house. On the outer cover is a dashing water color by Will H. Low, entitled “Jason and the Golden Fleece.” It represents the adventurer after he has secured the trophy. He holds the glittering fleece high in the air with one hand, while the other grasps his good sword, which he is handing to a kneeling female figure. Jason’s foot is planted triumphantly on the dragon’s neck. The picture is rich in classic hues. About it is a dainty border, also in water color, made up of circular designs. The subject is explained in the following text:

When the Argonauts reached Colchis, which was the eastern extremity of the earth, as the Pillars of Hercules were the western, Jason, after plowing the field of Mars with bulls snorting fire and having hoofs of brass, and sowing the field with dragons’ teeth from which were to spring armed men, approached the dragon, which he quieted with a mixture given him for that purpose by Medea, and made himself master of the golden fleece.

The inner covers of the typical section are of white brocaded China silk, the brocade being in conventional flowers. This silk, too, was imported by a Chicago house for The Book of Wealth. In fact, all the materials used are provided by local concerns.

The first chapter of the section opens with a full page half-tone picture from a drawing by E. H. Blashfield, representing young Chaldean goddess dispelling Chaos. The figure is that of a girl, nude, and partly veiled by the mists of the unorganized world. Next comes the text, in large, clear type on heavy calendered paper, profusely illustrated. The dawn of civilization is first told. Then comes a consecutive history of the nations of remote antiquity, as far as it is known. The economic, financial, and artistic features of these early peoples are described. Then follows the next oldest civilization, and the next, and so on as the historic thread is followed through the sections until the United States is reached.

The water color panel on the cover of section 2 is entitled “Camillus and the Gauls,” and is executed by Irving R. Wiles. The story is illustrated at the point where Brennus throws his sword into the scale, already weighted down with Roman gold, but not yet containing sufficient to satisfy the greed of the Gauls. The covers of the remaining sections are embellished with the following water colors:

Section 3, “Launcelot and Guinevere,” by Helen Maitland Armstrong; Section 4, “Trial Scene ‘Merchant of Venice,'” by E. B. Child; section 5, “Captain Kidd and His Treasure,” by Helen Maitland Armstrong; section 6, “The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan,” by A. Castalgne: section 7, “The Awakening of Abou Hassan,” by Henry Sandham; section 8, “The Cid’s Stratagem,” to be painted; section 9, “Feast of Ivan the Terrible,” to be painted; section 10, “Atahualpa’s Ransom,” to be painted.

Subjects Treated in the Book.
The subjects treated in the various sections are these:

Each of the sections is accompanied by a portfolio of ten extra plates, making 100 with the set. These portfolios are covered with heavy golden silk, embroidered in flowers, and lined with white brocade silk. They are held closed with bowknots of ribbon. In the water color frontispieces and in these extra plates the illustrative feature of The Book of Wealth finds its acme. The plates include the following among those of special interest:

Author Talks of His Work.
Mr. Bancroft at present is residing at Cambridge, where his sons are attending Harvard College. Speaking of The Book of Wealth, he said recently:

Book of Wealth

Wealth signifies primarily weal, well-being, prosperity; in this sense it was used by Adam Smith in his Wealth of Nations, by John Stuart Mill in his Political Economy by Herbert Spencer in his Philosophy, and there is no other word in the lexicon of economics to supply its place.

Public wealth, or the wealth or welfare of the nations, and likewise of individuals-as the nation is composed of individuals is the theme of this book, which is therefore called The Book of Wealth. It is this wealth, or wealth, which gives prosperity and contributes to the happiness of all. It is the fundamental element of progress; for until wealth is in some degree accumulated there can be no culture, no refinement, no intellectual advancement.

The object of The Book of Wealth is neither to extol personal riches nor those by whom they have been gathered, but to show what wealth has done for mankind and how, with the aid of wealth, man has improved his condition, has enlarged and refined the intellectual and moral qualities of his nature, developing the arts and sciences, building up cities and commonwealths, and ever bringing into existence and use fresh objects of beauty and utility.
Thus the term wealth as here used embodies all that is most noble and beautiful in the nature and handiwork of man—wealth of intellect and moral wealth, as well as material possessions in the form of money or property.

Never a Book Like It.
Never since books were made has there been one like this; never before has any such plan been conceived, not to say worked out. Is it history that is wanted? Here is a summary of all that is most worth knowing. all that ever can be remembered of the history of every nation and era of all times, from the dawn of civilization in Egypt and Chaldea to the culture and industrial development which mark the closing years of the nineteenth century, especially in the United States of America. Is it philosophy, science, and art that are required? Their full elucidation is here. Is it economics? The ratural wealth of the world, the products of its several divisions, whether in mining, agriculture, or manufactures, city building. and the construction of great public works, canals, bridges, and railroads, all are here exquisitely pictured by thousands of the finest illustrations, and accurately described in the text. Herein is gathered all the material necessary to the solution of that great problem of humanity, the greatest good to the greatest number.

Is it too much to say, then, that this book is a library in itself; that these pages, with the beautiful pictures ever before the eye, stamping their impress indelibly upon the mind, give the reader a better knowledge of the world, and of the useful and beautiful things that It contains and has contained from the beginning to the present time, than can be secured in any other form?

Among the many pronounced features are the portraits of the rich and powerful of all ages and nations, from Rameses to the Rothschilds, from Alexander to Astor. Of these there are several hundreds, drawn with the greatest care and accuracy from the most reliable sources. Thus while we are speaking, for example, of Ivan the Terrible, first Czar of Russia. and his imposing group of fortress palaces, the Kremlin of Moscow, there is a portrait of the man himself, copied from an old painting, whereby we may see and know him; and in the text his life and character and an account of a great feast, whereat he passed to his guests the poisoned cup, with his many other atrocities, all cloaked under the profoundest piety. And so of others, Solomon and Pharaoh, Xerxes and Crosus, Cyrus and Cæsar, and thence along the centuries to modern times.

Chicago Tribune, November 17, 1906

New Corporations.
Blakely Oswald Printing company, Chicago; capital $25,000; printing and publishing; incorporators, J. I. Oswald, E. R. Lillard, G. I. Weatherstone.

Chicago Tribune, January 22, 1914

There was filed for record a transfer by Edward F. Hamm, president of the Blakely Printing company, to the Osgood company and the Blakely Printing company of the property in South Market street, 158 feet south of Van Buren, 150 feet east front, to the river, improved with a new eight story building occupied by the two companies. The transter is made subject to in incumbrance of $325.000.

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