Details
Title Breuker & Kessler
Date fl. 1866-1930s
Description Breuker & Kessler was a practical and commercial lithographic establishment formed by George W. Breuker, Sr. and Harry C. Kessler, Sr. in January 1866 at the southwest corner of Seventh and Chestnut Streets. Both men had previously worked for Jacob Haehnlen (125 South Third Street) - Kessler as a clerk and bookkeeper, and Breuker as a lithographer. Following the establishment of Breuker & Kessler, a number of Haehnlen's lithographers, including George D. Shubert, relocated to the new firm by February 1866. The firm produced drug, perfume, wine and liquor labels, trade cards, show cards, maps and "all kinds of commercial engravings."
During the 1870s, Breuker & Kessler contributed a photographic advertisement showing the business's building surrounded by bank checks to Wenderoth, Taylor & Brown's "Gallery of Arts and Manufacturers of Philadelphia" (1871); promoted their special method of printing bonds to prevent counterfeiting in 1874; and issued an 1875 view of a proposed building for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 for which they lost a copyright infringement cased filed by Toudy & Co. Other work includes a view of the proposed building for City Hall titled "New Public Buildings, Broad & Market Sts., Philadelphia" (ca. 1880s).
Family members of both Breuker and Kessler worked for the company as lithographers, clerks and bookkeepers until at least the 1920s. Active Breuker family members included Breuker's brother, Charles (b. March 1840) as well as his sons George W., Jr. (b. 1862) who served as vice president in 1907, William (b. 1860), and John C. (1865-1918) who served as president in 1911. Active Kessler family members included his brothers, J. Millard (b. 1848) and William S. (b. 1846), who assumed his portion of Breuker & Kessler when he relocated to Montana in the mid-1870s. In addition, Harry C., Jr. (b. 1883) started his career at Breuker & Kessler with his father upon their return from Montana in 1905 and eventually served as secretary and treasurer of the company until the mid-1920s. Breuker & Kessler, renamed Breuker & Kessler Co., remained active in the trade until the 1930s.
Is part of Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
References See Breuker, George W.; Haehnlen, Jacob; Kessler, Harry C.; and Shubert, George D.
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HSP-BreukerKessler-Ba39-B-750.jpg
LCP-BreukerKessler-Am1867Free-55213-Q-134a.jpg
Call number Philadelphia on Stone Biographical Dictionary of Lithographers
Bibliographic citation George Shubert Diary, 1866, Temple University Special Collections
Last, 168
Library Company of Philadelphia research file
Pennsylvania, vol. 145, 63, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, microfilm, Hagley Museum & Library
Peters, 108-109
Image file AAS-BreukerKessler
HSP-BreukerKessler-Ba39-B-750
LCP-BreukerKessler-Am1867Free-55213-Q-134a