Greetings, In cooperation with the New London Public Museum, New London, WI we have compiled a document on Edison Little Folks furniture with over 300 photographs of artifacts, company literature, company photos and documents never before published along with a narrative history of the factory dating back to 1891 and serving as a leading means of employment for the small town for five generations. This 134 page document on Edison Little Folks Furniture comes as an e-book in a PDF format. The document is on a self-loading CD that opens with your computer. Photos and scans are in high resolution allowing the viewer to enlarge or print desired portions of the document. The New London Public Museum will have an exhibit of "Little Folks Furniture" November 12, 2011-February 14, 2012. Visit our website at: www.audioantique.com to order "Edison Little Folks Furniture" CD at the cost of: $14.00 including shipping in the USA.
Here is a bit of history about this relatively unknown Edison Company: In 1916, Thomas Edison acquired his supply source for wood cabinets. The Wisconsin Cabinet and Panel Company, a subsidiary of the Edison Phonograph Co. was purchased from The Wisconsin Chair Co. to manufacture cabinets for Edison phonographs. It's 1927, and the sale of phonographs is giving way to radio. The Wisconsin Cabinet and Panel Co. becomes Edison Wood Products, Inc. Edison suddenly discontinues the phonograph business in October 1929. But Edison Wood Products continues. In the biography of Charles Edison entitled, Out of the Shadow, author John D. Venable states: "In one area, Charles and those in management under him literally fashioned a silk purse out of a sow's ear. When economic and competitive factors closed down the phonograph works, the Edison Company was left with a large woodworking plant in New London, Wisconsin which was devoted to making phonograph cabinets. This plant was New Londo n's largest employer. Rather than close it down and wreck the local economy, Charles Edison and his staff of executives looked for a different product line. A young man named Tom Fitzgerald, sent to Wisconsin more or less to hold the fort, developed a line of juvenile furniture...cribs, highchairs and the like. Edison Little Folks Furniture proved highly profitable and was looked upon as the Cadillac of the trade." Robin & Joan Rolfs Visit us at: www.audioantique.com _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
