Antique Printer's Drawer/Printer Tray /Shadow Box

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Large wood Antique Printer's Drawer / Tray/wood Shadow box. It is in outstanding vintage condition and measures 32" x 16 1/2" x 1 1/4". Compartments are 1" deep and there are 98 compartments. The drawer has a metal pull handle on it. The drawer has age patina but in very good to condition, with the exception of 4 cubbies with broken wood. See last photo.This drawer is a true antique. The drawer framework is made of solid wood and is extremely sturdy. Great for displaying small collectable items when hung on a wall. The drawer is marked with "The Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two Rivers, Wis, New Departure Patented". Awesome piece! See history below: Company History Mr. J.E. Hamilton 1880 J.E. Hamilton Hollywood Type CompanyWood Type The Hamilton Company was founded in 1880 by James Edward Hamilton, a skilled woodworker whose first product was wood type for the printing industry. The first wood type project completed by J.E. Hamilton was "Grand Ball." Mr. Hamilton operated his foot powered scroll saw and mounted the letters on another block of wood. He then sanded and polished the surface of the wood type. The business grew and prospered and by 1891 the Hamilton Company employed 200 workers and was doing approximately $500,000 worth of business. 1896 American Cabinet CompanyDental Cabinetry In 1896 the company found itself in need of a head bookkeeper. This brought Harry C. Gowran to the Hamilton firm. Gowran along with Dr. E.J. Soik (a local dentist) while working in their spare time, designed a bracket table for use by dentists. The two men sold this cabinet under the American Cabinet Company name but all of the cabinets were manufactured in the Hamilton factory. Hamilton soon took over the company but continued sales under the name of American Cabinets. By 1901 a line of Dental Furniture was incorporated into the firm. 1912 Hamilton Manufacturing Company – The New Challenge of Steel Steel Printers' Furniture A major change in the Hamilton line was made, to keep pace with modern developments. Steel furniture replaced the older designs of wood, and the Hamilton Company pioneered the development of Steel Printers' Furniture. 1917 Hamilton Manufacturing Company Drafting Furniture How the Drafting Furniture came to be a successful part of the Hamilton story is really a parallel to the story of 20th Century America.At the turn of the century the drafting industry was almost nonexistent. The engineering drawing that accompanied an order to the shop was probably the original drawing, done by a draftsperson, on an old board, set up on sawbucks. World War I came along and items had to be produced in a hurry.Mass production became a reality and tracing paper had to be used for the original drawing so that prints could be made and distributed to many men in the shop so many articles of the same kind or for the same end product could be produced at once. Because of the time and effort put into the original, the Drawings Storage Cabinetry was a natural addition to the company. From Fully Adjustable Tables to Filing Systems, Hamilton products were always in the forefront. 1917 Hamilton Manufacturing Company Contract SalesSome of the Hamilton Company's first contract work came during 1917 when it was called upon by the government to supply Airplane Fuselages. After the war, things at Hamilton began a gradual return to normal. The ever increasing demand for specialized furniture kept the Contract division very busy during the early 1920's. 1920 Hamilton Manufacturing Company Radio Cabinets The wood plant was quickly adapted for the manufacture of attractive Radio Cabinets for at least a dozen or more of the leading manufacturers of radio sets. 1930 Hamilton Manufacturing Company "Child Craft" Furniture In the 1930's Hamilton began to make its line of "Child Craft" Juvenile Furniture. The line included playpens, potty chairs and cribs. In 1953 the company decided to discontinue the line, but it had been the Hamilton craf... read more

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