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Up for sale is a beautifully preserved, 1891 antique illustrated letterhead from Hunnicutt & Bellingrath Company, a premier Gilded Age industrial plumbing, metalwork, and heating hardware establishment based in Atlanta, Georgia.
The letter is dated September 29, 1891, written from their headquarters at the corner of Peachtree and Walton Streets, and addressed to Mr. R.H. Graves of Sparta, Georgia regarding a financial collection and remittance arrangement.
Visual Highlights & Lithography
The Building Vignette: Features a finely detailed architectural engraving of the iconic company storefront located at Cor. Peachtree & Walton Streets. The vignette depicts horses, carriages, and figures moving along the Atlanta streets.
Lithographer Mark: Closely look at the lower-right margin of the building vignette to see the distinct imprint of Gast St. Louis & N.Y. (August Gast & Co.), one of the most revered 19th-century commercial lithographic firms in the United States, known for high-definition bank note and industrial engraving work.
Typographic Design: Includes highly decorative, artistic branding typestyles showcasing their specialized catalog inventory: "Wholesale and Retail Stoves, Ranges, Tin Ware, Mantels, Grates, Tiles, Gas & Electric Fixtures."
Historical Context
Founded by Calvin W. Hunnicutt (a prominent Atlanta civic leader and Confederate veteran) and Albert Bellingrath (a master Bavarian coppersmith who immigrated to America in 1852), Hunnicutt & Bellingrath was one of the largest and most successful infrastructure firms in post-Civil War Atlanta. They engineered major city water piping grids and steam-heating installations, including early state capitol buildings. This letterhead offers a stark window into late 19th-century Southern commerce, explicitly linking industrial Atlanta to agricultural trade hubs like Sparta.
Condition Report
Overall State: Excellent authentic condition for its age.
Paper Details: Light, expected storage folds as standard with mailed business correspondence from the period. The paper remains crisp, and the handwritten iron gall ink transcription remains bold, highly legible, and unsmudged.
Please inspect the high-resolution listing scans closely to evaluate paper edges and overall preservation.
Ships USPS in rigid mailer to prevent bending or folding, fully insured and trackable.
