This is a highly detailed and accurate reproduction of the 1889 Maxwell Shades and Fixtures catalog, a wonderfully detailed snapshot of late 19th century decorating materials and supplies.

S.A. Maxwell & Company, stationers and manufacturers of decorating items and supplies, was located in Chicago, Illinois, a major hub of rail transportation in the Midwest. At that time, the firm occupied four storefront and manufacturing loft buildings in the heart of downtown, an area later called the Loop after the construction of the elevated trains that now girdle it. This catalog was issued only 18 years after the Great Chicago Fire, a period of tremendously intensive building (and decorating!) in the city.

This 1889 catalog is a wonderful source of information about late 19th century decorative hardware and window treatments. Included are window shades, hardware, and trimmings, ornate drapery fixtures, and other decorating hardware of all sorts. In addition, there are retailers’ sales fixtures and a host of decorators’ tools and supplies.

See more catalogs like this in our Decorative Arts Department.

We have digitally reproduced and restored the original catalog at an extremely high resolution, slightly larger than its original size, and printed it on a heavy low-gloss paper similar to that of the original.

See side-bar at the right to see a photo of the worm-eaten cover of the original 1889 catalog.

This catalog is meant to be a permanent reference. It is not a photocopy - our methods allow us to bring out the maximum detail possible, while reversing the effects of age and neglect. Some of our reproduction catalogs are already in several museum research collections.

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