Confectioners' Journals
Thanks to the internet, we have an endless supply of resources to order from. At the click of a button you can have groceries, household goods, or even cars delivered right to you in just a few hours. However back in the 1800's and 1900's that wasn't the case.
Candy makers and confectionery businesses relied upon monthly printed publications such as: "The Confectioners' Journal", "The Chicago Confectioner and Baker", "The Confectioners' Gazette", "The Confectioner", "The New York Confectioner", and "The International Confectioner". For just a few dollars per year, these publications showcased the latest and greatest in machinery, manufacturers, products, and supplies.
Much like the advertising we see today, the journals used the power of suggestion on sepia colored paper with black, bold, eye-catching typeface/fonts and contained elaborate illustrations that were either hand drawn or engraved on boxwood blocks. The ads used descriptive words such as: "Acknowledged As The Best", "Fine Unadulterated Confections", "Finest Chocolate Bonbons", and "Choicest Confectionery" - all designed to get a retailer to buy, buy, buy!
Looking through these journals, one can certainly imagine what it must have been like to order your supplies through hand written correspondence, wait for the seller to respond, and then wait for your supplies to arrive via steamship, train, or horse drawn wagon. Now that we have the convenience of same day, one-day, and two-day shipping, we're not so sure we could have waited...could you?
