Strawberry Fields Since 1883

Summer is the time for fresh produce, for visits to farm stands and farmers’ markets.  Agri-tourism is currently thriving in Connecticut, but the state has always been known for its fruits, vegetables, and other farm products.

In 1883, the Glastonbury nurserymen Hale Brothers advertised a wonderful new variety of strawberry, the Manchester strawberry: “Anyone who wants BIG BERRIES will receive our catalogue free, also a beautifully colored plate showing one foot of a row of the Manchester strawberry in full fruiting, on our grounds [with] berries of all sizes.... AND LOTS OF THEM.”

The “colored plate” was a color lithograph, printed by the Kellogg brothers of Hartford, and it is on view through July 17th at the Connecticut Historical Society, One Elizabeth Street, Hartford, together with other examples of the Kelloggs’ work.  The Kelloggs produced many pictures of fruit, flowers, trees, and other plants for nurserymen’s catalogues, especially those issued by D. M. Dewey in Rochester, New York.  “The Dwarf Pear” was printed for this firm about the time of the Civil War.

One of the Kelloggs, Charles E. Kellogg, the son of one of the original partners, became a market gardener in West Stafford after he left the lithography business.  In 1899, he exhibited a “fine collection of vegetables” at the Stafford Springs Agricultural Fair. In 1901, he received a prize for his vegetables at a Fair in Rockville.   Perhaps Charles Kellogg was responsible for the firm’s interest in fruit and vegetable prints—or perhaps his own interest in agriculture was inspired by prints such as the “Dwarf Pear” and the “Manchester Strawberry.”

Visitor Information:

Pictures of Victorian America: Prints by Hartford’s Kellogg Brotherswill be closing on Saturday July 17th.  The exhibition will be open from 9:00 to 5:00 on that day.  At 3:30, there will be a panel discussion in the Connecticut Historical Society Auditorium featuring Georgia B. Barnhill of the American Antiquarian Society, Donald H. Cresswell of the Philadelphia Print Shop, and private collectors, James Brust and John Zak.  For more information, go to http://www.chs.org/calendar

Picturing Victorian America: Prints by The Kellogg Brothers of Hartford, 1830-1880, a book about the Kelloggs and their work containing over 1000 illustrations, is available from the Connecticut Historical Society shop or online at https://store.chs.org/