Gerlach Barklow Co.

Gerlach Barklow Co.
Industry Art calendar factory and advertising company
Founded 1907
Defunct 1971
Headquarters Joliet, Illinois, United States

The Gerlach Barklow Co. was an art calendar factory located in Joliet, Illinois, which was "one of the largest calendar and advertising companies in America."[1][2] The factory employed over 1,500 people at its peak in the 1950s.[3]

Artists who worked for Gerlach Barklow included Arthur H. Hider, Bradshaw Crandell, Adelaide Hiebel,[4][5] and Zula Kenyon.[6] Many of the company's artists were women, or local residents, and many local residents served as artists' models. Lois Delander of Joliet, better known as Miss America 1927, was among the most famous models. A Gerlach-Barklow fan is displayed in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California.[7]

Gerlach Barklow calendars were purchased by businesses to be given to their important customers as gifts.[8]

References

  1. "Gerlach Barklow". Barlow Clearinghouse-Genealogy. 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  2. "Joliet's Gerlach Barklow Calendar Company - Historical Photos & Images of Joliet's Gerlach Barklow Calendar Company". Arcadia Publishing. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  3. Sorensen, Karen (2012-02-22). "Old Calendars Now Now Coveted by Collectors, Plainfield Historians Say". Plainfield Patch (Plainfield, IL). Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  4. "Adelaide Hiebel". CityofJoliet.com. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  5. "AdelaideHiebel.com - Home". Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  6. "ZulaKenyon.com". Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  7. "Gerlach-Barklow Company. Joliet, IL, advertisement, rigid fan". Oakland Museum of California.
  8. "Then & Now: Gerlach-Barklow Co.". Joliet Herald News. 2011-12-04. Retrieved 2013-06-07.