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1871 hand written letter to Singer Sewing Machine about a competitor:
$50.00
## Description The document is a two-page handwritten business letter datedFebruary 14, 1871, written on the letterhead stationery ofJohn Pritchet, Dealer in Agricultural Implements, Hardware andCutlery, Stoves, Tinware and Groceries located in Mason City,Ill.. Letterhead Details: The top of the first page features an engraved illustration of a horse-drawn agricultural cultivator labeled \"Parlin\'s Cultivator\" alongside business details. Recipient: Addressed to the Singer Mfg Co (Singer Manufacturing Company) in Chicago, Ill. Author: Signed by Danl McCurrey (Daniel McCurrey) on the second page. Physical Condition: Written in brown ink on lined paper, showing standard period folds and some marginal notes or editorial markings in pencil and purple ink.
## TranscriptionPage 1 (Doc020.jpg)OFFICE OF JOHN PRITCHET, DEALER IN AgriculturalImplements, HARDWARE AND CUTLERY, Stoves, Tinware andGroceries,Mason City, Ill., Feb 14 1871Singer Mfg Co Chicago IllsEnclosed I send you a circular which I had the honor ofreceiving from the Co\'s New York office. Now if the matter therein isof any importance, I would desire a logical deduction from theirgiven premises which appear to be 1st That they have lost trade byselling on shorter time than other Co\'s 2d That they now have asurplus stock 3d That they intend to keep the lead in the SewingMachinePage 2 (Doc021.jpg)trade. Now of the gist of the circular is that they wantto sell their machines on as favorable terms as other Co. sell, thatis good enough, but if it means for agents to still confine theirtime to six months while Wheeler & Wilson and other machines aresold on a years time when desired by good parties and in many caseswithout interest, they might as well have saved their paper andpostage unless they wished to present their agts with a nice specimenof \"coming out of the same hole you went in at\" In whichcase please return the circular to me as I shall want it framed YoursRespectly Danl McCurrey## Historical Context Business Networks & Letterhead Reuse: In the 19th century, merchants often used whatever stationery was readily available to conduct correspondence. John Pritchet ran a general hardware and implement store in Mason City, Illinois, and Danl McCurrey was likely writing from or utilizing Pritchet\'s office space, or acting as an agent communicating with major industrial suppliers. The Sewing Machine Wars: By 1871, the sewing machine industry—led by giants like the Singer Manufacturing Company and Wheeler & Wilson—was fiercely competitive. Companies aggressively vied for market dominance through regional agencies, financing terms, and direct circulars sent to local dealers and agents. Credit and Terms of Sale: McCurrey’s letter touches on a critical commercial tension of the post-Civil War era: credit terms. Sewing machines were expensive consumer durables, often costing the equivalent of months of wages. Offering longer credit terms (such as a full year versus six months) without interest was a primary competitive edge used by rivals like Wheeler & Wilson. McCurrey cynically challenges Singer’s corporate headquarters, arguing that unless their new policy actually matches competitor financing terms, their promotional circulars are practically useless.
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