“Square Corner” Ad Sells David Bradley Mfg. Co. Plows

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This promotional piece references Bradley's famous "Square Corner" sulky and gang plows. Illustration Courtesy the Farm Collector Archives

“Square Corner” (as identified on the dog’s collar) keeps a watchful and not fully approving eye on a baby and two pups in this elegant promotional piece for David Bradley Mfg. Co. Determined to rearrange if not destroy the surroundings, the trio form a charming domestic scene typical of commercial art at the turn of the last century.

Produced in New York, this promotional piece makes reference to Bradley’s famous “Square Corner” sulky and gang plows. It was printed after 1884, when the company name was changed to David Bradley Mfg. Co., and before 1895, when the company relocated to North Kankakee, Ill. — where the city fathers were so grateful for the infusion of industry that the village’s name was changed to Bradley.

The founder’s heirs sold the factory to Sears, Roebuck & Co. in 1910 and renamed the operation David Bradley Mfg. Works. Sears operated the line until 1962, when it was sold to a Newark, Ohio, company. FC 

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