Joliet’s Gerlach Barklow Calendar Company

The Gerlach Barklow Company was organized in 1907. The construction of the factory building in Joliet began and was completed that same year. The prime movers in the organization of the company were Theodore R. Gerlach, Edward J. Barklow, and K. H. Gerlach. Over the next decade, the company quickly grew into one of the largest calendar and advertising companies in America. A leading employer in Joliet for several decades, the company sponsored many sports teams as well as an annual picnic for its employees. This book, through vintage photographs and calendar prints, offers a unique view of the Gerlach Barklow Company’s rich history. It includes calendar prints from the many artists employed by Gerlach Barklow, photographs of the various departments that made up the factory, photographs of company-sponsored sports teams, Volland books, as well as examples of Rust Craft greeting cards.