Ilfeld Company Ruler
Attributed to
Charles Ilfield Co. Wholesale Hardware
Dateca. 1950
Mediumwood
Dimensions1 1/2 × 15 × 1/4 in. (3.8 × 38.1 × 0.6 cm)
ClassificationsTools, Implements & Weights
Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, gift of Barbara Parker Katz
Object numberPC1976.12.1
DescriptionThis 12-inch wooden ruler features a warm yellow-brown tone with bold black text advertising the Charles Ilfeld Company, a prominent wholesaler in New Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ruler is marked with finely engraved inch and fractional divisions for precise measurements. The text along the ruler includes "CHARLES ILFELD COMPANY," "Main Office – Las Vegas, New Mexico," and the branch locations "LAS VEGAS, SANTA ROSA, SANTA FE, ALBUQUERQUE, SOCORRO, GALLUP." These locations highlight the company’s widespread reach and influence across New Mexico, underscoring its significance in regional commerce.Practical tools like this were promotional items, spreading brand recognition and Ilfeld's business eventually grew into the largest mercantile firm in New Mexico, with sales of $25,000,000 at its peak in 1952.
On View
Not on viewTerms
June 1931
ca. 1925
