At the end of the nineteenth century, carpenter, architect, and publisher George Franklin Barber began publishing his residential designs in inexpensive, illustrated catalogs. Containing order forms and price lists for the drawings, the catalogs were not the first to sell private homes to the public on a widespread basis but were the first to give customers an opportunity to participate in custom-designing their own houses.
Reaching thousands of potential clients throughout the United States and abroad, Barber's catalogs featured homes cited today as "unique," "fascinating," and "distinctive." This excellent reproduction of his 1891 catalog, The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, includes all 120 designs for 68 homes, complete with elevations and floor plans. Included is an eclectic mix of plans for homes in the Colonial, Romanesque, and Queen Anne styles, as well as designs for verandas, summer pavilions, churches, and barns.
Invaluable to architectural historians, preservationists, and home restorers, this reprint of a rare catalog by one of America’s most successful domestic architects will also be of interest to anyone fascinated by Victorian-era architecture.