Up for sale is a remarkably preserved 1939–1948 American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation "Standard" Plumbing Fixtures Catalog. This heavy-duty, loose-leaf salesman’s binder is an exceptional window into the evolution of American Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern residential design.
Originally compiled in May 1939, this specific book features an incredible layer of rarity: it serves as a dynamic historical record. It contains continuous factory update sheets from 1940 and 1941, capped by an official June 1, 1948 "Current Line" pamphlet inserted directly over the original color chart. This timeline shows exactly how post-WWII material changes began phasing out pre-war Art Deco fixtures.
Spanning 262 pages, this text is packed with architectural blueprints, technical tolerances, and stunning, full-color lithograph lifestyle plates designed to help salesmen sell high-end renovations to homeowners.
10 X 8.5 inches. 4lbs 8 oz.
This massive binder is divided into 12 custom black-cloth indexing tabs, each packed with iconic historic content and design details:
1. Index & Information
* Description: Features the historic internal divider art panel stamped with the famous campaign phrase: "The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation." It includes corporate prefaces by Chairman Henry M. Reed explaining the 4-ring loose-leaf system, along with a guide on factory label authenticity (Green for Regular Enamel, Red for Acid-Resisting, Blue for Vitreous China).
## 2. Baths
* Description: Dedicated entirely to cast-iron tubs. This section heavily showcases the revolutionary "Standard" Neo-Angle Bath (a 4-foot square corner tub combining diagonal soaking wells, integrated foot-baths, and molded seats). It contains brilliant color lithographs showing structural corner and recess installations.
## 3. Color Chart
* Description: A highlight of the text containing thick cardboard stock palette inserts. It features high-gloss samples of iconic mid-century custom glazes, including Orchid of Vincennes (dusty rose), Ming Green (jade mint), Corallin (salmon-orange), Fawn, and the extremely elusive Clair du Barry (a highly collectible premium luxury pink glaze).
## 4. Lavatories
* Description: Features vitreous china and enameled cast iron bathroom sinks. This includes detailed specifications for high-end pedestal and chrome console models like the "Chesterton" and the geometric six-sided "Waldorf" model. It includes dimensions for wall-hung and metal-leg mounting options.
## 5. Closets / Urinals
* Description: Documents decades of engineering milestones, including a visual retrospective of historical toilet types from 1885 high-tank setups to the 1925 "Standard" One-Piece Closet—the landmark design that integrated the tank and bowl into a single streamlined piece.
## 6. Kitchen Sinks
* Description: Focuses on massive, continuous counter models. This section includes the heavy-duty "Hostess" product family and the iconic 6-foot-long "Royal Hostess" double-drainboard sink crafted from thick acid-resisting enamel to handle harsh abrasive cleansers.
## 7. Laundry Trays / Service Sinks
* Description: Highlights heavy residential utility infrastructure. Features specialized washroom items like the "Allbrite" Vitreous China Laundry Tray (F 7490 E), complete with integrated china legs, painted brackets, and blueprint schematics outlining its deep 14-inch twin washing basins.
## 8. Drinking Fountains
* Description: Documents historical public sanitation infrastructure. Features full specifications for commercial fixtures like the "Atlantic" and "Pacific" vitreous china public drinking fountains, outlining the early "Angle Stream anti-squirt bubbler" guard nozzles used in public schools.
## 9. Professional / Office Equipment
* Description: A rare crossover section detailing commercial healthcare and laboratory layouts. It catalogs specialized architectural hardware, medical basins, dental fixtures, and surgical scrub stations designed for mid-century clinic facilities.
## 10. Shower and Bath Fittings
* Description: Covers high-end interior mixing valves, shower heads, and trim packages. This section breaks down architectural styling variants designed to harmonize with entire bathroom groups, including the Neo-Classic, Colonial, and Standard trim motifs.
## 11. Lavatory Brass Faucets
* Description: Features separate hot and cold compression water taps, detailing models like the B 1010 four-arm index handles and extended-spout B 1020 lines. It provides comprehensive technical breakdowns of the company’s internal "RE-NU" barrel assemblies, which allowed internal mechanics to be swapped out without replacing the main faucet casting.
## 12. Stops / Hydrants & Flushometers
* Description: The industrial backbone section of the catalog. Filled with foundational technical schematics, heavy commercial water line valves, pressure stops, flushometer parts, and institutional mechanical layout schematics for high-capacity buildings.
* Shipping Method: USPS Media Mail.
* Packaging: Will be carefully wrapped and shipped securely in a sturdy box to protect the edge tabs and original rings during transit.
* Condition: Used / Vintage Very Good (Standard shelf wear, aging, and minor fraying to internal canvas hinge edges consistent with age and field use. Interior mechanism is fully functional.)
* Year Published: 1939 (With continuous active supplemental updates running through June 1, 1948)
* Publisher: American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation
* Country/Region of Manufacture: United States (Pittsburgh, PA)
* Binding: Heavy, loose-leaf 4-ring salesman binder with textured faux leather finish and debossed yellow lettering.
* Pages: 262 pages total of highly detailed blueprints, schematics, full-color lithograph concept illustrations, and text plates.
Unlike thin consumer brochures, this heavy-duty binder was a restricted trade publication issued exclusively to licensed wholesalers and master salesmen. Because plumbers routinely discarded older sheets or discarded whole binders as product lines shifted, surviving multi-ring examples with 262 complete pages and fully intact index panels are extraordinarily rare.