Showing minor signs of age, wear and handling - mostly light, if any, toning. Expected fold creases from posting. No major issues to note. Eye-catching header typefaces / fonts. Overall, in good to very good condition. Will display well in your collection. You will receive the exact sheet shown in the photos. It measures approx. 8 1/4" x 10 3/4"

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Lachman & Jacobi – California Wines & Brandies – San Francisco, California – July 26, 1916 – California Wine Association Letterhead Original July 26, 1916, typewritten business correspondence on the printed letterhead of Lachman & Jacobi, established in 1876, prominent San Francisco dealers in California wines, grape brandies, and fruit brandies. The letter is addressed to the Bateman-Switzer Company, 406 Central Avenue, Great Falls, Montana, and concerns wholesale wine pricing, trade discounts, and a previous shipment of Invalid Port wine. The stationery features a bold, centrally positioned company heading identifying Lachman & Jacobi as dealers in California Wines – Grape & Fruit Brandies, with the establishment date of 1876 prominently displayed above. Of particular interest is the printed notation "Owned by California Wine Association," documenting the firm's connection to one of the most powerful organizations in California's early wine industry. The letterhead also identifies company warehouses in San Francisco, Petaluma, and Fresno, California, together with a New York office at 65–67 North Moore Street. An especially interesting feature is the alteration of the company's San Francisco address. The original printed address, 112–118 Main Street, has been struck through in red, with the replacement location, Grape Growers Building, Pine and Battery Streets, printed immediately below in red ink. This alteration reflects a change in the company's business location while existing stocks of stationery remained in use. Company History – Lachman & Jacobi Established in 1876, Lachman & Jacobi became an important name in the California wine and brandy trade during the period when the state's commercial wine industry was expanding rapidly. The company operated as a wholesale wine merchant and distributor, handling California wines, grape brandies, and fruit brandies for shipment to merchants throughout the United States. San Francisco served as the principal commercial center of California's wine industry during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Firms such as Lachman & Jacobi connected vineyards and wineries in California's producing regions with wholesale distributors, hotels, restaurants, saloons, and retail merchants across the country. The company's warehouse locations in San Francisco, Petaluma, and Fresno reflect the geographic reach of its operations, while its New York office demonstrates its participation in the national market for California wines. Connection to the California Wine Association The California Wine Association (CWA) was organized in 1894 and became one of the dominant forces in California's wine industry before National Prohibition. The association consolidated substantial wine-producing, storage, and distribution interests, seeking to stabilize prices, coordinate production, and establish broader markets for California wines. By the early twentieth century, the organization controlled extensive inventories and maintained important distribution operations throughout the country. Lachman & Jacobi operated under California Wine Association ownership while retaining its established commercial name, an arrangement that preserved the recognition and customer relationships developed by the older firm. The printed ownership statement on this 1916 letterhead illustrates this relationship. The association's operations were increasingly affected by the temperance movement and the advance of state and national prohibition legislation. The ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919 and the beginning of National Prohibition in January 1920 fundamentally disrupted the established American wine and liquor trade. Contents of the July 26, 1916 Letter The correspondence acknowledges a July 21 inquiry from Bateman-Switzer Company requesting wholesale price lists for bulk and bottled wines. Lachman & Jacobi advises that the enclosed bottled wine price list is subject to a 25% trade discount, while bottled brandies qualify for a 10% discount. The letter then addresses a complaint concerning a previous shipment of Invalid Port, a fortified wine product marketed during this period and frequently associated with medicinal or restorative use. Bateman-Switzer had apparently received the wine in containers that lacked the customary varnished finish. Lachman & Jacobi explains that the omission resulted from an oversight by a cellar employee, as the shipping instructions specifically called for varnished packages. The company apologizes and promises that future shipments of Invalid Port will be supplied in the customary varnished containers. This exchange provides an interesting glimpse into early twentieth-century wine distribution, particularly the attention given to packaging, presentation, and the requirements of wholesale customers. The letter concludes with the company's typewritten name and an original handwritten flourish or signature.

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**Shipped securely in a poly sleeve, sandwiched in cardboard, inside a small rigid mailer via USPS Ground Advantage service w/ tracking**

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