Joseph Breck

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85121864

Joseph Breck (1794–1873), established Joseph Breck & Company, a seed and agricultural implement business in Boston in 1822. It grew into a large catalogue concern, publishing what amounted to small books that served as educational tools; the catalogues became resources themselves, and included essays, references, and large numbers of engravings. Joseph Breck moved to Brighton, Massachusetts—across the Charles River from Cambridge—in 1836, initially purchasing twenty-eight acres for a nursery before adding an adjoining estate in 1854. Brighton was an important horticultural center, boasting three major nurseries in the early nineteenth century. Breck's Gardens, as his nursery was called, was located in the Allston neighborhood, on what is now Breck Avenue. The firm was passed down to his son and grandsons, reportedly remaining in the family's hands until the late twentieth century. https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/in-season/2014/horticultural-roots-of-joseph-breck accessed 10/5/2017

Breck, Joseph–(1794-1873)–Boston, Massachusetts–established his business, Joseph Breck & Company, in 1818. He acquired the New England Farmer, and later Horticultural Register and Gardens magazine, both edited by Thomas Fessenden. He also wrote The Flower Garden, a book about flower cultivation and shrubbery. He was one of the founding members of the American Seed Trade Association and a president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society from 1859-1862. Breck experimented with different forms of catalogs, for one of his schemes he packaged a collection of seeds targeted at specific markets such as the West Indies. His 1840 catalog New England Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store Catalogue was a small book, 84 pages in length. Long essays on gardening were included with the products. Breck attempted to use horticulture as an uplifting, educational tool. He included French plant names, listed standard works on horticulture, used illustrations to improve his readers’ tastes. The 1840 catalog featured 72 black-and-white engravings. Breck’s catalog may have been his rural customers only exposure to graphic arts and horticultural literature. http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/seeds/breckjoseph.html accessed 10/5/2017