Collection of Eugene Orflinger, Automobile Parts Supplier, 1913-1915 (21 items)

The 19 items reflect the age of the vintage automobile. Several things are evident from the letters: (1) Each corporation was both aggressive but attempting to emphasize public service even when the customer (as is evident from the correspondent Mr. Dorflinger) in their eagerness to promote sales; (2) Many of these corporations were either very new or had already undergone corporate changes in their history. As an example, Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation (see letter of June 15, 1913) had just ended a legal battle in 1912 when they acquired the Warner Corporation and controlled their patents; (3) In this era before the assembly line, parts were produced in very small quantities ranging from a few hundred to upward of a thousand. Consequently, once the stock was over, the parts had to be manufactured anew or else a modification of the existing part.