Hulett World Wizard, Schenectady, New York

Balston Spa Daily Print.

Softcover. Good. Scarce, large-format (11" x 14") promotional brochure for a 1920s version of an inexpensive mobile home intended specifically for large families. Undated, mid-1920s. [12] pp, in original stapled illustrated wrappers. Moderate general handling wear and light soiling; good. The inventor, William Hulett (1884-1967), is described as able to build or repair any kind of machine, but unable to read or write "except in blueprints." Much of the text, which describes both his travels with his family and his building ventures, is taken from an articles published in the Schenectady Union-Star in 1924. One article describes the "house on wheels" that Hulett displayed (and was awarded first prize for) at the Saratoga, NY, County Fair as "built on Pullman style and equipped with 12 beds, tables and chairs, [with] a large kitchen cabinet and a place for hot and cold water, and provision for table and kitchen supplies" and reports that "all meals served in the cottage are cooked with electricity furnished by the batteries of the big truck." Additional text describes and illustrates Hulett's new (1925) model, which is "the biggest of its kind in the world" -- a "three-room house on wheels with all of the conveniences of a 6-room flat." The final page shows the transformation of "a large piece of wild land...into a useful and inhabited tract of country," boasting that "one hundred and fifty-six of Hulett's plans were used on this plot in one day. Forty-one houses erected in an hour, was the record." Although his endeavors have largely been forgotten, Hulett apparently hoped to extend his reach well beyond New York State. A January 18, 1924, article in the Monrovia [California] Daily News reports on his inspection of a tract of land in Los Angeles, stating that he is "engaged in the business of erecting and renting houses for families who have five children or more...which he rents for the nominal sum of $10 or $11 a month." A postcard accompanying our brochure shows a woman with 13(!) children posed in front of a traveling model.

Item #24424

Price: $325.00