About this image...

Image Title: Roessle Brewery, Lager Beer, Boston, Massachusetts, 1877

Creator: C. Frank King, Lith., 32 Winter St,. Boston, Lithographer

Date: 1877

Summary: An advertising lithograph from 1877 for the Roessle Brewery of Boston Massachusetts. This print promotes "John Roessle's Premium Lager Beer." Featured is an image of a well-hatted and mustachioed fellow smoking a meerschaum pipe and enjoying a foaming tankard of beer. Also shown are depictions of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition award medal issued to the brewery for their beer. In very, very small lettering at the bottom center of the print appears the name of the lithographer: "C. Frank King, Lith. 32 Winter St. Boston."

Notes: A short history of the Roessle brewery from the 1903 book One Hundred Years of Brewing: "John Roessle founded a brewery in Boston (or what was then Roxbury) in 1846, and in that year commenced to brew the first lager beer in New England; and nothing but lager beer ever has been brewed. From the small establishment, whose output did not exceed three hundred barrels, has developed the Roessle Brewery, on Columbus avenue, with its present output of sixty-five thousand barrels of lager beer and its complete bottling and refrigerating apparatus... Mr. Roessle died in 1885, when his son, John Roessle, assumed the business, and remained thus actively engaged until April, 1896, when the present general manager, Alvin Carl, became his successor. The brewmasters employed during the early years of the career of this brewery were Henry Meyer, Christian Woernle, George Bieberbach and Fritz Viehauer, until the year 1869, when Robert Lieber became brewmaster, and remained such for over twenty years, until his death. Since his death, August 17, 1890, his son, Albert has been at the head of the brewing department. This brewery, with Haffenreffer & Company and the Suffolk Brewing Company, are now (1902) operated by the New England Brewing Company." The Roessle Brewery closed in 1918 for Prohibition, but re-opened upon repeal in 1933. It was operated as part of the Haffenreffer company until 1951, when it closed for good.

Subjects: Beer--America
Breweries--America
Brewing Industry--America
Men
Smoking
eating & drinking

Places: Boston, Massachusetts

Original Media: Chromolithograph

Collections: Popular Graphic Arts

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