Frost & Adams facts for kids

Frost & Adams was a famous store in Boston, Massachusetts. It opened in 1869. This store sold all kinds of art supplies. It was started by an artist named Francis Seth Frost and a businessman named E.H. Adams. They bought an existing art supply business. By the 1880s, Frost & Adams was the biggest art supply dealer in New England. It was located in an area called Cornhill. Today, the Boston City Hall stands where the store used to be.

The Story of Frost & Adams

The people who owned and ran Frost & Adams were called proprietors. These included F.S. Frost, E.H. Adams, and others like H.A. Lawrence and Herbert C. Gardner. Around 1921, the store moved to a new location on Arch Street.

What They Sold

In the 1880s, Frost & Adams had everything an artist could need. They sold materials for painters, engravers, and etchers. They also had supplies for people who painted on china. If you wanted to work with crayons, watercolors, or even design buildings, they had tools for you.

They also sold cool decorative items. These included fancy pieces made of bronze and brass. You could find porcelain and china items, and even unique vases. They also sold tambourines made from different animal skins or satin.

Most of their sales were to other businesses. They sold art supplies all over New England, the Middle and Western United States, and Canada. Traveling salespeople helped them reach customers far away.

Famous Customers

Many well-known artists and architects shopped at Frost & Adams. Imagine buying your art supplies from the same place as William Morris Hunt or George Inness! Other famous names included David Dalhoff Neal, John Appleton Brown, and John Joseph Enneking. Even famous architects like Henry Hobson Richardson and the firms Cabot & Chandler and Van Brunt & Howe bought their drafting supplies there. This shows how important Frost & Adams was to the art world.

Later Years and Revival

After 1921, another company called H.H. Sullivan bought Frost & Adams. Then, in 1931, B.L. Makepeace Inc. bought H.H. Sullivan. As of 2010, Makepeace is still in business in Brighton, Massachusetts. They now focus on making copies of documents and selling survey equipment.

In 2019, the Frost & Adams brand was brought back to life! A company called The Juna Group, LLC refreshed the brand.

Images for kids

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  Frost & Adams store in Cornhill, Boston, around 1905.

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  Advertisement from 1882.

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  Advertisement for Frost & Adams and their branch store, A.A. Walker & Co., in 1884.

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  Advertisement from 1896.

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  Cornhill, Boston, in 1897.

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  Catalog cover from 1905.