73rd Birthday Greetings to H. J. Heinz from Shibusawa Eiichi, Tokyo, Japan, October 1, 1917
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The H.J. Heinz Company had humble beginnings in 1869 and has since become one of the most recognized names in the food industry today. This artifact, from the H.J. Heinz Company Collection, is one from The Henry Ford's sizeable collection of material dedicated to telling the company's history of innovative business practices and marketing techniques.
The H.J. Heinz Company had humble beginnings in 1869 and has since become one of the most recognized names in the food industry today. This artifact, from the H.J. Heinz Company Collection, is one from The Henry Ford's sizeable collection of material dedicated to telling the company's history of innovative business practices and marketing techniques.
Artifact
Letter (Correspondence)
Subject Date
01 October 1917
Collection Title
On Exhibit
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
53.41.219
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of H.J. Heinz Co.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Ink
Technique
Handwriting
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 9.625 in
Width: 12.5 in
Inscriptions
letter reads: Tokiyo, October 1, 1917. / My Dear Mr. Heinz, / On this auspicious occasion of the seventy-third anniversary of your birthday, be pleased to accept most / hearty congratulations from a distant but close friend of yours. / An old Oriental saying has it that seventy winters are rare since early ages, and those who have attained that precious landmark in their life's journey receive here deep reverence from people of all / classes, but especially from their personal friends. I need not tell you that I entered upon this envied state eight / years ago. / Why do we celebrate our birthdays? The reason, it seems to me, lies in our wish to have a periodical / opportunity of taking stock of our posh achievements and laying our plous for the future, so that our life in the / years to come may be brighter than ever before. / Viewed in this light, the happy day you are going to celebrate on the 11th of this month is an event full / of important significance. And I feel peculiarly happy to be able to send you greetings as your personal friend / on this blissful occasion. / Ripe as you are in years and rich as you are in good deeds done for your fellow men, I feel confident / that humanity will yet be a greater debtor to you in the time to come. / May you ever be blessed in health and spirit, and may this happy day return to you many, many times! / With kindest wishes, / I remain, my dear friend, / Yours very truly, / [signature in Japanese] Eiichi Shibusawa. / Mr. Henry John Heinz, / Pittsburg, Pa.
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