Joseph Breck

Joseph Breck (1794–1873), a notable businessman of the 19th century, was born in Medfield, Massachusetts. He founded his business, Joseph Breck & Company, in 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts. From 1822 to 1846, Breck was the editor of the New England Farmer, one of the earliest agricultural magazines established in the U.S., and the first of its kind in New England. In 1833, Breck wrote a book called The Young Florist, which is an ongoing dialogue between two young gardeners in order to present information about flowers and natural history as it relates to flower cultivation. In 1840, Breck published his company’s first catalog, the New England Agricultural Warehouse and Seed Store Catalogue, to promote his company’s products. The catalog included illustrations and horticultural literature to accompany product listings.

In 1856, he published The Flower Garden, a book about the cultivation of ornamental plants such as perennials, annuals, shrubs and evergreen trees. One of the founding members of the American Seed Trade Association, Breck was the president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society from 1859 to 1862. Breck bought a house in Brighton, MA, in 1854 and lived there until his death. The company still exists today as Breck's.