To preserve the union, it took a lot of boxes

The history of technology is very subtle. It’s widely known that with the Civil War came advances in weaponry, medicine, railways, and telegraphy. But it’s easy to forget that someone had to figure out ways to do things like make a whole lot of boxes, too. And fill them with things like bread�made in this case by the “Union Mechanic Baking Company.” What else felt the irresistible tide of progress�button-making? eyeglasses? shoe polish? (The answer, then as now: pretty nearly everything.)

[via Shorpy]