Entitled: "A. W. Livingston's Sons, Columbus, Ohio, 1904." Livingston Seed was founded in 1850 by Alexander Livingston. He developed the first reliable tomato variety and cultivated a total of 31 varieties. He first tried hybridization, and eventually began a careful selection of traits from generation to generation. With the economic crash of 1876, the company filed for bankruptcy. It was Mr. Livingston's son, Robert who reformed the company under the name "A.W. Livingston's Sons" and continued his father's success. In 1898, the company was incorporated as "Livingston's Seed Company" and continued as a family run business until 1979. Historical seed catalogs provide a variety of insights into the history of horticulture, agriculture, gardening, advertising, seed companies, and the mail order business. Seed trade catalogs even contain windows into the history of graphic design and social history by showing the changing interests and desires of the gardener and farmer. Not only do the seed catalogs reveal new varieties and when they were introduced, but many also include brief advice on how and where to plant the seeds, lawn care, and occasionally a history of certain plant varieties.