Robert F. Byrnes, the donor of the collection, spent his entire sixty-three-year career with Horn & Hardart, a company whose name is synonymous with the Automats.
Automats were economically-priced restaurants that dispensed servings of food through coin- or token-operated machinery. In 1902, Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened the first Automat in the United States, in Philadelphia. Byrnes began working for the company as an office boy. He became Controller of the company in 1953, and his ascent in management continued in subsequent years to the positions of Treasurer and Vice President. He retired as Executive Vice President of Horn & Hardart Co., New York, in 1988. Byrnes died in 2000.
From the description of Robert F. Byrnes Collection of Automat Memorabilia, 1912-1990s, bulk(1940-1960s). (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 144651965
