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Division of Agriculture and Extractive Industries Audiovisual Collection

Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Agriculture and Extractive Industries  Search this
Extent:
3.5 Cubic feet (2 boxes, 32 films)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Audiotapes
Videocassettes
Home movies
Advertisements
8mm films
16mm films
Date:
1938-1994, undated
Summary:
The collection contains films (8mm and 16mm), videocassettes, and audio recordings on diverse subjects related to agriculture and extractive industries
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains films, videocassettes and audio recordings on diverse subjects related to agriculture and extractive industries. Films include amateur footage shot in and around Mississippi in the years between 1939-1951 depicting cotton picking, farm equipment, and rural life. Other subjects found in the collection include: beekeeping, milling, mining, events related to agriculture or extractive industries (World Dairy Expo, Helium Centennial), and advertisements or promotional films created by farming equipment companies (Caterpillar, Minneapolis-Moline).
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into three series.

Series 1: Motion Picture Film Motion Picture Film, 1938-1991

Series 2: Videocassettes Videocassettes, 1991-1994, undated

Series 3: Sound Recordings Sound Recordings, 1963-1978
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Viewing audiovisual portion of collection requires special appointment. See repository for details.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Dairy farms  Search this
Farm equipment  Search this
Motion pictures  Search this
Petroleum  Search this
Tractors  Search this
United States Department of Agriculture  Search this
Cotton farming  Search this
Amateur films  Search this
Sawmills  Search this
Agriculture  Search this
Genre/Form:
Audiotapes
Videocassettes
Home movies
Advertisements -- 20th century
8mm films
16mm films
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1348
See more items in:
Division of Agriculture and Extractive Industries Audiovisual Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8236e0846-3d40-4bd4-9c08-5a143d7853e7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1348

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection

Creator:
Perkins, James Secor  Search this
Gilbreth, Frank Bunker, 1868-1924  Search this
Gilbreth, Lillian Moller, 1878-1972  Search this
Extent:
5 Cubic feet (19 boxes)
5 Cubic feet (19 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Videotapes
Betacam sp (videotape format)
Motion pictures (visual works)
Date:
1907-2000
bulk 1911-1924
Summary:
The collection consists primarily of glass plate slides (negative and positive), photo prints, and stereographs documenting the work undertaken by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth from 1910 to 1924 in the fields of motion study, shop efficiency, and factory organization. Also included are slides dcoumenting the Gilbreth Family, their travels, residences, and friends. The collection also contains the film "The Original Films of Gilbreth The Quest for the One Best Way," 1968 by James S. Perkins.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists primarily of glass plate slides (negative and positive), photo prints, and stereographs documenting the work undertaken by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth from 1910 to 1924 in the fields of motion study, shop efficiency, and factory organization. As scientific managers, the Gilbreth's introduced new techniques to analyze work, the workplace, and work practices with the goal of eliminating waste to maximize productivity. The collection illustrates these new techniques and their application to a wide variety of studies. The collection is diverse and provides insight into understanding how Gilbreth approached his studies. Also included are slides documenting the Gilbreth Family, their travels, residences, and friends. The collection also contains the film "The Original Films of Gilbreth The Quest for the One Best Way," 1968 by James S. Perkins.

Series 1, Background Information, 1892-1997, includes biographical materials about Frank B. Gilbreth; copies of some of Frank Gilbreth's patents, 1892-1916; and printed materials, 1907-1997, that contain articles, newspaper and magazine clippings about Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and time and motion study generally. Black-and-white photo prints of Gilbreth or work Gilbreth documented from collections held at Purdue University and Ohio State University are included.

Series 2, Glass plate stereo slides, 1910-1924, consists of approximately 2,250 glass stereo slides photographed by Frank B. Gilbreth and others and intended for viewing through an optical viewing machine. Some are positive black and white, positive color, and negative black and white. The subject matter of the slides covers the work undertaken by Frank Gilbreth from 1910 to 1924 in the fields of motion study, shop efficiency, and factory organization. Many of the images serve as documentation for the studies the couple performed as they were hired by firms in an attempt to provide solutions to the problems of inefficiency. Also included are the Gilbreth Family, their travels, residences, and friends.

The slides are numbered sequentially. For example, a glass plate slide numbered 318949.001 will have a corresponding photoprint 318949.001 in Series 3, Photoprints of glass plate slides. Note: not all glass plate slides have corresponding photoprints. Additionally, there are Office of Photographics Services, Smithsonian Institution negative numbers assigned to many of the photo prints.

Some subject categories include:

Frank B. Gilbreth: working in motion laboratories, on factory inspections, seated in offices, with family and friends, in World War I uniform, watching and monitoring shop operations.

Lillian M. Gilbreth: with family, during university graduation ceremonies, traveling and working with Frank and observing office workers.

Gilbreth Family: family on the road in an automobile, at home seated around the dinner table, in the parlor, in the garden, and with friends and relatives.

Gilbreth ship travel: contains views on steamer voyages to Europe, deck scenes, arrivals, departures, ship officers and crew, and other passengers.

Automobile assembly study: internal and external views of a warehouse/factory, including large piles or rows of metal car frames and other parts.

Benchwork study: images of a male worker standing or sitting in a chair while filing an object secured in a vice at a workbench.

Betterment: images of efforts whcih contributed to industrial betterment (the Gilbreth chair, employee library, and the home reading box).

Bricklaying study: view of men wearing overalls and caps, shoveling, and men laying bicks.

Business and apparatus of motion study: views of lectures, meetings, film showings, demonstrations, charts, drawings, motion models, charts amd some equipment.

Disabled study: views of partially blind World War I veterans, amputees using special tytpewriter, assembling machinery, use of cructhes, and a one armed dentist.

Factory bench work: table-top machines assembly operations, hand tools, orderly arrangement of parts prior to and during assembly and a variety of bench vises.

Factory documentation: various images of the interior and edterior of factories including heavy machinery.

Golfing study: various cyclegraphs of a man swinging a golf club.

Grid boards: back drops used by Gikbreth to isolate and measure worker motions. This includes walls, floors, desktops, and drop cloths divided into grids of various densities and scales.

Handwriting and cyclegraphs: finger lights moving in patterns of script.

Ladders: include step ladders and painters' ladders shown in use near shelving.

Light assembly study: wide variety of images ranging from cyclegraphs of women working, to the factory floor as well as tools and machinery.

Materials handling study: different angles of an empty cart, a cart oiled high with boxes, and a man pushing a cart illustrating different body positions.

Military study: illustrate work on the Army foot meausring machine, gun parts, men holding a rifle.

Motion models: images of simple wire motionmodels.

Needle trade study: views of textile machinery and workers.

Office study: various shots inside of an office with tables, desks, drawers, files, and typewriters. Some of the images are cyclegraphs of femal and male workers performing tasks, such as writing, both tin the context of an office as well as in front of a grdidded background. There are several close-ups of an organizer containing penciles, paperclips, pins and rubberbands.

Packing: methods of placing and arranging goods in boxes, such as soap packing.

Panama-Pacific Exposition 1915: contains views of statuary, fountains, and architecture of the exposition held in San Francisco.

Pure light cyclegraphs: no workers or grids visible only finger lights in motion.

Rubber stamping study: hand movements and access to ink pads and stamps.

Scenic views: views of buildings, landscapes, street scenes, and fountains from around the world documenting Gilbreth's travels.

Shoe making study: laboratory studies of shoe assembly operations with an emphasis on workers access to component pieces.

Shop machinery: various shots of machines and workers working with machines.

Signage: include organizational flow charts, shop floor plans, route maps, office layouts, numbering systems, exhibit display boards illustrating Frank Gilbreth's efficiency studies and techniques.

Stacking: views of the art and science of stacking boxes, clothing, equipment, containers, and vertical storage without shelves.

Stock bins: consists of storage pips, paper, other raw materials, shelves, and corridoe shots.

Storage: images illustrate contrast between old techniques and new.

Surgical and dental studies: thester views of surgeons, assistants, nurses, hand motions in grasping, placing surgical instruments, dental work and self inspection of teeth.

Tool cribs: storage of hand tools in shops with an emphasis on easy access and easy inventorying.

Typing study: various views of femaile s under observation using Remington typewriters.

Series 3, Photoprints of glass plate slides, 1910-1924, consist of black and white photoprints of the glass plate slides depicting the fields of motion study, shop efficiency, and factory organization. Also included are the Gilbreth Family, their travels, residences, and friends.

Series 5, Stereographs,1911-1914,

Series 6, Audio Visual Materials, 1968, 2000, and undated, is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Audio visual documentation, 1968 and undated; Subseries 2, Moving Images, 1968 and undated; and Subseries 3, Audio Recordings, 1980, 1990,. 2000 and undated. The series contains several formats: 7" open reel-to-reel audio tape, 1/2" VHS, Beta Cam SP, DVD, audio cassette, one inch audio tape, and 16 mm film.

Subseries 1, Audio visual documentation, 1967-1968 and undated, consists of supplemental documentation for the film, "The Original Films of Gilbreth The Quest for the One Best Way." Specifically, there are brochures and other printed materials detailing what the film is about and how copies may be obtained. This subseries also contains a copy of the book Cheaper by the Dozen, 1948. The book was written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and tells the biographical story of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and their twelve children. The book was adapted to film by Twentieth Century Fox in 1950.

Subseries 2, Moving Images, 1967, consists of one title, "The Original Films of Gilbreth The Quest for the One Best Way." The film materials consist of the film's production elements: 16 mm black and white negative A-roll; 16mm black-and-white negative B-roll; and the optical track negative. Each is 800 feet in length.

The film presents a summary of work analysis films which were taken by Frank B. Gilbreth between 1919 and 1924 showing a number of industrial operations from which the motion study was developed. Demonstrates motion and fatigue study, skill study, plant layout and material handling, inventory control, production control, business procedures, safety methods, developing occupations for the handicapped, athletic training and skills, military training, and surgical operations as researched and developed by Gilbreth. Points out that Gilbreth created entirely new techniques on how to improve industrial efficiency, while at the same time significantly improving conditions for the workers. The film was produced by James S. Perkins in collaboration with Dr. Ralph M. Barnes and with commentary by Liilian M. Gilbreth and James S. Perkins. The film was presented on December 3, 1968 at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Annual Meeting in New York. The formats for this title include: 16 mm, Beta Cam SP, and DVD. Additionally, there is a one inch audio tape recording for the film.

Subseries 3, Audio Recordings, 1980, 1990, 2000 and undated consist of a Smithsonian radio program titled "Inside the Smithsonian, Cheaper by The Dozen," from 1980 and an recording of Ernestine Gilbreth Casey discussing Gilbreth Family photographs from 2000. Hosted by [Ann Carroll?], "Inside the Smithsonian, Cheaper by The Dozen," featured Fred and Bill Gilbreth discussing their parents Frank and Lillian, Gilbreth, and the book Cheaper by the Dozen. The radio program coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the American Society of Mechancial Engineers (founded 1880)of which Lillian Gilbreth was the Society's first female member and showcased a single case exhibition at the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History) titled "Frank and Lillian Gilbreth: Motion Engineers." Inside Smithosnian Radio was a weekly program produced by the Office of Telecommunications. The recording of Ernestine Gilbreth Carey was recorded on July 9, 2000 and documents Ms. Carey's identification and discussion of Gilbreth Family photographs. David Ferguson assisted in the discussion. A hard copy index to the photographs Ms. Carey discusses is available.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: Background Materials, 1892-1997

Subseries 1.1: Frank B. Gilbreth, undated

Subseries 1.2: Frank B. Gilbreth patents, 1892-1916

Subseries 1.3: Printed Materials, 1907-1997

Series 2: Glass Stereo Slides (Positive), 1910-1924 and undated

Series 3: Photo prints of glass stereo slides, 1910-1924 and undated

Subseries 3.1: Photo Print Books, 1-9, undated

Subseries 3.2: Photo prints (duplicates), undated

Series 4: Stereo Autochromes, undated

Series 5: Stereograph Cards, 1911-1914

Series 6: Audio Visual Materials, 1968, 1990, 2000 and undated

Subseries 6.1, Audio visual documentation, 1968 and undated

Subseries 6.2: Moving images, 1968 and undated

Subseries 6.3: Audio recordings, 1980, 1990, 2000, and undated
Biographical / Historical:
Frank Gilbreth is best known for his work on the efficiency of motion. Working with his wife and professional partner Lillian Moller Gilbreth, he applied modern psychology to his work with management. His innovative motion studies were used on factory workers, typists and people with disabilities. Gilbreth established the link between psychology and education to be succesful management.

Frank Gilbreth was born in Fairfield, Maine on July 7, 1868. His parents, John and Martha Bunker Gilbreth were New Englanders. John Gilbreth ran a hardware business, but died when Frank was only three. Bearing the responsibilty of raising her children alone, Martha moved the family twice in search of quality education for her children. Ultimately she decided to school the children herself. In 1885, Frank graduated from English High School in Boston. Despite gaining admission into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Frank opted to enter the work world immediately as a bricklayer's apprentice with Whidden and Company, building contractors in Boston.

Smart and skilled, Gilbreth worked his way up in the company. He learned the trade quickly and soon was promoted to supervisor, foreman, and finally to the position of superintendent. To further his edcuation, he went to night school to study mechanical drawing.

At the age of 27, Gilbreth embarked upon his first business venture. He started his own contracting firm. His firm developed a fine reputation for quality work at a very rapid pace. He invented tools, scaffolding, and other contraptions to make the job easier. His company goals included the elimination of waste, the conservation of energy, and the reduction of cost. His work included canals, factories, houses, and dams. His clients came from all parts of the United States, and he performed some work in England.

In 1903, Frank Gilbreth met Lillian Moller (1903-1972) and married her on October 19, 1904. Lillian graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA (1900) and MA (1902). She later earned a Ph.D from Brown University (1915), earning a dissertation titled The Psychology of Management. Lillian's academic work, large family and integral role in Frank's consulting business kept her busy. Her contributions to the business led to a greater understanding of an individual's welfare in the work world. This becamme a key idea to increasing productivity through scientific management techniques.

Working together, the couple became leaders in the new field of scientific management. They published books, gave lectures, and raised tweleve children together: Anne, Mary (1906--912), Ernestine, Martha, Frank Jr., William, Lillian, Frederick, Daniel, John, Robert and Jane. Some of Gilbreth's books include Fields System (1908); Concrete System (1908); Bricklaying System (1909; Motion Study (1911); and Primer of Scientific Management (1911). Gilbreth co-authored with Lillian: Time Study (1916); Fatigue Study (1916); Applied Motion Study (1917); and Motion Study for the Handicapped (1919).

It wasn't long before Gilbreth moved away from construction. Together with his wife, they focused on the link between psychology and motion. With her strong psychological background, and his interest in efficiency, the Gilbreth's opened the School of Scientific Management in 1913. The school was in session for four years. Numerous professional attended the school, and soon the Gilbreth's had established a reputation as consultant's to the new field of scientific management.

In 1912, Frank won a contract with the New England Butt Company in Providence, Rhode Island. There he installed his system of scientific management in a factory setting for the first time. Contracts with the Hermann-Aukam handkerchief manufacturing company in New Jersey and the Auergessellschaft Company in Germany followed. Using motion study, Gilbreth studied and reoganized the factories, attempting to find "the one best way" to do work.

Gilbreth traveled to Germany to continue his work was a scientific manager. He visited factories and hospitals, working to improve procedures and eliminate waste. Using micro-motion study and the chronocyclegraph procedure, he analyzed and dissected motion, discovering therblings, the seventeen fundamental units of any motion. World War I slowed Gilbreth's progress abroad, so he focused his consulting business on firms n the United States.

After World War I, Gilbreth's business thrived. in 1920, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers instituted its Management Division, something Gilbreth had been demanding for years. He was now a famous American engineer, gaining financial rewards as as professional honors.

Frank Gilbreth died suddenly of a heart attack on June 14, 1924, still in the middle of three contracts. He was honored after his death in 1944 by the American Society of Engineers and the American Management Association with the Gant Gold Medal. After Frank's death, Lillian moved the family to California where she continued to work on efficiency and health in industry issues. She was a respected buiness woman and was hired by several companies to train employees, study working conditions, and reduce fatigue. She lectured at several universities (Newark College of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin), and joined the faculty at Purdue University in 1935 as the first woman professor in the engineering school.

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth often used their large family (and Frank himself) as guinea pigs in experiments. Their family exploits are lovingly detailed in the 1948 book Cheaper by the Dozen, written by Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
Related Materials:
Material in Other Institutions

Purdue University, Archives and Special Collections

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers, 1869-2000

The Gilbreth Papers documents the professional and personal lives of Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Gilbreth. The collection consists of personal papers, letters, correspondence, photographs, and other memorabilia that Lillian Gilbreth collected during her life regarding her youth, marriage, family, and career.

Collection of materials related to Lillian Gilbreth, 1964-2006

One folder of items relating to the life of Lillian Gilbreth, and her family, collected by her granddaughter, Lillian (Jill) Barley and Nancy Weston. Materials include clippings relating to the Lillian Gilbreth postage stamp (1984); obituaries and memorial programs for Peter Barney, Ernestine Carey, Lillian Gilbreth, Anne Gilbreth Barney, Charles Carey, and Frank Gilbreth Jr.; programs and photographs relating to Lillian Gilbreth's visit to Athens in 1964; and biographical information on Lillian Gilbreth.

Cornell University, Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives

Frank Gilbreth Papers on Microfilm, Collection Number: 5424 mf

Selected papers pertaining to industrial engineering. Original materials are held by Purdue University. Microfilm copied purchased from Purdue University in April 1968.
Provenance:
The collection materials were donated by several individuals: New Jersey Institute of Technology (1975); Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., (1980); Ernestine Gilbreth Carey (1995); Daniel B. Gilbreth (1998); and James Secor Perkins in 2001.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Series 2: Glass Stereo Slides are restricted. Boxes 3-9 were digitized in 2021. Researchers must use digital copies. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Motion study  Search this
Machinery industry  Search this
Machine shops  Search this
Industrial management  Search this
Industrial films  Search this
Industrial engineering  Search this
Genre/Form:
Videotapes
BetaCam SP (videotape format)
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 1930-1950
Citation:
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0803
See more items in:
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8a48e652d-6387-4a23-98c0-299772c454d5
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0803
Online Media:

Industry Film Producer Magazine, 1960

Container:
Box 6, Folder 8
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Collection Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection, Acc. NASM.2024.0006, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection
Jules "Jay" Mermoud Collection / Series 1: Textual Material, 1957-1989 and undated / 3: Miscellaneous
Archival Repository:
National Air and Space Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/pg294274928-bdc8-493e-8416-5db0232d5c38
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nasm-2024-0006-ref104

Industry on Parade Film Collection

Producer:
Lodge, Arthur  Search this
Arthur Lodge Productions.  Search this
Creator:
National Association of Manufacturers  Search this
Extent:
42.5 Cubic feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion pictures (visual works)
Date:
1950 - 1959
Summary:
Industry on Parade was a television series created by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) from 1950-1960. The series consisted of weekly episodes that highlighted American manufacturing and business. Hundreds of companies and products were documented during the programs decade-long run.
Scope and Contents:
The Industry on Parade Film Collection, 1950-1960, is comprised of 428 reels of thirteen and a half minute long 16mm black and white composite optical track (sound) motion picture film prints and one document box of episode descriptions. The films have been organized chronologically in the order they were produced and broadcast by the National Association of Manufacturers. The episode descriptions, which accompanied the film reels as they were sent to stations for broadcast and other venues for screening, are organized in the same manner. It should be noted that each film reel does not have a corresponding episode description and many of the later episodes were not donated to the National Museum of American History.

This collection covers hundreds of topics, providing a comprehensive portrait of American business and manufacturing during the 1950s. The films portray work processes, community life, recreation, and reveal through narration the ideology of American business during this era.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized in one series:

Series 1: Motion Picture Films
Biographical / Historical:
The Industry on Parade Film Collection, 1950-1960, was created by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) from 1950-1960. In 1950, Johnny Johnstone, NAM's radio and television director, developed the idea for a television program highlighting American manufacturing and business. Working with Frank McCall, an NBC News Department Manager, Johnstone created and presented a sample reel to NAM's board of directors. Based on this sample, the board supported and financed the production and distribution of an NAM-sponsored series, intended

... to show the marvels of American industrial technology in operation and show how the industrial process results in higher living standards, to show new developments in the fields of science, invention, and research, particularly as they contribute to health, welfare, and national defense, to show the integral part that industry plays in the civic, religious, and social life of American communities as well as the economic, to show people who work in industry and the attention industry pays to their well-being, and to show some of the difficult problems that have been faced and solved by American industry. (From: Industry on Parade Fact Sheet, October 15, 1955)

The series, titled Industry on Parade, was first broadcast during the week of October 15, 1950.

Each Industry on Parade episode was 13.5 minutes long and, for most of the series, contained three to four stories examining some aspect of American manufacturing and business. Towards the end of the 1950s, episodes were arranged thematically, featuring a single type of product, industry, or American consumer. Most episodes also included "public service announcements" placed between story segments or at the end of the episodes to promote capitalism, the American way, and the rewards of a free economy and society. NAM provided the weekly episodes to one television station in each market throughout the country, at no charge, for broadcast, usually in non-prime time slots.

During the first few years, the series was co-produced with NBC, although not necessarily broadcast through NBC affiliates. In 1953, NBC decided to work exclusively on its own productions for broadcast on NBC stations. Arthur Lodge, the NBC producer who had been working on the series, left NBC, formed his own production company, and produced Industry on Parade for NAM from October 1, 1953 until the series ended. In addition to producing the series, Arthur Lodge wrote, directed, and narrated each episode.

By 1957 Industry on Parade was broadcast on 270 stations nationally and on foreign stations in 33 countries. NAM also made each episode available for screening by schools and community and business groups. Industry on Parade won the Peabody Award for National Public Service Programming in 1955. The series ended its run in 1960, although NAM continued to distribute the films for educational screening throughout the early 1960s.
Provenance:
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Instition. Originally donated by the National Association of Manufacturers in 1974.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made directly with the Archives Center staff to view episodes for which no reference copy exists. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees will be charged for reproductions.
Topic:
Industry -- 1950-1960 -- U.S.  Search this
Manufactures -- 1950-1960  Search this
Industrial films -- 1950-1960  Search this
Motion pictures and history -- 1950-1960  Search this
Television programs -- 1950-1960  Search this
Genre/Form:
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 1950-1960
Citation:
Industry on Parade Film Collection, 1950-1959, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0507
See more items in:
Industry on Parade Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep861b92feb-708b-48a8-aadf-318460af55ac
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0507

The Story of MicroRold Stainless Steel

Collection Collector:
Washington Steel Corporation  Search this
Collection Donor:
Bethlehem Steel Company  Search this
Extent:
1 Reel (450 feet, b&w, sound)
Container:
Reel 1, Item OF730.1 (1999.3027.03)
Box 1, Item RV730.1
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Reels
Date:
circa 1960
Scope and Contents:
An industrial film describing Washington Steel's product, MicroRold Stainless Steel
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for researhc and access on site by appointment.
Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Washington Steel Film Collections, circa 1955-1965, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
Washington Steel Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c22aab6a-1e5c-4644-ae1c-b3f1cfaa9fd9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0730-ref511

MicroRold and MicroCast: The Washington Steel Story

Collection Collector:
Washington Steel Corporation  Search this
Collection Donor:
Bethlehem Steel Company  Search this
Extent:
1 Reel (900 feet., color, sound)
Container:
Reel 6, Item OF730.5(2) (1999.3027.06)
Box 1, Item RV730.5
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Reels
Date:
1966
Scope and Contents:
The story of the process of MicroRold and MicroCast stainless steel, showing factory scenes and processes, good industrial film. Color has faded to magenta.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for researhc and access on site by appointment.
Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Washington Steel Film Collections, circa 1955-1965, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
Washington Steel Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep81c5a547f-06f0-4b8e-be02-547d2951879f
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0730-ref516

Delegate

Published by:
MelPat Associates, American, 1965 - 1986  Search this
Created by:
C. Melvin Patrick, American, died 1985  Search this
Subject of:
Charles Richard Drew, American, 1904 - 1950  Search this
President Lyndon Baines Johnson, American, 1908 - 1973  Search this
Roy Wilkins, American, 1901 - 1981  Search this
National Pan-Hellenic Council, American, founded 1930  Search this
Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr., American, 1911 - 1978  Search this
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968  Search this
Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, American, 1894 - 1984  Search this
Ebenezer Baptist Church, American, founded 1886  Search this
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, American, founded 1957  Search this
Sen. Edward Brooke, American, born 1919  Search this
Joseph Davies Tydings, American, 1928 - 2018  Search this
Lawrence Warren Pierce, American, born 1924  Search this
Bertram L. Baker, American, 1898 - 1985  Search this
Wayne L. Morse, American, 1900 - 1974  Search this
Harry Belafonte Jr., American, 1927 - 2023  Search this
Coretta Scott King, American, 1927 - 2006  Search this
Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, American, 1926 - 1990  Search this
Gordon Parks, American, 1912 - 2006  Search this
Morehouse College, American, founded 1867  Search this
Percy Ellis Sutton, American, 1920 - 2009  Search this
Bayard Rustin, American, 1912 - 1987  Search this
Eugene Nickerson, American, 1918 - 2002  Search this
Leonard Farbstein, American, 1902 - 1993  Search this
Senator Robert F. Kennedy, American, 1925 - 1968  Search this
The Girl Friends, Inc., American, founded 1927  Search this
Floyd McKissick, American, 1922 - 1991  Search this
Interracial Council for Business Opportunity, American, founded 1963  Search this
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909  Search this
National Urban League, American, founded 1910  Search this
Harold Robert Perry, American, 1916 - 1991  Search this
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, American, founded 1920  Search this
National Newspaper Publishers Association, American, founded 1827  Search this
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., American, founded 1911  Search this
International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc. and Order of the Eastern Star, American, founded 1950  Search this
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World, American, founded 1898  Search this
New York Jets, American, founded 1960  Search this
Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry  Search this
National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., founded 1919  Search this
National Medical Association, American, founded 1895  Search this
National Dental Association, American, founded 1913  Search this
Joan Murray  Search this
Philippa Schuyler, American, 1931 - 1967  Search this
Berry Gordy Jr., American, born 1929  Search this
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., American, founded 1906  Search this
Shriners International, American, founded 1870  Search this
Sen. Edward Brooke, American, born 1919  Search this
Sidney Poitier, Bahamian American, 1927 - 2022  Search this
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., American, founded 1911  Search this
Inez Yeargan Kaiser, American, 1918 - 2016  Search this
Pearl Bailey, American, 1918 - 1990  Search this
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded 1908  Search this
National Council of Negro Women, founded 1935  Search this
Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority, Inc., American, founded 1937  Search this
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., American, founded 1935  Search this
National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, Inc., American, founded 1924  Search this
Robert J. Mangum, American, 1920 - 2014  Search this
369th Veterans Association, American  Search this
National Association of Market Developers, American, founded 1953  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 12 × 8 7/8 × 3/16 in. (30.5 × 22.5 × 0.5 cm)
Type:
magazines (periodicals)
Place made:
Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1968
Topic:
African American  Search this
Advertising  Search this
Associations and institutions  Search this
Baptist  Search this
Black Press  Search this
Business  Search this
Communities  Search this
Football  Search this
Fraternal organizations  Search this
Fraternities  Search this
Funeral customs and rites  Search this
Government  Search this
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)  Search this
Journalism  Search this
Labor  Search this
Mass media  Search this
Men  Search this
Political organizations  Search this
Politics  Search this
Professional organizations  Search this
Religion  Search this
Sororities  Search this
Sports  Search this
U.S. History, 1961-1969  Search this
Urban life  Search this
Women  Search this
Women's organizations  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Anne B. Patrick and the family of Hilda E. Stokely
Object number:
2012.167.3
Restrictions & Rights:
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f7b7586d-84ee-4f44-b24e-aa264dcdee1f
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2012.167.3
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  • View <I>Delegate</I> digital asset number 1

Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection

Preservationist:
National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)  Search this
Film producer:
Kalem Company  Search this
Creator:
Lambert, Jeff  Search this
Extent:
3 Cubic feet (3 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1914-1917
Summary:
Collection consists of three film elements of three films: The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk; Making High Grade Papers and From Ore to Finished Product as part of the National Film Preservation Foundation's collaborative film repatriation project with the EYE Filmmuseum.
Content Description:
Collection consists of three film elements of three films: The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk; Fine Papers and From Ore to Finished Product as part of the National Film Preservation Foundation's collaborative film repatriation project with the EYE Film Institute. The films represent American silent era titles examined and described by a consultant and sent by the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) to the EYE Filmmuseum Netherlands (EYE) in Spring 2013.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Historical:
The films represent American silent era titles examined and described by a consultant and sent by the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) to EYE Filmmuseum Netherlands (EYE) in Spring 2013. EYE and NFPF identified American silent-era films held by EYE, which are of interest to the American archival community's ongoing program to preserve and mnake available the film heritage of the United States. With the goal of returning these long-unseen matetrials to the public and preserving them for future generations, EYE, the NFPF, and selected American film archives have embarked on a multiyear preservation partnership with the objective of making the films widely available for study and education.
Provenance:
National Film Preservation Foundation, through Jeff Lambert, September 8, 2014.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Topic:
Canning and preserving  Search this
Dairying industry  Search this
Films  Search this
Industrial films  Search this
Labor -- History -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
Papermaking  Search this
Paper mills  Search this
Silent films  Search this
Iron and steel industry  Search this
Citation:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1435
See more items in:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8109c615e-c5bc-4612-af01-05404c305064
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1435

The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk

Collection Preservationist:
National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)  Search this
Collection Film producer:
Kalem Company  Search this
Collection Creator:
Lambert, Jeff  Search this
Extent:
2 Film reels (Total Running Time: 11:13, 35mm stenciled and tinted print, silent @ 18 f.p.s.)
1 Videocassettes (HDCam) (Total Running Time: 11:13)
1 Videodiscs (Blu-ray) (Total Running Time: 11:13)
Container:
Box 1
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Film reels
Videocassettes (hdcam)
Videodiscs (blu-ray)
Date:
1917
Scope and Contents:
Sponsor: Libby, McNeill & Libby Company. Production Co.: Unknown. Transfer Note: Copied at 18 frames per second from a 35mm print preserved by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, from source material provided by EYE Filmmuseum. New Music: Michael D. Mortilla. Running Time: 11 minutes.

The industrial film The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk, produced around 1917, documents the technology of canning evaporated milk at the Libby, McNeill & Libby Company's Chicago plant. The film was most likely made as an industrywide effort to quell fears of unsanitary conditions in the food processing industry. The use of stenciled color helps set this early industrial film apart.

The industrialization of food processing in the late 1800s and early 1900s lowered costs, raised availability, but posed health risks to consumers. Books like Upton Sinclair's popular 1906 novel The Jungle (an exposé of the Chicago meatpacking industry) as well as earlier concerns about adulteration of patent medicines made many consumers question the safety of prepared food. Government intervened by passing inspection regulations in the form of laws like the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the 1907 Meat Inspection Act. Industry also sought to quiet public fears by distributing educational films and advertisements and offering tours of its factories (where employees in uniform gave the impression of hygienic safety).

Libby, McNeill & Libby was a canning company pioneer founded in 1875 in Chicago. Its first product, corned beef, was heavily marketed and packaged in a distinctive trapezoidal can. Later it expanded into the canned milk market (first developed by Borden in 1855). The shelf stability of canned evaporated milk (60 percent of water removed) made it attractive to people concerned about spoilage. The film follows the path of raw milk delivery to the dairy and processing into a final consumer product. At all stages, the scientific modernity of the dairy operation is stressed and the hygienic conditions featured. Most of the workers wear white uniforms. The end of the film covers a small portion on cows and the healthy conditions under which they are raised.

Source

National Film Preservation Foundation Website (https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/the-dairy-industry-and-the-canning-of-milk-1917)

Peter Liebhold, Curator of Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

About the Preservation

The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk was preserved in 2015 at Colorlab Corp. using a 35mm stencil-colored nitrate print from EYE Filmmuseum. The intertitles were translated from the Dutch and are modern re-creations. The work was supervised by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, and funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant secured by the NFPF.

About the Music

The new music for this presentation was composed and performed by Michael D. Mortilla. Michael has been composing professionally for more than four decades and has accompanied silent film screenings throughout the United States. Among his many NFPF projects are the accompaniments for the DVDs Treasures 5: The West and Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive. The score for The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk was improvised in one continuous "take" in order to recreate the live experience of an audience at the time of the film's original release. According to Michael, "the creative process involves running through the film repeatedly, recording most of the performances. A typical piano solo for a one-reeler like this usually requires about 14 takes to arrive at the final musical work. There is little to no editing of my performances, and absolutely no editing of the score's overall structure."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Citation:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep842233a59-85dc-415e-8eac-853e5170cc16
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1435-ref1

From Ore to Finished Product, Reel # 4

Collection Preservationist:
National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)  Search this
Collection Film producer:
Kalem Company  Search this
Collection Creator:
Lambert, Jeff  Search this
Extent:
1 Film item (Total Running Time: 11:53, 35mm black and white print, silent @ 18 f.p.s.)
1 Videocassettes (HDCam) (Total Running Time: 11:53)
1 Videodiscs (Blu-ray) (Total Running Time: 11:53)
Container:
Box 2
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Videocassettes (hdcam)
Videodiscs (blu-ray)
Date:
1915
Scope and Contents:
Sponsor: National Tube Company. Production Co.: Unknown. Transfer Note: Copied at 18 frames per second from a 35mm print preserved by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, from source material provided by EYE Filmmuseum. New Music: Michael D. Mortilla. Running Time: 9 minutes (incomplete, reel 4 of 4).

The industrial film From Ore to Finished Product is a four-reel production commissioned by the National Tube Company and probably shot around the Fourth of July 1915. In 1921 the company produced a small book with the same title. The motivations for creating this early film were complex — partly a baseline advertising effort, partly an attempt to diffuse public unease over the rise of large corporations, and partly an effort to quell labor discord. The first three reels of the film documented the technical process of making steel and steel tubes. These reels probably didn't survive, but reel four did, and it admirably documents the company's efforts at welfare capitalism.

National Tube Works Company was formed in the 1870s when Flagler & Company relocated from Boston to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, near the nation's iron and steel center of Pittsburgh. In 1899, during the height of the American merger movement, lawyer William Cromwell and banker Edmund Converse, with the help of financier J.P. Morgan, brought together 16 pipe and tube manufacturers under the National Tube name. In 1901, National Tube merged with other steel companies as part of the formation of the U.S. Steel Corporation.

In the second half of the 19th century many American manufacturing companies expanded in size, and the resulting economies of scale and application of new technology lowered costs of production. By the late 1880s and 1890s cutthroat competition broke out as firms fought for larger shares of the national and global markets. Faced with high fixed costs, businesses followed many strategies to prevent ruinous price battles, including trusts, mergers, and monopolies. Companies often absorbed their suppliers or distributors in an effort to control the market. Kickbacks, bribery, price fixing, and secret deals were widespread. Americans became uneasy and debated the virtues and detriments of free enterprise. Films such as From Ore to Finished Product helped counter the impact of Progressive era muckraker books (like Ida Tarbell's The History of Standard Oil).

In the early 1900s the rising power of organized labor and general concerns regarding American capitalism versus Marxism motivated some business leaders to turn to the new medium of film to sway public opinion. As W.L. Schaefer of the National Tube Works advertising department explained, "Our motion pictures were taken for the purpose of using them as educational propaganda" (Reel and Slide, October 1918, p. 43–44). In 1909 National Tube shut down the Dewees Wood plant after a bitter strike. As a company official explained, "McKeesport…has a population that is largely in sympathy with lawlessness, and has a mayor who will not use his police to protect the property of manufacturers and will not permit a nonunion man seeking work to enter town" (National Tube Works Historical Marker). Interestingly labor was also an early adopter of film as a persuasive tool.

At the turn of the century, increasingly complex operations, the threat of unionization, and massive influxes of immigrant workers led many businessmen to change the way they ran their companies. The quest for cheap labor had led factory managers to hire recent immigrants who spoke little or no English. The chorus of foreign tongues seemed to confirm managers' beliefs that their companies were slipping out of their control. As workers' rights and managers' prerogatives clashed, the two sides battled over control of the workplace. Workers struck over hours, new machinery, work rules, and union representation in an attempt to retain some control over their jobs. Managers' ethnic and racial fears of the rising tide of immigrant workers in the American workforce led them to seek new methods of control such as welfare work ("welfare work" is a period term growing out of the early 20th-century personnel movement and should not be confused with later concepts of state-sponsored welfare). Proponents of welfare work, the subject of this film, believed that improvements such as lunchrooms, recreational facilities, company outings, and vegetable gardens would instill company values and thereby boost productivity. This paternalistic corporate attitude sometimes even intruded into employees' personal lives. By making changes in work environments, company officials sought to remake the working class in their own middle-class image. The use of employee gardens as a tool of control is not always apparent, but labor stoppages become much less likely when striking workers not only lose their pay but also their source of vegetables.

While paternalistic, welfare work was not always egalitarian; companies often excluded blacks from their welfare programs or established separate facilities for them. From Ore to Finished Product shows that National Tube followed a different course, and a number of scenes show white and African American children playing together. However, other aspects of mill life likely remained segregated. In 1937 U.S. Steel signed a contract with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, which was one of the first integrated industrial unions.

Source

National Film Preservation Foundation Website (https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/from-ore-to-finished-product-1915)

Peter Liebhold, Curator of Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

About the Preservation

From Ore to Finished Product was preserved in 2015 at Colorlab Corp. using a 35mm nitrate print from EYE Filmmuseum. The work was supervised by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, and funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant secured by the NFPF.

About the Music

The new music for this presentation was composed and performed by Michael D. Mortilla. Michael has been composing professionally for more than four decades and has accompanied silent film screenings throughout the United States. Among his many NFPF projects are the accompaniments for the DVDs Treasures 5: The West and Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive. The score for From Ore to Finished Product was improvised in one continuous "take" in order to recreate the live experience of an audience at the time of the film's original release. According to Michael, "the creative process involves running through the film repeatedly, recording most of the performances. A typical piano solo for a one-reeler like this usually requires about 14 takes to arrive at the final musical work. There is little to no editing of my performances, and absolutely no editing of the score's overall structure."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Citation:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b68e9597-1e0b-4b99-8ec0-e6491633faa3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1435-ref2

Making High Grade Papers

Collection Preservationist:
National Film Preservation Foundation (U.S.)  Search this
Collection Film producer:
Kalem Company  Search this
Collection Creator:
Lambert, Jeff  Search this
Extent:
2 Film items (Total Running Time: 11:53, 35mmblack and white print, silent @14 f.p.s.)
1 Videocassettes (HDCam) (Total Running Time: 11:53)
1 Videodiscs (Blu-ray) (Total Running Time: 11:53)
Container:
Box 3
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Videocassettes (hdcam)
Videodiscs (blu-ray)
Date:
1914
Scope and Contents:
Sponsor: Strathmore Paper Co. Production Co.: Kalem Company. Transfer Note: Copied at 14 frames per second from a 35mm print preserved by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, from source material provided by EYE Filmmuseum. New Music: Michael D. Mortilla. Running Time: 11 minutes.

Making High-Grade Paper was produced by the Kalem Company, a studio better known for its feature films. This example of Kalem's industrial film efforts featuring the Strathmore Paper Company was shown in theaters as well as business settings. Strathmore executives believed it would prove of particular interest to those involved in the advertising and printing trades—their primary clients. As announced in the journal The Printing Art (1914), Strathmore's advertising department prepared a circular that encouraged printers' and advertisers' organizations to arrange special screenings of the film that they could attend as a group, presumably to facilitate discussion. The company also offered to arrange showings of the film in connection with a lecture on papermaking that apparently it had developed before the film was produced.

"Strathmore" was a brand name in use from the 1890s by the Mittineague Paper Company of West Springfield, Massachusetts. The firm was owned by Horace A. Moses, who later purchased the nearby Woronoco Paper Mills and merged the two entities into the Strathmore Paper Company in about 1911. The brand name and its symbol, the thistle, represented the owner's personal regard for Scotland; Strathmore means "large valley" in Gaelic. In 1914 Moses opened an impressive new mill with a large, state-of-the-art paper machine, and this likely is the facility shown in the film.

Throughout its corporate existence, the Strathmore Company emphasized the firm's commitment to fine papermaking. Making High-Grade Paper served that agenda by picturing each step of the process, beginning with a view of the clear local water and the quality of the rags used as raw material. Through close-ups and tight shots focused on individual workers, the film demonstrated the attention to detail practiced by the company's personnel, and it also recognized the firm's employment of women. Owing to losses incurred over time, some sections of film are missing or misidentified, but what remains offers a good idea of most of the processes involved, including sorting, washing, cutting, and beating the rags into a watery pulp that flowed onto the moving wire screen of the huge paper machine. As the water drained away, the pulp formed a continuous web that could be passed through several pairs of rollers. These extracted more water and finally wound the damp paper onto large heated drying rolls. Employees then turned to the finishing operations of sizing, cutting, pressing or "calendering," as it's known in the paper trade, and final inspection of the sheets.

The featured paper, "Strathmore Parchment," was used for high-grade letterhead and business stationery. Strathmore worked in association with Rag Content Paper Manufacturers, which promoted the use of quality papers, those made from rags. Much of the paper produced at the time was made from wood pulp, which resulted in cheaper but much less durable paper. Pulp papers became brittle and were prone to rapid yellowing or fading. Rag papers were stronger, noted for durability and for "impressiveness," according to the marketing materials produced by their manufacturers.

Strathmore was a leader in the effort to promote the use of fine papers. The company emphasized paper's important role in the effectiveness of printed pieces for marketing and advertising. Over the years the firm employed the best graphic designers for its own marketing efforts, beginning with Will Bradley in the 1890s and going on to include work by T.M. Cleland, W.A. Dwiggins, and Walter Dorwin Teague, among others, into the 1930s. These artists brought out the best features of papers that performed well and provided high-quality expressive products for advertising many types of businesses. The booklets, fliers, and sample books they designed demonstrated Strathmore's papers to their best advantage and offered ideas and suggestions to potential clients. The 1914 film served in much the same way. It informed clients and the public how the product was made in a modern facility by skilled workers using the best equipment and clear water, in this way demonstrating the firm's commitment to quality.

Source

Helena E. Wright, Curator of Division of Culture and the Arts, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

About the Preservation

Making High-Grade Paper was preserved in 2016 at Colorlab Corp. using a 35mm nitrate print from EYE Filmmuseum. The intertitles were translated from the Dutch and are modern re-creations. The work was supervised by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, and funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities grant secured by the NFPF.

About the Music

The new music for this presentation was composed and performed by Michael D. Mortilla. Michael has been composing professionally for more than four decades and has accompanied silent film screenings throughout the United States. Among his many NFPF projects are the accompaniments for the DVDs Treasures 5: The West and Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive. The score for Making High-Grade Paper was improvised in one continuous "take" in order to recreate the live experience of an audience at the time of the film's original release. According to Michael, "the creative process involves running through the film repeatedly, recording most of the performances. A typical piano solo for a one-reeler like this usually requires about 14 takes to arrive at the final musical work. There is little to no editing of my performances, and absolutely no editing of the score's overall structure."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Citation:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Archives Center National Film Preservation Foundation Industrial Film Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep803a42f8f-d3b2-4264-99ca-86bdc68c5420
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1435-ref3

Reddy Kilowatt Records

Creator:
Northern States Power Company  Search this
Hooks, Benjamin, Dr.  Search this
Xcel Energy  Search this
Reddy Communications, Inc.  Search this
Reddy Kilowatt, Inc.  Search this
Gofman, John W.  Search this
Commoner, Barry, 1917-  Search this
Collins, Ashton B.  Search this
Names:
New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
New York World's Fair (1964-1965)  Search this
Extent:
30 Cubic feet (119 boxes )
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Animated cartoons
Letters (correspondence)
Reports
Promotional literature
Photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Memorandums
Filmstrips
Cartoons (humorous images)
Speeches
Comic books
Coloring books
Advertisements
Scrapbooks
Audiotapes
Date:
1926-1999
Summary:
The records document the development and use of Reddy Kilowatt, a cartoon figure trademark created in 1926 by Ashton B. Collins, Sr. More than 150 investor-owned electric utilities in the United States and at least twelve foreign countries licensed the use of the Reddy Kilowatt trademark. The records include a wide range of textual and visual materials and sound and moving image recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of approximately thirty cubic feet of material created or compiled by Ashton Collins, Sr., and the Reddy Kilowatt Service; Reddy Kilowatt, Inc.; and Reddy Communications, Inc. Materials include publications, advertisements, clip art, photographs, drawings, sketches, correspondence, small artifacts, ephemera, and audio-visual material. It is divided into eight series: Series 1, Background Materials, 1926-1977; Series 2, Ashton Collins, Sr., Materials, 1926-1974; Series 3, Client Services and Publications, 1935-1999; Series 4, Advertising Materials, 1939-1997; Series 5, Scrapbooks, 1935-1960; Series 6, Copyright, Trademark and Other Legal Materials, 1926-1994; Series 7, Reference Materials, 1926-1992; Series 8, Audio-Visual Materials, 1939-1989.

Throughout its history, the Reddy Kilowatt firm was particularly thorough in keeping records of its publications and services. In addition to materials generated by the company itself, there is a significant amount of material accumulated through efforts in market and legal research activities. Particular strengths of the collection include a wide variety of Reddy Kilowatt publications and ephemera; trademark and legal files; files kept on other trademark characters; audio-visual materials; and materials relating to the public debate over atomic energy. The audio-visual materials are unusual because of the amount of textual documentation retained. There is also a significant portion of material documenting the company's involvement in the 1964-1965 World's Fair. The collection is also particularly rich in correspondence and memoranda. The reach of possibilities involving the appearance of the Reddy Kilowatt character in a variety of poses, media, and merchandise should not be underestimated.

Series 1, Background Materials, 1926-1977

This series is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Articles of Incorporation, 1953; Subseries 2, Histories and Origins of Reddy Kilowatt, 1926-1977; and Subseries 3, Reddy Remarks, 1935-1936. Series 8, subseries 6, consists of five hours of oral history interviews with Mrs. Ashton Collins Sr. and her son Ashton Collins Jr.

Subseries 1, Articles of Incorporation, 1953, contains the packet of legal information mailed to licensees including the certificate of incorporation, Collins's letter of transmittal, a summary of the corporate structure, the joint tenancy agreement, the corporate by-laws, and copies of a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The packet also includes the Reddy Kilowatt Guide Book, which directed licensee companies on correct and incorrect methods of depicting Reddy Kilowatt. Upon incorporation, Collins retained 80 percent of the company's stock; the remaining 20 percent was available only to Reddy Kilowatt licensees. The Reddy Kilowatt Service begun by Ashton Collins, Sr., in 1934, was wholly owned by him until the formation of Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., in 1953.

Subseries 2, Histories and Origins of Reddy Kilowatt, 1926-1977, contains a variety of documents that illustrate the origins and development of both the Reddy Kilowatt character and the company that promulgated his use. A photo album and newspaper clippings from the First Alabama Electrical Exposition document the first appearance of Reddy Kilowatt. Newspaper clippings, graphics, and ephemera from 1926 to 1934 illustrate the adoption of Reddy Kilowatt into advertising use by a handful of eastern and southern electric utilities. Files of press clippings spanning 1937 to 1977 consist largely of utility company newsletters and articles from trade publications. Correspondence is also included. The press clipping files document a carefully developed and tightly controlled company mythology about the emergence of the Reddy Kilowatt character and the success of Collins's endeavors.

Subseries 3, Reddy Remarks, 1935-1936, includes promotional materials that describe Collins's advertising program to prospective clients as well as a series of newspaper advertisements from three electric utilities. This subseries represents Ashton Collin's initial attempt to design an entire advertising program in conjunction with promoting a trademark figure.

Series 2, Ashton Collins, Sr., Files, 1926-1974

This series is divided into four subseries: Subseries 1, Correspondence, 1926-1964; Subseries 2, Speeches, 1942-1974; Subseries 3, Articles, 1933-1951; and Subseries 4, Miscellaneous, 1933; 1953.

Subseries 1, Correspondence, 1926-1964, includes letters discussing Collins's original attempts to set up the Reddy Kilowatt program, as well as Collins's later revitalization of the Reddy Kilowatt/lighting bolt connection. Also included are thank you letters following the Edison Electrical Institute's tribute to Collins and a few holiday cards. Collins's correspondence is also distributed throughout the collection in conjunction with specific topics.

Subseries 2, Speeches, 1942-1974, includes transcripts and notes from speeches given by Collins to various electrical industry forums. Subjects include trends in the electrical consumer market, political situations involving electric utilities, and recommendations for electric utility advertising. Themes include calls for action against government regulation of public utilities and the need for specific advertising directed toward youth and women. Correspondence and event programs are included, as well as a reference file containing material about public speaking and relevant issues in the electrical industry.

Subseries 3, Articles, 1933-1951, contains seven short editorials submitted to Electrical Worldin 1933 and two articles written by Collins for investor-oriented magazines (1947 and 1951).

Subseries 4, Miscellaneous, 1933; 1953, contains a hotel bill and a sheet of the Reddy Kilowatt letterhead used by Ashton Collins.

Series 3, Client Services and Publications, 1935-1999, encompasses the range of publications and services provided to licensees of the Reddy Kilowatt trademark. Publications range from clip art illustrations to detailed program guides. Services include wiring certification, portable talking figures for exhibition, comprehensive advertising plans, access to demographic surveys, special informational mailings, and access to trademark merchandise. The first seven subseries are publications arranged alphabetically; the remaining eight subseries are specific service programs, also arranged alphabetically: Subseries 1, Clip Art, 1936-1978; Subseries 2, Communications in Environment/Youth, 1971-1972; Subseries 3, Reddy Bulletin, 1935-1964; Subseries 4, Reddy Kilowatt Activities, 1934-1935; Subseries 5, Reddy Kilowatt Ink, 1986-1993; Subseries 6, Reddy Kilowatt's Review, 1936-1940; Subseries 7, Reddy News, 1942-1999; Subseries 8, Environmental Program, 1960-1974; Subseries 9, Grass Roots Impact Plan, 1950-1952; Subseries 10, Reddy-Items Merchandise, 1947-1994; Subseries 11, Reddy Kilowatt Talking Figure, 1949-1970; Subseries 12, Reddy Kilowatt Youth Program, 1938-1987; Subseries 13, Reddy Wiring Program, 1955-1963; Subseries 14, Special Executive Mailings, 1950-1994; and Subseries 15, Subject Files, 1952-1988.

Subseries 1, Clip Art, 1936-1978, includes mat service sheets, original sketches, and layout boards. The mat service sheets were sent regularly to client companies for use in advertisements. They include Reddy Kilowatt in a variety of poses and activities meant to illustrate a wide variety of uses for electricity as well as the benefits of investor-owned utilities. Subjects include but are not limited to household appliances, farm uses, atomic energy, national defense, electric rates, power outages, safety, voting, famous Americans, holidays, the New York World's Fair (both 1939 and 1964-1965), and the Beatles. One noteworthy theme is the potential of electrical appliances to alleviate household chores, specifically targeted toward women. The sketches included in the subseries originate from Ray Crosby, longtime art director for Reddy Kilowatt. Included among the layout boards are the original designs for a series of 1940s advertisements concerning American mobilization for war. The subseries also contains the Reproduction Proof Index, which cross-references a detailed list of subjects with corresponding service sheet numbers. The index incorporates mat service sheets from approximately 1955 to the indexes' publication dates, 1970-1972.

Subseries 2, Communications in Environment/Youth, 1971-1972, contains issues of the newsletter, Communications in Environment/Youth, and related correspondence. Communications in Environment/Youth informed client companies of issues of public concern related to utility companies, including environmental issues, and provided information about successful public programs. These include topics such as plant siting, interactions with public school systems, information about nuclear plant safety, efforts to switch to recycled paper, and youth safety programs. The correspondence includes internal memoranda discussing connections between youth culture and environmental concerns, and promotional letters sent to client companies.

Subseries 3, Reddy Bulletin, 1935-1964, contains issues of the Reddy Bulletin, a promotional device for the Reddy Kilowatt Program and a means to communicate industry-wide information. It contains advertisements for Reddy Kilowatt merchandise, comic books, films, television commercials and other promotional materials. Promotional merchandise includes items such as ashtrays, balloons, candy, soap, decals, patches, scorebooks, notepads, aprons, canning labels, pens, safety posters, dishes, coasters, clocks, playing cards, poker chips, bill inserts, calendars, billboards, correspondence cards, and plywood display figures. Examples of many of the items were included with the Reddy Bulletin. Where possible, these items have been left in situ. The Reddy Bulletin also includes general information relevant to electric utility advertising executives.

Subseries 4, Reddy Kilowatt Activities, 1934-1935, contains issues of the earliest client-oriented publication from the Reddy Kilowatt Service. A one-page sheet, Reddy Kilowatt Activities described usage of the Reddy Kilowatt trademark by the initial licensees of Reddy Kilowatt.

Subseries 5, Reddy Kilowatt Ink, 1986-1993, contains issues of the quarterly newsletter, Reddy Kilowatt Ink. Begun in 1986, the newsletter included two pages of clip-art along with suggestions for use in advertisements. It filled the former function of Reddy News, which was reformatted into a magazine-style industry publication in the 1970s.

Subseries 6, Reddy Kilowatt's Review, 1936-1940, contains issues of Reddy Kilowatt's Review, which combined advertisements by licensees with commentary by Ashton Collins. Anecdotes of consumer response to Reddy Kilowatt and testimonials from clients appear sporadically.

Subseries 7, Reddy News, 1942-1999, contains issues of Reddy News and a thorough index. Initially, Reddy News was a collection of advertisements by clients, released biannually. It was meant to stimulate advertising ideas among licensee companies and included explanatory copy that underscored the goals of the Reddy Kilowatt Program . Reddy Newswas reformulated in the 1970s as a bi-monthly trade publication focused on the business concerns of investor-owned utilities, though examples of advertisements were still included. The hand-written index was compiled by Mrs. Collins, Sr., and cross-references detailed subject headings with Reddy News issues from 1942 to 1970.

Subseries 8, Environmental Program, 1960-1974, includes consumer brochures, clip art, and a program guide titled Environment: A Reddy Kilowatt Program. There is also a notable 1973 study, "Public Acceptance of Nuclear Power-Analysis and Approaches," complied by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., and released only to client companies. This series represents Reddy Kilowatt, Inc.'s response to increased public scrutiny of the environmental impact of power plants in the 1960s and 1970s, especially atomic energy facilities. More information about the public relations strategies developed by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., in relation to atomic energy is contained in Series 4, Advertising Materials, 1939-1997; Subseries 1, Bernard J. Bachem Files, 1959-1980. The firm's market research on the public debate concerning atomic energy is reflected in a series of audio recordings located in two sub-subseries located in Series 8, Audio-Visual Materials, 1939-1989; Subseries 4, Sub-subseries 3, News Programs, 1976-1979 and Sub-subseries 4, Speeches, 1975-1980, undated.

Subseries 9, Grass Roots Impact Plan, 1950-1952, contains a series of brochures, clip art and promotional documents. The Grass Roots Impact Plan was an advertising program designed to "fight creeping socialism" by promoting the benefits of investor-owned utilities. The plan also promoted the use of atomic energy. The brochures were mailed out to participating companies in intervals to be kept in a binder for a complete program guide.

Subseries 10, Reddy-Items Merchandise, 1947-1994, includes catalogs, supplier information and publicity material related to the Reddy-Items Merchandise Program. Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., contracted for a wide variety of merchandise items to distribute through its client companies. There is little information or correspondence within the collection about the actual process of ordering such materials. The catalogs provide an overview of merchandise available for specific years. Interested researchers may wish to refer to the artifact collection for actual examples of Reddy-Items merchandise and to examine the Reddy Bulletin, used primarily to advertise these products to clients. See Series 3, Client Services and Publications, 1935-1999, Subseries 3, Reddy Bulletin, 1935-1964.

Subseries 11, Reddy Kilowatt Talking Figure, 1949-1970, consists of correspondence, design proposal, design specifications, display kit instructions and publicity materials related to a three-dimensional Reddy Kilowatt figure used at expositions and fairs. The figure was wired to an external microphone and speaker, so that the figure could talk to the audience and answer questions. A script is included with the display kit instructions, along with explanatory photographs. Multiple photographs of the figure in use are included with the textual materials.

Subseries 12, Reddy Kilowatt Youth Program, 1938-1987, includes a program guide, presentation binder, promotional materials, pen and ink illustrations, poetry, documentation of two Reddy Kilowatt youth clubs, business presentation scripts, and a government anti-communist brochure. The "Mother Juice" rhymes illustrate Ashton Collins, Sr.'s early interest in focusing advertising attention on youth populations in order to inculcate appreciation of electricity and its applications. The confluence of the baby boom and the post World War II anti-communism movement made this focus a mainstay of the Reddy Kilowatt Program, providing Collins with an opportunity to combine capitalist economic values with consumer electricity usage. The script for "Fission, Fertility, and the Future" spells out Collins's reasoning behind his interest in influencing youth populations, and the accompanying program guide and presentation binder illustrate the mechanics of his youth-oriented advertising plan for electric utilities. Of particular note is the 1964 survey of adults and adolescents testing for trademark recognition and attitudes about electricity. The survey was commissioned by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., and performed by Gilbert Youth Research Organization in five cities across the United States. Another notable item in the subseries is Communist Target, a 1960 report by J. Edgar Hoover to the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Subseries 13, Reddy Wiring Program, 1955-1959, includes brochures, ephemera, and photographs related to the Reddy Wiring Program. This program promoted a specific standard of electrical wiring in new homes. Participating builders were then allowed to designate their products as "Medallion" or "Gold Medallion" homes.

Subseries 14, Special Executive Mailings, 1950-1994, consists of letters and press releases sent to a list of advertising and public affairs executives of Reddy Kilowatt client companies. Topics include, but are not limited to, requests for information, legal updates, personnel changes, promotions of specific advertising programs, and reprints of articles.

Subseries 15, Subject Files, 1952-1998, are arranged alphabetically by subject heading. Subjects include, but are not limited to, sports trophies, ventriloquist acts, brochures about the 1976 Bicentennial, consumer information brochures, and the Annual Report competition. Of note is the 1953 Artist Guide, which explains the particulars of drawing Reddy Kilowatt.

Series 4, Advertising Materials, 1939-1997, is divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, Bernard J. Bachem Files, 1959-1980; Subseries 2, Business Advertising, 1940-1997; and Subseries 3, Client Advertising, 1939-1977.

Subseries 1, Bernard J. Bachem Files, 1959-1980, consists of files generated and maintained by Bernard J. Bachem, the vice-president in charge of audio-visual media and the Reddy Kilowatt Environmental Program from approximately 1958 to 1972. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject heading. Topics include production and syndication of television commercials, nuclear energy public relations strategies, radio scripts, and the Reddy and Mr. Toot children's show. Of note is a file of correspondence with Terrytoons, which contracted with Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., to produce television commercials.

Subseries 2, Business Advertising, 1940-1997, consists of brochures and presentation materials developed for advertising to business clients. The subseries includes several "presentation binders" used at meetings with potential clients to describe the Reddy Kilowatt Program. In 1940, Ashton Collins, Sr., began collecting testimonials from executives at licensee companies for use in approaching new clients. These became a mainstay of his business advertising approach until the 1960s, when the company began developing a series of glossy brochures. Slide-shows and filmstrips also became a key advertising tool; scripts and related memoranda are contained within this subseries, and are also found in Series 8, Audio-Visual Materials, 1939-1989, Subseries 1, Supplementary Materials, 1945-1984; and Subseries 5, Filmstrips, 1939-1984.

Subseries 3, Client Advertising, 1939-1977, contains advertisements created by licensees of the Reddy Kilowatt trademark. Materials are organized alphabetically by subject and include newspapers, bill inserts, notices, brochures, employee handbooks, annual reports, comic strips, signs and posters. More examples of client advertisements can be found in Series 3, Client Services and Publications, 1935-1999, Subseries 3, Reddy News, 1942-1999.

Series 5, Scrapbooks, 1935-1960, undated, consists of eight scrapbooks: Plant Openings, Publicity, Reddy on Display, Reddy Made Magic, Transportation, Use of Reddy on Trucks; and Reddy news Launchings. The Plant Openings, 1948-1949, details when a plant opened and contains the associated advertising for the plant dedication typically with photographic collages. The Publicity Scrapbook, 1935-1950, contains newspaper clippings about Reddy Kilowatt and articles from trade publications such as the Advertisers Digest. Reddy on Display Scrapbook, 1948, depicts window displays of Reddy Kilowatt at various public service and gas companies across America. The Reddy Kilowatt Scrapbook tells the story of Reddy Kilowatt's daily activities starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 2 a.m. The Reddy Made Magic Scrapbook, 1948, contains publicity for the Technicolor motion picture film, Reddy Made Magic, which tells the story of electricity. The majority of the publicity consists of announcements for the showing of the film. The Transportation Scrapbook, 1947, contains advertising for electric and gas powered buses, trolleys, and trams. Reddy Kilowatt is cast as the servant for electricity, gas, and transportation. Use of Reddy on Trucks Scrapbook, undated, consists of black-and-white photographs of electric companies using the Reddy Kilowatt logo and clippings from the Reddy Bulletin of trucks. Reddy News Launchings Scrapbook, 1942-1960, consists of pages from the Reddy News presumably used for developing news releases.

Series 6, Copyright, Trademark and Other Legal Materials, 1926-1994, is divided into six subseries: Subseries 1, Copyright Materials (general), 1926-1953; Subseries 2, Trademark Materials (general), 1932-1953; Subseries 3, United States Trademarks, 1933-1989; Subseries 4, Foreign Trademarks, 1937-1994; Subseries 5, Reddy Kilowatt v. Mid-Carolina et al., 1937-1976; Subseries 6, Trademark Character Files, 1937-1976; and Subseries 7, Reference Materials, 1945-1980.

Subseries 1, Copyright Materials (general), 1926-1953, contains general copyright information and compiled lists of copyrights for various Reddy Kilowatt activities, such as the Reddy News, Reddytoons, and bulletins, and correspondence between the Alabama Power Company and the Library of Congress Copyright Office about copyrighting the basic figure and name of Kilowatt and such prefixes as "Reddy," "Happy," and "Handy." The Alabama Power Company initiated this correspondence in 1926 to protect its symbolic character "Reddy Kilowatt" for appliance sales and general advertising.

Subseries 2, Trademark Materials (general), 1932-1953, includes general correspondence about trademarks, trademarks not granted, trademark renewals and re-publication, trademark assignments, and infringements cases. The trademark assignment file also contains a patent assignment (United States patent # 2,349,706) from Ashton B. Collins to Reddy Kilowatt, Inc. The patent is for a display device designed primarily to hold advertising matter. The infringement materials relate to improper uses of Reddy Kilowatt and clients seeking permission or clarification on the proper use of the trademark.

Subseries 3, United States Trademarks, 1933-1989, consists primarily of registered trademarks, certificates of renewal, correspondence about the registration process with the United States Patent Office and examples of the trademark being used by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc. The bulk of the correspondence is from C.A. Snow and Company, registered patent attorneys, and Louise M. Bender, corporate secretary for Reddy Kilowatt, Inc. Examples of the trademarks are found in the Reddy News, "clip sheets" of trademark symbols , on business letterhead, stickers, playing cards, calendars and other ephemera. Trademark file #651,768, contains a copy of the Reddy Kilowatt Handbook of Trademark Usage, 1958. This handbook was intended to guide electric light and power companies licensed to use Reddy Kilowatt trademarks. Trademark file #827,151, contains a small binder of Reddy Kilowatt small appliance advertisements, 1938 to 1965, not inclusive. This subseries is arranged chronologically by registered trademark number.

Many of the materials in this series were filed under the provisions of the Lanham Act, named for Representative Fritz G. Lanham of Texas, passed on July 5, 1946, and signed into law by President Harry Truman to take effect "one year from its enactment," on July 5, 1947. The Lanham Act is found in Title 15 of the U.S. Code and contains the federal statutes governing trademark law in the United States. The Act prohibits a number of activities, including trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising.

Subseries 4, Foreign Trademark Materials, 1937-1994, consists of registered trademarks, correspondence and examples of the Reddy Kilowatt trademarks in foreign countries such as Australia, Barbados, Mexico, Kenya, the Netherland Antilles and South Korea. The Kenya file contains specific information about trademark law and policies in Kenya. Several publications of note are Law of KenyaTrademarks Ordinance Chapter 506, 1962; The Merchandise Marks Ordinance Chapter 505, 1963, detailing the specific Kenyan laws and information on the electricity industry in Kenya; the East African Power and Lighting Company's The East African Power and Light Company, Directors Report and Accounts, 1965; and The Power Supply Industry in Kenya, 1966.

Subseries 5, Reddy Kilowatt v. Mid-Carolina et al., 1926-1960, includes correspondence and legal documents related to the trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., against Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The lawsuit was filed in 1953 and resolved by Judge Harry E. Watkins in 1956. The subject of the dispute was "Willie Wiredhand," an advertising trademark character used by the NRECA. Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., alleged that the character was drawn similarly to Reddy Kilowatt and used in comparable ways, thus confusing consumers' ability to discern between the two. Judge Watkins's decision hinged on the legal boundaries drawn between service areas of investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives. Because electric cooperatives were prevented from competing for investor-owned consumer audiences, Judge Watkins deemed that the trademarks also were not in competition. Ashton Collins, Sr., was greatly disappointed by the decision, and this is reflected in the post-decision correspondence files. Other files of note concern consumer surveys in South Carolina and Iowa commissioned by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., with the aim of finding evidence to bolster the lawsuit; depositions from participants are included in the files. Ashton Collins, Sr.'s affidavit and documentation of the Willie Wiredhand trademark also are included in the subseries.

Subseries 6, Trademark Character Files, 1937-1976, contains the reference files developed by Ashton Collins, Sr., and Reddy Kilowatt, Inc. concerning other trademark characters. The correspondence reflects an interest in factors leading to success of other trademark characters as well as an active concern with trademarks that might infringe on Reddy Kilowatt's success. Files include early characters such as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroads' Chessie the Cat and Borden's Elsie the Cow. A large file on Smoky Bear contains advertisements including Reddy Kilowatt. Files that reflect infringement concerns include Willing Water, Bill Ding, Mr. Wirewell, and Genie.

Subseries 7, Reference Materials, 1945-1980, contains files developed on topics relating to non-character corporate trademarks. Materials include brochures, articles, advertisements, publications and correspondence. Files on efforts by Xerox Corporation, Coca-Cola Company and Dow Chemical Company to regulate language about their trade names are included. Other notable files include Bakelite advertisements and a file of correspondence and articles concerning Isadore Warshaw, who testified on behalf of the NRECA during the Reddy Kilowatt v. Mid-Carolina et al., hearings.

Series 7, Reference Materials, 1926-1992, consists of general files maintained by Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., for internal reference. It is divided into five subseries: Subseries 1, Client Use of Services, 1977-1984; Subseries 2, New York World's Fair, 1938-1939, 1961-1966; Subseries 3, Subject Files, 1940-1992; Subseries 4, Testimonials, 1939-1977; and Subseries 5, Empty Binders, 1926-1987.

Subseries 1, Client Use of Services, 1977-1984, consists of files maintained during the incarnation of the company as Reddy Communications, Inc. During this period, the firm was emphasizing its usefulness as an information clearinghouse for the electric utility industry. These files include monthly reports on client use of services as well as more detailed reports on steps taken to meet client requests for information.

Subseries 2, New York World's Fair, 1938-1939; 1961-1966, contains files largely accumulated during the participation of Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., in the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, with some documentation surviving from the 1938-1939 New York World's Fair. Reddy Kilowatt was used prominently in "Tower of Light," the investor-owned electric utility exhibit. The 1964 exhibit included a musical show which met with some initial criticism and was revised for the 1965 fair to become "Holiday with Light." Materials include press releases from production companies and Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., scripts, photographs and production documents for the shows; correspondence with the production company; and electrical industry trade publications.

Subseries 3, Subject Files, 1940-1992, includes files on unique uses of Reddy Kilowatt, Reddy Kilowatt-themed apparel, verses written by consumers, World War II-era advertisements, and files used by company staff for market research.

Subseries 4, Testimonials, 1939-1977, contains letters from executives at licensee companies attesting to the benefits of receiving the Reddy Kilowatt Service. The letters were occasionally edited and compiled for use in business presentations.

Subseries 5, Empty Binders, 1926-1987, includes the original binders and albums used for presenting Reddy Kilowatt programs.

Series 8, Audio-Visual Materials, 1939-1984, undated

The series is divided into five subseries: Supplementary Materials, 1945-1984; Animation Cels, 1946; 1985; Moving Images, 1940s-1989; Audio, 1946-1980; and Filmstrips, 1939-1984.

Subseries 1, Supplementary Materials, 1945-1984, contains scripts, production documents, promotional materials, correspondence and memoranda related to the audio-visual materials in this series. Of particular note are the files containing production documents and correspondence related to The Mighty Atom. These files track the decision-making process within Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., concerning the inclusion of previous footage from Reddy Made Magic. Other materials relating to this subseries may be found in Series 4, Advertising Materials, 1939-1997, Subseries 1, Bernard J. Bachem Files, 1959-1980.

Subseries 2, Animation Cels and Sketches, 1946; 1985, contains mylar animation cels and paper sketches used in the production of Reddy Made Magic and the "Adventure Kid" television commercial.

Subseries 3, Moving Images, 1940s-1989, contains all film (excluding the filmstrips) and video in the collection and is organized chronologically. The films and videos include animated educational films, commercials, television shows, home movies, an informal instructional video, and an employee appreciation video.

Subseries 4, Audio, 1946-1980, undated This series contains all the audio (excluding those items associated with filmstrips) and is divided into 5 subseries.

Sub-subseries 1, Music, 1954-1960, undated, contains Reddy Kilowatt theme songs and promotional music used by Reddy Communications and is organized chronologically, with undated materials last.

Sub-subseries 2, Promotional, 1946-1979, undated, consists of promotional audio such as radio commercials and informational spots. The items are organized chronologically, with undated materials last.

Sub-subseries 3, News Programs, 1976-1979, consists of recordings on cassette tapes. The cassette tapes are organized chronologically.

Sub-subseries 4, Speeches, 1975-1980, undated, contains recordings of speeches and presentations given by important figures in and outside of the electrical industry. The items are organized chronologically, with undated materials last.

Sub-subseries 5, Corporate Interviews, circa 1974-1977, consists of informal interviews conducted by Reddy Communications, Inc. employees. The interviews are organized chronologically.

Sub-series 6, Oral Histories, 1983, consists of five hours of audio cassette recordings with Mrs. Ashton Collins, Sr. and Ashton Collins, Jr. at the initial stages of collection acquisition. The oral histories were conducted by John Fleckner, Archivist with the Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Topics discussed include biographical information about Ashton Collins, Sr.; the early history of the Reddy Kilowatt Service; Mrs. Ashton Collins, Sr.'s experiences in the Reddy Kilowatt, Inc. office; her participation in electric industry conventions; Cuba's ousting of Reddy Kilowatt; and the transition in the company's services during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Sub-subseries 7, Reference CDs, consists of all reference copies made of the audio. Multiple titles are contained on each disc.

Subseries 5, Filmstrips, 1939-1984, consists of filmstrips and their associated audio and elements (negatives, A and B roll, etc.), paired together by title. The filmstrips are organized chronologically.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1, Background Materials, 1926-1977

Subseries 1.1, Articles of Incorporation, 1953

Subseries 1.2, Histories and Origins of Reddy, 1926-1977

Subseries 1.3, Reddy Remarks, 1935-1936

Series 2, Ashton Collins, Sr., Materials, 1926-1974, undated

Subseries 2.1, Correspondence, 1926-1964

Subseries 2.2, Speeches, 1942-1974, undated

Subseries 2.3, Articles, 1933-1951

Subseries 2.4, Miscellaneous, 1933; 1953

Series 3, Client Services and Publications, 1935-1999, undated

Subseries 3.1, Clip Art, 1936-1978, undated

Subseries 3.2, Communications in Environment/Youth, 1971-1972

Subseries 3.3, Reddy Bulletin, 1934-1941; 19431964

Subseries 3.4, Reddy Kilowatt Activities, 1934-1935

Subseries 3.5, Reddy Kilowatt Ink, 1986-1993

Subseries 3.6, Reddy Kilowatt's Review, 1936-1940

Subseries 3.7, Reddy News, 1942-1965, 1959-1972, 1978-1988, 1993-1999

Subseries 3.8, Environmental Program, 1960-1974

Subseries 3.9, Grass Roots Impact Plan, 1950-1952

Subseries 3.10, Reddy-Items Merchandise, 1947-1995

Subseries 3.11, Reddy Kilowatt Talking Figure, 1949-1970, undated

Subseries 3.12, Reddy Kilowatt Youth Program, 1936-1987

Subseries 3.13, Reddy Wiring Program, 1955-1963, undated

Subseries 3.14, Special Executive Mailings, 1950-1994

Subseries 3.15, Subject Files, 1952-1998, undated

Series 4, Advertising Materials, 1939-1997

Subseries 4.1, Bernard J. Bachem Files, 1959-1980

Subseries 4.2, Business Advertising, 1940-1997

Subseries 4.3, Client Advertising, 1939-1977

Series 5, Scrapbooks, 1935-1960, undated

Series 6, Copyright, Trademark and Other Legal Materials, 1926-1994

Subseries 6.1, Copyright Materials (general), 1926-1953

Subseries 6.2, Trademark Materials (general), 1932-1981, undated

Subseries 6.3, United States Trademarks, 1930-1994

Subseries 6.4, Foreign Trademark Materials, 1937-1998

Subseries 6.5, Reddy Kilowatt v. Mid-Carolina et al., 1926-1960

Subseries 6.6, Trademark Character Files, 1937-1976, undated

Subseries 6.7, Reference Materials, 1945-1980

Series 7, Reference Materials, 1926-1992

Subseries 7.1, Client Use of Services, 1977-1984

Subseries 7.2, New York World's Fair, 1938-1939; 1961-1968

Subseries 7.3, Subject Files, 1940-1992

Subseries 7.4, Testimonials, 1934-1977

Subseries 7.5, Empty Binders, 1926-1987

Series 8, Audiovisual Materials, 1939-1989, undated

Subseries 8.1, Supplementary Materials, 1945-1984, undated

Subseries 8.2, Animation Cels and Sketches, 1946; 1985

Subseries 8.3, Moving Images, 1940s-1989

Subseries 8.4, Audio, 1946-1980, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Ashton B. Collins, Sr. (1885-1976), the commercial manager of Alabama Power Company, created the trademark character Reddy Kilowatt in 1926 in an attempt to humanize electric utility service for marketing and other corporate communications purposes. Reddy Kilowatt first appeared publicly at the 1926 Alabama Electrical Exposition in a display for the Alabama Power Company, which also ran supporting newspaper advertisements. The original figure had five arms to illustrate the many capabilities of electric service. Though Collins originated the idea of Reddy Kilowatt, he asked an engineer from the company's drafting department, Dan Clinton, to create a usable sketch of the character. After the exposition, Collins retained the copyrights to Reddy Kilowatt. In 1932, he recruited a friend, Dorothea Warren, to develop several sketches of Reddy Kilowatt in an attempt to sell what Collins called "The Reddy Kilowatt Program." At the time, Collins was employed by Edison Electrical Institute to travel the country promoting electrical household cooking appliances. He used the opportunity to network with electric utility managers and to promote his idea of using Reddy Kilowatt to humanize electric service in the home. Collins convinced his first clients in 1933. By the end of 1934, at least six other electric utility companies had adopted the "Reddy Kilowatt Program." Subscribers to the Reddy Kilowatt Service received sheets of clip art for use in advertisements. The mechanism for this distribution was called a "mat service." The Reddy Kilowatt mat service was the backbone of the licensee program from the 1930s until the late 1960s. The mat service offered various poses of Reddy Kilowatt to be included in advertisements for the licensee companies, as well as complete advertisements to which the licensee companies could simply add their name. Another publication, Reddy News, was soon developed to reinforce the program. Published biannually, it was sent to licensee companies to provide ideas about ways to use the Reddy Kilowatt trademark. As the mat service evolved, the Reddy Kilowatt figure found many uses. Common themes were the benefits of electrical appliances for farms and homes, safety, and holidays. The descriptions of electrical appliances emphasized gender roles in alluding to the potential new freedom for women from household chores. Farm-oriented advertisements underscored increased farm productivity through electrical innovations such as incubators and automated milking machines. As electric usage increased, the mat service added advertisements pointing out the need for updated wiring in order to maintain safety. More mundane concerns included electric service issues such as power outages, vandalism and timely bill payment. A wide variety of Reddy Kilowatt holiday poses became available, ranging from the Easter Bunny to President's Day and Halloween. Christmas was especially well illustrated, accenting the possibility of electrical appliances as gifts. The Reddy Kilowatt Service was only available to investor-owned utilities, and the mat service reflected this by emphasizing the benefits of this economic structure. Other economic themes included the inexpensiveness of electric service and payment of taxes by investor-owned utilities. The service also began to express a specific political agenda in response to public ownership of utilities and rural electrification cooperatives. Bolstered by post-World War II anti-communist sentiments, the Reddy Kilowatt Service began issuing advertisements promoting free enterprise which linked public and co-operative utilities with the road to socialism. In 1950, Collins launched the Grass Roots Impact Plan, a comprehensive advertising plan incorporating these themes. Ashton Collins consistently emphasized to his licensees the need to begin the consumer education process early. Youth education was a clear priority for the Reddy Kilowatt Service and was even included in Collins's initial "Reddy Remarks" program via a bedtime story booklet. Licensee companies sponsored Reddy Kilowatt Youth Clubs in the late 1940s, inspired by Collins's speeches emphasizing the importance of youth programming. In the mid-1960s, Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., developed a comprehensive youth program for client companies that incorporated youth education with capitalist economic values. Collins developed a supporting slide presentation titled "Fission, Fertility, and the Future." Tailored to an audience of business executives, the presentation emphasized the importance of reaching youth during a period of social upheaval in order to protect the interests of investor-owned utilities. Film and television programs developed by the company also reflected the emphasis on youth outreach. Since the company's business revolved around a cartoon character, the transition into animation seemed fairly simple. Reddy Kilowatt, Inc., entered into a partnership with Walter Lantz Productions to produce Reddy Made Magic, a 1946 cartoon about the history of electricity. However, producing audio-visual media turned out to be too expensive and the experiment with animation remained limited. In 1957, Collins tested the waters again by contracting for a commercial with Terrytoons, a low-budget animation company and, in 1959, the company hired John Sutherland to update Reddy Made Magic for the atomic age. The Mighty Atom recycled the historical sequence from the previous film and added a new sequence promoting the use of atomic energy. Collins already had used the cheaper media of filmstrips and slide presentations for business presentations, and this format also was incorporated into the youth program. Licensee companies were encouraged to use Reddy Kilowatt in their own sponsorship of radio and television programs, and some used Reddy Kilowatt in locally produced commercials. Ashton Collins was an aggressive and skillful promoter of Reddy Kilowatt, and the range of the program was not limited to the United States. Collins began registering his trademarks in prospective markets early on, and soon received trademarks in Canada (1934), Argentina (1937), Great Britain (1938), and Mexico (1938). Trademarks were also granted in Australia, Barbados, Kenya, Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela and the Netherlands Antilles. Though no official list of international licensee companies is available, materials within the collection indicate lively usage of Reddy Kilowatt in South America and Australia. Ashton Collins, Sr. was married in 1931 to Mrs. Ashton Collins, Sr. They had two sons, Ashton, Jr., and Beatty. Each member of the family became involved in the business over time, though that was not required by Ashton Collins, Sr., at any time. After the two boys left home, Mrs. Collins began volunteering at the office; her work included filing, photocopying, and assembling indexes and scrapbooks. After his release from the Air Force, Ashton Collins, Jr., approached his father about working in the company. Ashton Collins, Sr., met with him over the course of a day and outlined a program for him to work his way up through the company. Collins, Jr., agreed and began work in the mailroom. In 1962, he became president of the company and his father became chairman of the Board of Directors. Beatty Collins's involvement in the company was limited to service on the Board of Directors. By the late 1960s, the business climate for investor-owned utilities had changed significantly. Public concern over the environmental impact of power plants resulted in greater scrutiny of new plant construction, particularly in regard to nuclear energy facilities. Electric utilities no longer desired to sell increased output, as building new plants became too costly to justify their expense. The Reddy Kilowatt Program reflected these changes in several ways. An environmental program was developed to help electric utilities navigate their way through the increasingly complicated public and business climate. This included a number of services specifically targeted toward the issue of atomic power such as consumer advertising meant to demonstrate the minimal output of radioactive waste and a low-profile consulting service focusing on atomic plant siting issues. As companies moved away from blanket advertising for electric usage, the Reddy Kilowatt character was relegated to children's programming. As Ashton Collins, Sr.'s, influence in the company began to wane, the youth program moved away from economic education and shifted to conservation issues and electrical safety. The company changed its name to Reddy Communications, Inc., at some point before 1982 and began to market itself as an information clearinghouse and consulting service. In 1998, the company was bought by Northern States Power, which had recently become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xcel Energy.
Related Materials:
Related Archival Materials: See Louisan E. Mamer Rural Electrification Administration papers, 1927-2002 (AC0862).

Related Artifacts: The Division of Information Technology and Communications holds artifacts related to this collection (Accession #: XXXX-XXXX).
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center by Xcel Energy in 2005.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. Reference copies are ½ inch VHS, audio cassette, or compact disc. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. There are no reference copies on VHS or DVD for the filmstrips, and the Archives Center does not have a filmstrip projector.

Technical Access: Titles on Beta Max video tape and all picture and audio elements for Original Film (OF) 913.7 cannot be viewed. Viewing the film and filmstrip portion of collection requires special appointment.
Rights:
Collection items are available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions.
Topic:
Baby boom generation  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Electricity -- History  Search this
Nuclear energy  Search this
Public utilities  Search this
Trademarks  Search this
Industrial films  Search this
Anti-communist movements -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Animated cartoons
Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century.
Reports
Promotional literature
Photographs -- 20th century
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century
Memorandums
Filmstrips
Cartoons (humorous images) -- 20th century
Speeches
Comic books
Coloring books
Advertisements -- 20th century
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Audiotapes
Citation:
Reddy Kilowatt Records, 1926-1999, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0913
See more items in:
Reddy Kilowatt Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ebcfae16-b777-4fa1-954e-983591b24b87
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0913
Online Media:

Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection

Creator:
Mundel, Marvin Everett, 1916-1996 (industrial engineer)  Search this
Names:
A.O. Smith Company  Search this
Aji-no-moto Corporation  Search this
Albert Trostel and Sons  Search this
Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Comp  Search this
American Colortype Company  Search this
American Institute of Industrial Engineers  Search this
Asian Productivity organization  Search this
Barbar and Coleman  Search this
Bridgestone  Search this
Briggs & Stratton Corporation  Search this
Buffalo China Company  Search this
Cindahy Brothers Company  Search this
College of Technology Birmingham, England  Search this
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company  Search this
Gardner Board and Carton Company  Search this
Hamilton Manufacturing Company  Search this
Herbst Shoe Manufacturing Company  Search this
Japan Productivity Center  Search this
Japanese Management Association  Search this
Kanaki Gear Plant  Search this
Kanebo Spinning Co.  Search this
Kawasake Dockyard  Search this
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Comp  Search this
Milwaukee Dental Research Group  Search this
Milwaukee Gas Company  Search this
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.  Search this
Nihon Denso  Search this
Nippon Electric Company  Search this
Nippon Kokan Tsurumi  Search this
Pillsbury Mills  Search this
Purdue University  Search this
S.C. Johnson and Son  Search this
Society for the Advancement of Management  Search this
Stephan A. Young Company  Search this
Sumitomo  Search this
Walgreen's  Search this
Western Printing and Lithography Corp  Search this
Westover Engineers  Search this
Yanmar Diesel Engine Company  Search this
Deming, Edwards  Search this
Gambrell, C.B.  Search this
Extent:
15 Cubic feet (36 boxes)
75 Motion picture films
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion picture films
Photographs
Field notes
Motion photographs
Diagrams
Loop films
Motion pictures (visual works)
Transparencies
Correspondence
Charts
Place:
United States Navy Long Beach Naval Shipyard
United States Rock Island Arsenal
Date:
1937-1996
Summary:
The Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection contains correspondence, reports, data, notes, publications, books, charts, certificates, awards, writings, photographs, films and videos that document the life and career of Marvin Mundel, a well-known expert in the field of work management and productivity enhancement.
Scope and Contents:
The Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection contains correspondence, reports, data, notes, publications, books, charts, certificates, awards, writings, photographs, films and videos that document the life and career of Marvin Mundel and demonstrate his work practices and teaching techniques.

The collection is organized chronologically into eleven series: Biographical Materials, Writings, Industrial Engineering, Work Methods, Purdue University, Time and Motion Study, Government Work, Japanese Consulting, Asian Productivity Organization, Dupont Case Study, and Films and Videos. While the years in each series may overlap, the separation of series demonstrates the evolution of Mundel's work and teachings. Photographs can be found throughout the collection. Information about the film and video series is located in Appendix A.

Series 1, Biographical Materials, 1953-1996, consists of documentation about Mundel and his career. The series contains bibliographies and curriculum vitae, correspondence, documentation on his memberships in Industrial Engineering groups, photographs, and certificates.

Series 2, Writings, 1937-1994, brings together Mundel's papers, speeches, books, and publications. When possible, the writings are arranged chronologically. The remaining writings are arranged by topic. This series should not be considered a definitive bibliography of Mundel's writings.

Series 3, Industrial Engineering, 1954-1995, combines Mundel's research with correspondence to and from other Industrial Engineers. It also includes Mundel's contributions to the Encyclopedia Britannica on "Industrial Engineering," "Work Measurement," and "Memomotion."

Series 4, Work Methods, undated, contains documents such as forms, office procedure manuals, visual aids, and printed matter about office equipment that offer insight into Mundel's work methods and innovative methods of making his own office more efficient.

Series 5, Purdue University, 1951-1957, documents his teaching career at the Industrial Engineering Department as well correspondence from his trip to England where he taught classes on industrial engineering.

Series 6, Time and Motion Study, 1952-1984, includes notes, data, printed matter, correspondence, charts, and photographs from his consultant work for various companies. This series contains seven subseries: Subseries 1, Consulting Work, 1954-1966; Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1956-1960; Subseries 3, Course work, undated; Subseries 4, Equipment, undated; Subseries 5, Film, 1952-1984; Subseries 6, Memberships, 1970-1977; and Subseries 7, Research, 1957.

Subseries 1, Consulting work, 1954-1966, contains correspondence and data from the corporations that hired Mundel as a consultant. Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1956-1960, the contains letters to and from people with diverse interests in time and motion study. Many people wrote to Mundel asking for advice with projects. Visual aids and handouts make up Subseries 3, Course work. In order to create memomotion, Mundel needed to refine certain electrical and motor parts on the cameras and projectors with which he worked. Subseries 4, Equipment, undated, have brochures on many different kinds of motors and switches. Subseries 5, Film, 1952-1984, contains most of the documentation that relates directly to films and video cassettes in this collection. Mundel was active in many organizations related to industrial engineering that shared his interests in time and motion study. Finally, copies and clippings make up the research subseries, 1957.

Series 7, Government Work, 1952-1971, documents Mundel's work for the government, from his work at Rock Island Arsenal to seminars for NASA. This series contains correspondence, data, reports, course work, visual aids, and photographs. The consulting work is arranged in a chronological manner and, in some instances, alphabetically.

Series 8, Japanese Consulting, 1959-1987, documents Mundel's consulting work for Japanese corporations. The files are arranged alphabetically by company and contain research, data, charts, notes, reports, and correspondence about each manufacturing firm. His notebooks and trip files give insight into his cultural understanding of Japanese firms and his teaching practices. Of special interest are the notebooks that contain photographs and firsthand experiences of adapting to Japanese culture and understanding Japanese work practices.

Series 9, Asian Productivity Organization, 1973-1994, consists of year and country files of Mundel's seminars throughout the Far East. The course work, notes, visual aids, reports, and photographs demonstrate Mundel's shift in emphasis from work measurement to managerial organization. This series also contains books published by the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) that give a context to Mundel's work and writings.

Series 10, Dupont Case Study, 1978-1984, contains correspondence, data, notes, reports, research, and visual aids concerning one of the many American companies where Mundel consulted. Dupont was selected because of its prominence in the American business world.

Series 11, Films and Videos, circa 1939-1973, is comprised of 16mm films and 1⁄2" VHS videocassette tapes. The bulk of the series is 16mm films. The films relate to the documents in Series 6: Time and Motion Studies. There are six subseries: Rating Films, 1939-1973; Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959; Multi-Image Loops, circa, 1956-1958; Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962; Travel Films, circa 1955-1958 and Papers, undated.

Films are labeled either OF, RF, OV, or RV, for Original Film, Reference Film, Original Video, and Reference Video, respectively. [Example: For "676.24 OF Roll Edge on Sheet Metal Disc, circa 1960 (REF. FILM 676.24 and REF. VIDEO 676.70)," 676 is the collection number; 24 is the item number; OF means original film; "Roll Edge on Sheet Metal Disc" is the title; 1960 is the date followed by any reference copies. In this case there are both a reference film and a reference video. The Archives Center will eventually have reference copies for all of the films. for researchers to view.

Subseries 1, Rating Films, circa 1939-1973, represents Mundel's work with rating or pace films. This technique films a worker doing a repetitive work unit and allows trained motion study analysts to establish time standards. These films show a wide variety of jobs held by both men and women, American workers and Japanese workers. There are three groups of films:

Demonstration Rating Films: These films have the same format as titles with 10 scenes of workers doing a work unit at different paces. The films are arranged according to Mundel's numerical system and retain the original titles. These films should be projected at 1000 frames per minute.

Poultry Rating Films: These are rating films that Mundel did for the USDA and the Consumer Protection Programs.

Miscellaneous Films: These are Mundel's rating films for Tung Sol, ASF, Woods Veterans Hospital, and Montfort. There is also a rating film taken by an English company.

Subseries 2, Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959, includes memomotion examples that were incorporated into instructional films. Memomotion is a filming technique created by Mundel. Time and motion analysts film a non-repetitive or extended crew activity at one frame per second and then project the film at normal speed. In this manner, the analyst can record a longer work period at a fraction of the cost and be able to analyze the film much more quickly. Memomotion is often used in conjunction with work flow diagrams.

Subseries 3, Multi-Image Loops, circa 1956-1958, combines seven of Mundel's multi-image loops onto one film core. The films display twelve images of rating films at the same time. The worker in each image is working at a different pace (fastest in the top left-hand corner and the slowest in the bottom right-hand corner). Time and motion study analysts could watch the loops for as long as they needed to get an idea of what the range of paces for a certain job could be. The loops were disassembled and spliced together for preservation and viewing purposes.

Subseries 4, Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962, includes Mundel's attempts to educate others about his filming techniques and overall industrial engineering themes. The films teach ways to improve productivity through motion studies, how to make memomotion films, and the College of Technology, Birmingham, England's method of making microscope slides.

Subseries 5, Travel Films, circa 1955-1958, includes films that combine Mundel's love for travel and different cultures with film documentation of Japanese seminars.

Subseries 6, Papers, undated, contains papers directly related to the films. Of importance are the rating sheets which associate different percentages of efficiency to the paces in the film.
Arrangement:
This collection is divided into eleven series.

Series 1, Biographical Materials, 1953-1996

Series 2, Writings, 1937-1994

Subseries 1, Books, 1942-1994

Subseries 2, Papers, 1959-1989, undated

Subseries 3, Publications, 1937-1993, undated

Subseries 4, Speeches, undated

Subseries 5, University of Iowa Studies, 1938-1940

Series 3, Industrial Engineering, 1954-1995

Series 4, Work Methods, undated

Series 5, Purdue University, 1951-1957

Series 6, Time and Motion Study, 1952-1984

Subseries 1, Consulting Work, 1954-1966

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1956-1960

Subseries 3, Course Work, undated

Subseries 4, Equipment, undated

Subseries 5, Film, 1952-1984

Subseries 6, Memberships-Industrial Management Society, 1970-1977

Subseries 7, Research, 1957

Series 7, Government Work, 1952-1971

Subseries 1, General, 1955-1967, undated

Subseries 2, Rock Island Arsenal, 1952-1958

Subseries 3, Consulting, 1959-1971

Subseries 4, Seminars, 1963-1969

Series 8, Japanese Consulting, 1959-1987

Subseries 1, Consulting, 1961-1980

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1959-1980

Subseries 3, Keio University, 1960-1961

Subseries 4, Memberships, 1959-1987

Subseries 5, Notes, undated

Subseries 6, Photographs, undated

Subseries 7, Scrapbooks, 1960-1965

Subseries 8, Seminars, 1959-1967

Series 9, Asian Productivity Organization, 1973-1994

Subseries 1, Annual Reports, 1973-1994

Subseries 2, Books, 1985-1989

Subseries 3, General, 1976-1995, undated

Subseries 4, Seminars, 1973-1989

Subseries 5, Presentation Album of Jakarta Seminar, 1973

Series 10, DuPont Case Study, 1978-1984

Series 11, Films and Videos, circa 1939-1973

Subseries 1, Rating Films, circa 1939-1973

Subseries 2, Memomotion Films, circa 1948-1959

Subseries 3, Multi-Image Loops, circa 1956-1958

Subseries 4, Instructional Films, circa 1939-1962

Subseries 5, Travel Films, circa 1955-1958

Subseries 6, Papers, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Marvin Everett Mundel, born April 20, 1916, was a major figure in the fields of industrial engineering and time and motion studies. He is known particularly for his consulting work, seminars and teaching, as well as numerous publications based on his expertise in work management and productivity enhancement. He began his engineering career in 1936 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New York University (1936), followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering earned in 1938 and 1939, respectively, from the State University of Iowa.

In the late 1930s and 1940s, work measurement studies were considered the state-of-the-art method for improving industrial production. Mundel continued and built upon the achievements of pioneers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth during his teaching career at both Bradley and Purdue Universities. He also conducted seminars at Marquette University Management Center and the University of Wisconsin's Extension Center in Milwaukee. In addition to his American teaching career, Mundel was a visiting professor at both the University of Birmingham in England and Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.

In 1952, Mundel started a consulting firm which aided corporations and governments in either work measurement consulting or, later in his career, industrial engineering consulting. His first clients were United States government agencies that wanted to gain control over lost revenue or manpower. His position from 1952 to 1953 at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, as the first Director of the Army Management Engineering Training Program, transformed management techniques in the Army.

After his employment at Rock Island, Mundel began a series of consultant roles with corporations eager to standardize labor practices and make production more efficient. From 1953 to 1963, Mundel conducted time and motion studies at various manufacturing companies and developed techniques to measure work units. His most important contribution to the field of time and motion study was the development of memomotion, a stop-action filming technique used to determine time standards for work tasks.

Following his refinements of time and motion study, Mundel took his expertise to Japan where he offered his consultant services to various Japanese manufacturing firms during the 1960s. His interests evolved from time and motion studies to include work management and overall management organization consulting. During the 1960s and 1970s, Mundel also returned to government consulting in the United States with these new techniques, in offices such as the Bureau of the Budget and United States Department of Agriculture. This period marked an important evolution in Mundel's career, from time and motion study to work measurement and then to industrial consulting. Mundel was among the first consultants to export American management techniques to Japan, and, in his later career, to other Asian countries. He became an integral part of the Asian Productivity Organization, a group that helped developing Asian countries learn how to increase productivity. His seminars sought to provide corporations and governments with efficient management techniques so that Asia would become a strong economic center. Mundel was sensitive to cultural differences as well as varied methods of management and standards of productivity.

Mundel won the Gilbreth Award in 1982. He continued conducting seminars and writing books and articles well into the 1980s, until failing health prevented him from traveling. When Mundel died in 1996, he was well respected in the field of industrial engineering for his many contributions.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History by Marvin Mundel's wife, Takako Mundel, in January, 1999.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Rights:
Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Hospitals -- Materials management  Search this
Food processing plants  Search this
Industrial productivity -- measurements  Search this
Industrial films  Search this
Government consultants -- Asia -- Japan  Search this
Government productivity -- Japan  Search this
Machine shops  Search this
Slaughtering and slaughter-houses  Search this
Machinery industry  Search this
Punched card systems -- Machinery  Search this
Steel founding  Search this
Steel industry and trade  Search this
Plant layout  Search this
Diesel motor industry  Search this
Meat -- Packing  Search this
Shipbuilding industry  Search this
Meat inspection  Search this
Meat industry and trade  Search this
Pharmaceutical industry  Search this
Materials handling  Search this
Poultry -- Inspection  Search this
Dental offices  Search this
Box making  Search this
Greeting cards industry  Search this
United States Department of Agriculture  Search this
Refuse collection  Search this
Poultry industry  Search this
Shoe industry  Search this
Dental instruments and apparatus  Search this
Methods engineering  Search this
Industrial engineering -- 1930-2000  Search this
Chronophotography  Search this
Drafting table  Search this
Organizational effectiveness  Search this
Industrial management  Search this
Work measurement  Search this
Motion study  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 20th century
Field notes
Motion photographs
Diagrams
Loop films
Motion pictures (visual works)
Transparencies
Correspondence -- 1930-1950
Charts
Citation:
Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection, 1937-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0676
See more items in:
Marvin E. Mundel Industrial Engineering Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep885139741-4c32-4460-bb06-8cfb024e15c3
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0676
Online Media:

Hector Acebes papers and photographs

Creator:
Acebes, Hector  Search this
Extent:
19.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
Mali
Chad
Cameroon
Congo (Democatic Republic)
Guinea
Benin
Kenya
Algeria
Morocco
Colombia
Ecuador
Venezuela
Date:
circa 1948-1950s
Scope and Contents:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs primarily contain Acebes' photographs from his expeditions in Africa and South America but also include journals, maps, press clippings, writings and publications by Acebes, and films.

The core of the collection are Acebes original negatives and contact prints, however there are several sets of enlargements of select photographs as well. Most contact sheets have some annotation on verso indicating the country, town, region, and/or community represented.

The papers include several journals Acebes kept during his South America expeditions (unfortunately his Africa journals were lost). Maps of Africa are annotated with Acebes' routes and places visited, and extensive press clippings cover and review Acebes travels, publications, and lectures.

The films comprise a seemingly random selection of motion picture films, sound elements and videos related to the production of industrial films on a variety of South American development projects by Hector Acebes for his own company Acebes Productions. According to the credits appearing on the films, the company was a partnership with the filmmaker's brother Juan Acebes. Most of the films are undated but dates appearing on the video transfers and dates ascertained from the film stocks indicate that the films were most likely produced in the 1970s-1990s. There are also videos of an interview with Acebes conducted by Ed Marquand, in circa 2003.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into three series: 1. Papers; 2. Photographs; 3. Film and video.
Biographical / Historical:
Hector Acebes (1921-2017) was an American photographer and filmmaker known for his photography from expeditions in Africa and South Amerca in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Acebes was born in New York City but grew up in Bogota, Colombia and Madrid, Spain. He later attended the New York Military Academy, and served in World War II on the European front. Following this, he studied engineering at MIT, graduating in 1947.

Acebes then began his career as photographer and filmmaker, making multiple expeditions in Africa and South America. His first African expedition was to Morocco and Algeria, but he later traveled throughout the continent. His last Africa trip was the most extensive, where he drove from Dakar to Zanzibar.

Among his expeditions in South America were journeys up the Orinoco River and excursions to visit various Indigenous communities including Guaica, Jivaro, Arhuaco, and Yuco peoples.

Acebes lectured about his travels and held exhibits of his photographs, which reveal a tendency toward portraiture of individuals. He also wrote several books, including Orinoco Adventure, about his attempt to find the headwaters of the Orinoco River.

Acebes later became an industrial filmmaker for engineering projects throughout South America. He died in Bogota.
Provenance:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs came to the archives in four accessions. The first accession came in 1951 and was donated by Acebes himself, as were the two that followed in 1994 and 2016. The final accession, comprising the bulk of the collection, came to the archives in 2022 and was donated by Acebes' heirs.
Restrictions:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs are open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Identifier:
NAA.2023-01
See more items in:
Hector Acebes papers and photographs
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3bec7b835-692a-4277-88f3-897ea5025122
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-naa-2023-01

Film and video

Collection Creator:
Acebes, Hector  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1970s-1990s
Scope and Contents:
The films comprise a seemingly random selection of motion picture films, sound elements and videos related to the production of industrial films on a variety of South American development projects by Hector Acebes for his own company Acebes Productions. According to the credits appearing on the films, the company was a partnership with the filmmaker's brother Juan Acebes. Most of the films are undated but dates appearing on the video transfers and dates ascertained from the film stocks indicate that the films were most likely produced in the 1970s-1990s. There are also videos of an interview with Acebes conducted by Ed Marquand, in circa 2003. Detailed inventory of video, film, and sound elements available in the repository.
General:
Film, video, and sound materials are located with HSFA collections.
Collection Restrictions:
The Hector Acebes papers and photographs are open for research. Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Identifier:
NAA.2023-01, Series 3
See more items in:
Hector Acebes papers and photographs
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw35d7e4283-7e1c-4a25-ae4d-4b7d43b0aec3
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-naa-2023-01-ref4

Interview of Toni Cade Bambara and Louis Massiah, conducted by Pearl Bowser

Extent:
2 Sound cassettes
Container:
Box 3, Cassette 3
Box 3, Cassette 35
Type:
Archival materials
Audio
Sound cassettes
Date:
1992 August 28
General:
Interview on first 20 minutes of side a only; remainder of the recording occurs at an unidentified conference
2012.79.3.72.1a, 2012.79.3.104.1a
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The NMAAHC Media Preservation team can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.
Collection Citation:
Pearl Bowser Collection, National Museum of African American History and Culture
See more items in:
Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection
Pearl Bowser Audiovisual Collection / Series 3: Audio Tape / 3.1: Interviews
Archival Repository:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3d9eb2520-49a6-4a72-8070-73e270f9cbe7
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmaahc-a2012-79-av-ref52
3 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Interview of Toni Cade Bambara and Louis Massiah, conducted by Pearl Bowser digital asset number 1
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Online Media:

LCL Corporation Records

Creator:
Dyer, Randolph N., II  Search this
LCL Corporation.  Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this
Extent:
3.6 Cubic feet (11 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photograph albums
Motion pictures (visual works)
Photographs
Date:
1927-1970
Scope and Contents note:
The collection consists mostly of films and photographs on the subjects of freight and containerization, especially railroad containerization. The containerization of building materials is the subject of most of the photographs, especially cement.
Arrangement:
1 series.
Biographical/Historical note:
Containerization company.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Randolph N. Dyer II, 1991.
Restrictions:
Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Shipping  Search this
Trucks  Search this
Cement  Search this
Containerization  Search this
Freight and freightage  Search this
Industrial films  Search this
Industry -- U.S.  Search this
Railroads  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photograph albums
Motion pictures (visual works) -- 1950-1960
Photographs -- 20th century
Citation:
LCL Corporation Records, 1927-ca. 1970, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1170
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fa021333-9765-4138-8ae8-54fee50387a1
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1170
Online Media:

Lasers Unlimited

Collection Creator:
American Telephone and Telegraph Company  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Information, Technology and Society  Search this
Extent:
1 Motion picture film (16mm color composite optical track print, 450 ft. )
Container:
Reel OF 684.31
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Motion picture films
Date:
circa 1970?
Scope and Contents:
Industrial film about lasers, AT&T.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Researchers must view videotape copies.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
AT&T/Bell Film Collection, 1942-1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
AT&T/Bell Film Collection
AT&T/Bell Film Collection / Series 3: Corporate/Technical Training Films
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep829cb358c-5f4a-41fb-b604-38f23d35cddd
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0684-ref546

Partners in Production

Collection Creator:
American Telephone and Telegraph Company  Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Information, Technology and Society  Search this
Extent:
1 Motion picture film (16mm color composite optical track print, 475 ft.)
Container:
Reel OF 684.33
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Motion picture films
Date:
circa 1932-1946
Scope and Contents:
Industrial film regarding health care/health insurance, produced by Aetna. Motion Picture Bureau of the Aetna Life Affiliated Companies, in Hartford, CT Shown to Bell Telephone Labs Employees, (copyright 1946).
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Researchers must view videotape copies.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
AT&T/Bell Film Collection, 1942-1978, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
See more items in:
AT&T/Bell Film Collection
AT&T/Bell Film Collection / Series 4: Acquired Films
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8103563c3-6c68-4e97-8325-922d04e49f88
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0684-ref548

Press Kit, The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States 1920-1970 Exhibition

Collection Creator:
Casas, Mel, 1929-2014  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 13
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1989
Collection Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Mel Casas papers, 1963-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Mel Casas papers
Mel Casas papers / Series 4: Printed Materials
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a954399d-4c63-4f51-8bff-f9330bfb278a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-casamel-ref24
1 Page(s) matching your search term, top most relevant are shown: View entire project in transcription center
  • View Press Kit, The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States 1920-1970 Exhibition digital asset number 1

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