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:
Iowa Button Industry Collection, ca. 1920s-1993, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The Artists' Fund Society records, microfilmed on Reel P24 contain a manuscript of the constitution (1837); a memorial to the U.S. Congress that the Revenue Bill should include a tax on every foreign print or picture brought into the United States for protection of American Artists, signed by John Neagle, President of the Artists' Fund Society (1841 August 27); and a list of members (1855 October). Also included on Reel P28 are minute books (1835-1843), 302 pages, index on frames 699-703; proof sheets of the charter and by-laws of the Society, corrected and signed by John Sartain; letters of acceptance to honorary membership (1837-1838), index on frame 857; miscellaneous autograph letters and notes from artists and others (1836-1858), index on frame 879.
Biographical / Historical:
The Artists' Fund Society of Philadelphia (est. 1835) created a fund for "mutual advancement and relief," as well as the goal of providing financial assistance to artists and their families in times of adversity.
Related Materials:
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts holds the Artists' Fund Society records, 1835-1868. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania holds the Artists' Fund Society's Minutes and papers, 1835-1858.
Provenance:
Microfilmed by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for the Archives of American Art, 1955.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
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.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Fellows Gear Shaper Records, 1896-1970s, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
The records of the Municipal Art Society of New York, based out of New York City and established in 1893, measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1901 to 1960. The records include minutes from the annual and directors meetings, which incorporate reports, directors' files, committee files, and printed material. Financial reports to the Municipal Art Society Board that detail the organization's Permanent Fund are also present.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the Municipal Art Society of New York measure 3.2 linear feet and date from 1901 to 1960. Minutes from annual and directors meetings, printed materials, and financial reports document the Municipal Art Society of New York's involvement in urban planning, city beautification, funding art for public spaces, and generally improving the quality of life in New York City.
Bound minute books from the annual and directors meetings incorporate annual reports, committee reports, membership lists, and by-laws, as well as some correspondence with business colleagues and fellow arts organizations. Printed materials are also integrated into the minute books and often relate to the content of the adjacent administrative files and include exhibition announcements and catalogs, event invitations, meeting announcements, bulletins, newsletters, magazine and newspaper clippings, and membership solicitation materials.
Financial reports to the Municipal Art Society Board detail the Permanent Fund and the organization's accounts.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 2 series.
Missing Title
Series 1: Annual and Directors Meetings Minutes, 1901-1960 (3.2 linear feet; Box 1-8)
Series 2: Permanent Fund Financial Records, 1913-1949 (1 folder; Box 8)
Biographical / Historical:
The Municipal Art Society of New York is a private organization that was founded in 1893 to beautify New York City streets, parks, and public places in ways both practical and artistic through projects supported by member dues. The society regularly held competitions for artists to create murals and sculptures to decorate public buildings, and exhibited artists' public works. Members of the society spearheaded efforts to preserve, improve, and maintain public buildings, monuments, and parks; create and maintain street signage and fixtures; regulate zoning; plan thoroughfares; and advocate for public housing. Interests of the society also included establishing a housing authority, slum clearance, and post-World War II planning. The Municipal Art Society of New York continues to influence urban planning and historic preservation into the 21st century, and is known for their architectural tours of New York CIty.
Provenance:
Donated 1968 by Municipal Art Society of New York.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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.
Topic:
Historic buildings -- Conservation and restoration -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Public art -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Citation:
Municipal Art Society of New York records, 1901-1960. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Minute Book of the Board of Trustees, Board of Directors, and Stockholders
Collection Creator:
Albany Billiard Ball Company (Albany, New York) Search this
Container:
Box 14, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1875 May 1-1911 November 1
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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:
Albany Billiard Ball Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
5 minute books and 11 notebooks containing by-laws, principles, aims, ethics, organization plans, names of the first executive and advisory committees and the original organization group, minutes of the organization meeting held at the Salmagundi Club, New York City, January 20, 1928, and the minutes of the Executive Committee, 1928-1973. The minute books and notebooks also contain correspondence with members, art dealers, government agencies, political committees, museums and art organizations, resolutions of the Executive Committee, reports, financial statements, copies of legal briefs, news releases and bulletins, clippings, and printed material on American Art Week and other events.
Also included are: a photocopy of an undated history of American Artists Professional League by former president John Scott Williams; 17 exhibition catalogs, 1959-1978; 15 news bulletins, 1959-1980; photocopies of clippings from ART DIGEST, 1932-1936; a membership list, 1965; and printed material on League officers, membership and events.
Provenance:
Donated 1975 and 1984 by Florence Whitehill. Whitehill was the office manager of the American Artists Professional League.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Function:
Arts organizations -- New York (State)
Citation:
American Artists Professional League records. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The idea for a school for American artists in Europe was discussed by a group of architects, painters, and sculptors who met in Chicago while collaborating on the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Its most enthusiastic proponent was architect Charles F. McKim who worked tirelessly to make the concept a reality. He was its main administrator, and often kept the school afloat financially with infusions of cash from his personal account. In 1897 it was decided to reorganize as an academy, and the American School of Architecture in Rome was legally dissolved and replaced by the American Academy in Rome.
This subseries include records of the school's managing committee, correspondence, financial records, and printed matter. Among the managing committee's records are notes and correspondence relative to the founding of the institution; minute books which include a semi-annual report of the executive committee managing committee, copies of printed competition announcements, and an engrossed copy with a transcription of dissolution documents; and legal documents including records concerning the school's dissolution in 1898 prior to being reorganized as the American Academy in Rome, an 1895 certificate of the secretary to the bank, and the 1895 lease for the Villa Aurora. Correspondence is mostly that of Charles F. McKim (Vice President 1894-1895 and President 1895-1896) who handled administrative matters. Capital Stock Certificates, 1895, include an "Original Issues of Shares" list.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
American Academy in Rome records, 1855-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
American Academy in Rome records, 1855-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
American Academy in Rome records, 1855-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Minutes and reports of the Board of Trustees, including those of its annual meetings, are carbon copies rather than the official minute books, and are incomplete. Reports of officers are also incomplete. Included here are reports of officers' and trustees' visits to Rome, as well as reports of the Director and Secretary in Rome submitted to the Board of Trustees. The 1913 Director's report includes reports of the Director of the School of Fine Arts, the Director of the School of Classical Studies, and the Librarian.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
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:
American Academy in Rome records, 1855-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
This series primarily consists of the Relief Association's Minute Books, financial statements, account books, and compensation records. The Mutual Relief Association was established in 1907 for the purpose of paying a death or funeral benefit or disability benefit. Fees were typically nominal and associated with earning capacity. Members were entitled to substantial financial assistance in time of illness or physical problems. The membership was limited to employees of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation.
The Minute Books only cover the period 1906-1938. The annual meeting papers supplement the minutes and provide information such as revisions of by laws, the election of officers, financial statements, and Treasurer's and Secretary's Annual Reports for the years 1915-1951. Financial statements include balance sheets, quarterly statements, audit reports, and the Treasurer's Annual Reports. The account books, ledgers, journals, and cashbooks cover the period 1929-1951. Compensation records include the Cashbook of the Disability and Death Benefits Fund and a compensation card file from 1907-1951. The latter, an index card file alphabetically arranged by name, provides information on the illnesses and compensation paid to the Association's members.
Additional items of interest in this series include copies of the association's Charter and several copies of its by- laws. Also included are a copy of the Constitution and bylaws of the Consolidated and McKay Mutual Relief Association, dated 1902.
The compensation card file consists of index cards documenting employees who were injured, sick or on disability. The cards provide the name of the employee, the date, the number of days out of work, the nature of the illness or disability, and the amount of the benefit paid. The cards are arranged alphabetically.
Collection 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.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
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.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Minute books, scrapbooks, membership records, correspondence, a sketchbook, treasurer records, and printed material.
REELS 3414-3416: Six minute books, 1888-1965, containing minutes of Board of Directors, Board of Managers, and annual and special meetings of the Charcoal Club; also enclosed are letters, election ballots, President's, Treasurer's and committee reports, financial statements, exhibition invitations, announcements and catalogs, newsletters, and newspapers. Other records include membership lists; a sketchbook containing 9 animal studies by member W.K. Sweeney; and 6 scrapbooks, containing letters, illustrated invitations and dinner menus, exhibition invitations, announcements and catalogs, newspaper clippings, printed material about the Charcoal Club School of Art and events sponsored by the Club, photographs, and memorabilia about I. (Ignatius) L. Glutz (a fictional character created by the Club.)
REELS 5131-5133: Treasurer's reports, 1968-1988; newspaper clippings, 1933-1988; profiles of Charcoal Club members; correspondence regarding a proposed club history book, 1965-1972; minutes, Jan. 1968-Dec. 1987; minutes/scrapbooks, Jan. 1965-Jan. 1968; catalogs of the Charcoal Club School of Art; legal papers, 1885-1937; exhibition announcements and invitations, ca. 1920's-1980's; correspondence of founding member Lee Woodward Zeigler; membership lists and by-laws, and proposals for the constitution, ca. 1930-1986; correspondence regarding the club, ca. 1930's-1980, including letters from Mayor Theodore McKeldin, Grace Trumbull, and Governor Spiro Agnew; and Ignatius Glutz material.
Biographical / Historical:
Art club and school.
Organized in 1883 by a group of art students and friends of art for the purpose of conducting art classes and for holding exhibitions. The exhibitions varied from weekly one-man shows to the annual juried exhibition of Contemporary American art. From 1910 to 1926, this all-American show was the high point of Baltimore's brief art season. It brought paintings by such "modernists" as John Sloan, George Luks, Frank Benson, Robert Henri, Leon Kroll, and Arthur B. Davies to Baltimore for the first time. The club's membership, which remained strictly male until 1963, was composed of painters, sculptors, writers, architects, musicians, and art patrons. In the early twentieth century the club had two hundred members including such prominent men as Governor Albert C. Richie, Ferdinand C. Latrobe, Robert Garrett, Waldo Newcomer, General Felix Agnus, Edwin F. Abell, S. Teakle Wallis, William T. Walters and his son Henry, Ross R. Winans, Dr. A. R. L. Dohme, and Theodore Marburg.
Aside from serious art exhibitions, the club was known for its practical jokes, smokers, poker nights, wild parties, and spirited battles with the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1985 and 1996 by the Maryland Historical Society.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
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.
Records documenting Pratt, Read and Company; its early competitor and later partner, Comstock, Cheney and Company; and a number of predecessor, subsidiary and related companies. Other topics include the late 19th century African ivory trade and Pratt, Read's production of troop-carrying gliders during World War II.
Scope and Contents:
Pratt, Read & Company, located in the Essex area of Connecticut, was once the world's largest producer of ivory products. Beginning with the manufacture of combs, collar buttons, and toothpicks, the company moved on to the production of piano and organ key veneers, and soon dominated the field. Eventually, it began to produce complete piano and organ keyboards and actions, becoming the major supplier to the American piano industry. The records in this collection document Pratt, Read & Company; its early competitor and later partner, Comstock, Cheney & Company; and a number of predecessor, subsidiary, and related companies. Other topics of interest dealt with in this collection include the late nineteenth century African ivory trade and Pratt, Read's production of troop carrying gliders during World War II.
Arrangement:
The Collection is divided into seven series.
Series 1: Predecessor and Miscellaneous Companies, 1839-1870s
Series 2: Comstock, Cheney and Company, 1863-1936
Series 3: Pratt, Read and Company, 1863-1988
Series 4: Gould Aeronautical Division, 1941-1977
Series 5: Subsidiary and Related Companies, 1859-1980
Series 6: Information on Related Companies, 1977-1992
Series 7; Addenda, 1837-2004
Historical:
Pratt, Read & Company is one of the oldest companies in the state of Connecticut. The firm traces its origins to 1798, when an Essex goldsmith and clockmaker named Phineas Pratt invented a circular saw to cut the teeth on ivory combs. In 1809, George Read and his brother in law, Phineas Pratt II, dammed the Deep River in the nearby town of Deep River and constructed a waterwheel to power ivory cutting machinery. Read left the partnership in 1816, and Phineas Pratt II joined with Alfred Worthington to manufacture ivory combs under the name of Pratt Worthington & Company. When Worthington died in 1830, two of Phineas Pratt II's sons, Ulysses and Alexis, took over the business, operating as U & A Pratt. The name was changed in 1844 to Pratt Spencer & Company, when a new partner was added, and changed again in 1850, to Pratt Brothers & Company. In 1856 the company erected a much larger factory in Deep River.
In the meantime, Julius Pratt, another of Phineas Pratt I's sons, had joined with Thomas Howard to set up an ivory comb factory in the town of Meriden. This firm was known as Howard, Pratt & Company. After Howard's death in 1822, it became Julius Pratt & Company. In 1854, the firm began to produce wooden piano keyboards, which then were fitted with keys of ivory. One half interest in this firm was owned by George Read.
When Read left his original partnership with Phineas Pratt II in 1816, he joined with Essex comb maker Ezra Williams to set up a new ivory working factory in Deep River. This new firm was known as Ezra Williams & Company. In 1829, Read became the senior partner and the company's name was changed to George Read & Company. This company later secured a very important contract to supply ivory keys for the first American manufacturer of pianos, Chickering & Sons of Boston.
In 1863, the firms of George Read & Company, Julius Pratt & Company, and Pratt Brothers & Company, were merged to form Pratt, Read & Company. The new company further enlarged its factory in Deep River in 1866. In 1871, the old Julius Pratt & Company factory in Meriden was closed and its operations moved to Deep River. Though this factory was destroyed by fire in 1881, a larger factory was quickly rebuilt and the company was back in business early in 1882.
With the election of George L. Cheney as president in 1892, Pratt, Read & Company began a period of continued expansion. In December of that year the company joined with another Connecticut piano component manufacturer, Comstock, Cheney & Company, to organize a midwestern manufacturing branch, under the name of the Piano & Organ Supply Company. This firm was to serve the territory west of Toledo, Ohio, operating in competition with its parent companies. In 1929 Pratt, Read and Comstock, Cheney combined to buy out the Piano & Organ Supply Company and it was dissolved.
In 1910 Pratt, Read & Company decided to begin the manufacture of piano actions. An independent manufacturer of piano actions, New York based Wasle & Company, and its subsidiary, the Wasle Unique Player Action Company, were acquired that same year. In 1914, Pratt, Read built a second factory solely for the production of player piano actions in Deep River. Wasle & Company was dissolved in 1919 and its production was continued under the Pratt, Read name. The company soon acquired two additional keyboard and action manufacturers: the Sylvester Tower Company of Cambridge, Mass., was purchased, dissolved, and all its equipment was moved to Deep River in 1924; and Strauch Bros. Company of New York was purchased in 1926. The Deep River player action plant operated until 1928, when business declined and production of player piano actions was discontinued in favor of manufacturing small motorboats. This line of business also soon declined and the project was abandoned by 1932.
COMSTOCK, CHENEY & COMPANY. Meanwhile, other manufacturers of ivory products had been at work in the Essex area. Chief among these was the firm of Comstock, Cheney & Company of Ivoryton. The dominant figure in this company was Samuel M. Comstock. He had learned the ivory cutting trade while working in his older brother's Saybrook area ivory cutting shop, known as Joseph A. Comstock & Company. By 1838, Samuel had left his brother's shop and joined with Edwin Griswold to set up Comstock & Griswold Company further west up the Falls River in Centerbrook. In 1848, the company moved its operations to a new factory in the Ivoryton area, where combs, toothpicks, and other ivory products were made. At the same time, the firm's name was changed to
S. M. Comstock & Company, reflecting Samuel's sole ownership.
In 1860, Samuel Comstock allied his firm with George A. Cheney to form Comstock, Cheney & Company. Cheney had invested in Comstock's firm and was one of the principals in the important New York based ivory importing firm of Arnold, Cheney & Company. The new firm began production of thin slices of ivory for mounting on wooden piano keys. It also had its own agents buying ivory in Africa, most of which went toward production of piano keys. The company was formally incorporated in 1872 and in 1873 it opened an even larger factory in Ivoryton.
1936 MERGER. On December 31, l936, Pratt, Read & Company of Deep River was consolidated and merged with Comstock, Cheney & Company of Ivoryton. The resulting corporation was titled Pratt, Read & Company, Inc. By l938, all manufacturing operations had been consolidated in Ivoryton and the Deep River factory closed. During World War II, both the Deep River factory and the Ivoryton factory were used to produce CG 4A "Waco" troop carrying gliders for the U.S. Army Air Forces, along with LNE 1 training gliders and the GLOMB experimental plane for the U.S. Navy. Production of piano keyboards and actions was sharply curtailed for the duration of the war, and was slow to resume afterward. In l946 the Deep River factory was sold.
From 1948 to l957, the Ivoryton factory was enlarged and modernized on a large scale. During the Korean War, the company contracted to make helicopter blades for the Kaman Corporation of Bloomfield, Conn., and this partnership lasted for fourteen years. In l958, Pratt, Read transferred all of its piano action manufacturing operations to a newly built plant in Central, S.C. This move was made primarily in order to modernize production facilities at a lower cost than would have been possible through continued renovation of the Ivoryton plant.
With the election of Peter H. Comstock (a great grandson of one of the founders of Comstock, Cheney & Company) as President in 1954, the firm began an ambitious plan of diversification. The Cornwall & Patterson Company of Bridgeport, Conn., manufacturer of piano hardware, was purchased in l957. In 1959, Pratt, Read joined with six British Commonwealth firms to acquire British Piano Actions, Ltd., of Wales. Keyboards, Inc., a Chicago based producer of keyboards for electronic organs, was acquired in 1960. The Tech Art Plastics Company of Morristown, N.J., a custom molder of plastics materials especially for the piano industry, was acquired in 1961.
The F. Kelly Company of Derby, Conn., which specialized in the production of small metal parts, was acquired in l964, and operated as a division of Cornwall & Patterson. In l966, Pratt, Read purchased the Allen Rogers Corporation of Laconia, N.H., which produced wooden furniture and piano components.
MERGER WITH VOCALINE COMPANY. In February l968, Pratt, Read & Company, Inc., was merged into the Vocaline Company of America, Inc., of Old Saybrook, Conn. Peter H. Comstock became chairman and chief executive officer of Vocaline Corporation, while remaining president of Pratt, Read. Vocaline was then organized into two major divisions the Vocaline Division and the Pratt, Read Division. The Pratt, Read Division concentrated on the production of piano keys and actions. It operated three subdivisions: the Ivoryton Division (keyboards, wooden and plastic moldings, and unfinished furniture); the Action Division (piano actions); and the Lund Division, formerly Keyboards, Inc., (electronic organ components). Both of the latter divisions operated out of the Central, S.C., plant. The Lund Division was known as the Electronics Division by 1970.
The Vocaline Division produced and sold electric motors, timing devices, and other small electromechanical mechanisms through its Electronics Section and its Bristol Motor and Timer Section. Another subsidiary of the Vocaline Division Altron, Inc., based in Westerly, R.I. produced wire coils. Through its Research and Development Center in Waldboro, Maine, Vocaline conducted antisubmarine warfare research for the U.S. Navy. By 1970, the Vocaline Division had been streamlined into four divisions: the Allen Rogers Corporation (small shaped wood products); Altron, Inc. (wire coils); the Bristol Division, later known as the Bristol Saybrook Company (electric motors and timers); and the Cornwall & Patterson Company (piano hardware and small tools). In addition, research for the Navy had been expanded and combined with other oceanographic research under the control of a subsidiary company, VAST, Inc., with operations in both Maine and the Caribbean.
PRATT READ CORPORATION. In October 1970, the Vocaline Corporation changed its name to the Pratt Read Corporation. This was done partly to increase identity with its oldest traditions and partly to reflect a shift away from the early emphasis on the Vocaline side of the corporation. The new corporation continued to refine its interests under the direction of Peter H. Comstock, who became company president in February 1970. The Tech Arts Plastic Company was sold off in May 1972, although it remained a source of supply for custom molded parts. In 1974 Pratt Read purchased the Atlas Plywood Company of Morrisville, Vt., in order to use its mill and kilns in the preparation of lumber for the Ivoryton factory, whose own facilities were overburdened. This company was operated as a subsidiary of Pratt Read.
By 1976, the Pratt Read Corporation was organized into five operating divisions. The Allen Rogers Corporation produced toys, golf tees, spools, knobs, and other turned and shaped wood products. Altron, Inc., produced bobbins and coils of copper wire. The Bristol Saybrook Company produced small electric motors and timers. The Cornwall & Patterson Company produced piano hardware parts, screwdriver blades, and other small hand tools. Pratt, Read & Company produced wooden components for pianos and other musical instruments. The company's ownership of VAST, Inc., was sold off in March 1976. Later that year, the company acquired Sight Line Corporation, a Freehold, N.J., manufacturer of golf clubs. This subsidiary, operated as the Sounder Sports Division, was sold in May 1979.
In October of 1979, James H. Tucker replaced Peter H. Comstock as president of Pratt Read; Comstock remained chairman of the board and chief executive officer. His nephew, Harwood B. Comstock, became the next president in October 1982. In June 1982, the Ivoryton factory was severely damaged by flooding after two dams burst upstream during a torrential rainstorm. Although the administrative offices were destroyed and the plant filled with several feet of mud and debris, the facility was back in production within two weeks. In August 1982, Pratt Read acquired the Sohmer Piano Company, a 111 year old Long Island based manufacturer of pianos, and in December 1982 Sohmer's production facilities were moved into the Ivoryton factory. By July 1983 Sohmer was producing about six upright pianos a day in its new location.
By the early 1980s, the American piano industry had entered a period of decline and even Peter Comstock's diversification efforts could not keep it out of trouble. A major blow came in 1984 with the loss of a large contract to manufacture keyboards for Mattel Electronics's Intellivision home video system. This was exacerbated by a slump in the piano industry in mid year. The increased import of Japanese and Korean pianos further undercut the American industry, resulting in slowdowns and profit losses for Pratt Read. Attempting to compete on the same basis with this foreign competition, Pratt Read joined with the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company in May 1985 to establish the Pratt Win Corporation. This joint venture resulted in the closing of Pratt Read's Central, S.C., piano action manufacturing plant and the transfer of its operations to a new Baldwin plant in Juarez, Mexico. Pratt Read sold its interest in Pratt Win to Baldwin in October 1986.
Piano sales continued to decline, however, and Pratt Read continued to suffer losses. In March 1986, the company was acquired by Crescent & Company, a corporation controlled by Harwood B. Comstock, president of Pratt, Read & Company. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Crescent & Company, but retained the name Pratt Read Corporation. In April 1986, the company sold its Sohmer piano subsidiary together with the Ivoryton factory where it was housed; Sohmer & Company continued to produce upright pianos under independent ownership in Ivoryton until December 1988. In December 1986 the Bristol Saybrook Company was sold off. By 1990, the company had sold off all remaining assets except for a sawmill in Vermont and the Cornwall & Patterson Company in Bridgeport, Conn., where the remaining corporate staff relocated.
Sources
Deep River Historical Society, Inc. A History of Pratt Read & Co. 1973.
1899 Souvenir of Essex, Connecticut. Rpt., The Ivoryton Public Library, 1979.
Johnson, Curtiss S. "From Ivory Combs to Carnegie Hall and Today:The History of the Pratt Read Corporation." [Unpublished history in the collection.]
Moore, Ernst D. "History of Pratt, Read & Company." [Unpublished history in the Ernst D. Moore Collection, Archives Center Collection #321.]
Newspaper Clippings in the collection.
Pratt Read Corporation. Annual Reports.
Vocaline Corporation. Annual Report, 1970.
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History:
Records relating to Pratt, Read and to Comstock, Cheney can be found in a number of other collections, both within the Archives Center and in other repositories. The Wood & Brooks Company Records (Archives Center coll. #457) contain significant information on Pratt, Read's operations and an important record of production statistics gathered by George Wood while he was factory superintendent and taken with him when he set up a rival firm in Buffalo. While the Ernst Moore Collection (Archives Center coll. #321) primarily documents the purchase of ivory in Africa (much of which was ultimately used by Pratt, Read), it also includes a history of Pratt, Read written by Moore while he was employed by them. The Sohmer & Company Records (Archives Center coll. #349) document the piano manufacturing firm that Pratt Read acquired in 1982.
Separated Materials:
"The Pratt Read Corporation also donated a number of objects to the National Museum of American History, Division of Cultural and Community Life and Division of Work and Industry at the same time as their 1988 donation of archival records. Included were combs and letter openers and other examples of products made from ivory; piano components, such as gauge boards, key actions, and keys; and such diverse items as tools used in the factory, World War II employee I.D. badges, and a uniform from the company sponsored basketball team.
"
Provenance:
Donated by Pratt, Read Corporation in 1989. In addition to the papers donated by the company, several individuals donated Pratt, Read materials in their possession.
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.
This series is composed primarily of early 19th century records from several of the ivory working companies that directly preceded the formation of Comstock, Cheney & Company. The records include a cash book, dated 1847, from S. M. Comstock & Company, an 1860 agreement between Julius Pratt & Company and Pratt, Read for the joint sale of ivory combs, and tintype negatives of some of George Read & Company's early ivory cutting machines. Other early records of importance include the minute book of Pratt, Spencer & Company, 184-1848, and the minute book of the Deep River Ivory Comb Company, 1860-1864.
The series also contains box labels or photoprints of labels from several manufacturers of ivory combs who were active in the same area of Connecticut in the early nineteenth century. Although largely unrelated to Pratt, Read, these labels were part of the collection as received by the Archives Center.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research 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:
Pratt, Read Corporation Records, 1839-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
The EXECUTIVE RECORDS, 1863 1988, include the corporate minute books for the period 1863-1980. Unfortunately, the minute book for the period from November 1863 to August 1902 is missing from the collection. Other records include copies of the company's bylaws and articles of association, board papers from 1936 1985, annual and quarterly reports from 1936-1985, and several miscellaneous items. The STOCK RECORDS include three stock certificates; a stock transfer book, 1938-1956; a stock analysis done by Salomon Brothers in 1986; and notices to stockholders, 1956-1986.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection open for research 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:
Pratt, Read Corporation Records, 1839-1990, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
