Search Results

Company Name:

Charles Broadway Rouss Inc.  Search this

Notes content:

1923 ; clothing, shoes and accessories for women, men and children ; silverware, plateware and glassware ; cloth, crochet cotton, embroidery silk, sewing thread ; alarm clocks ; lighting fixtures ; jewelery ; knives ; notions and cosmetics (hair pins, corset laces, face creams, hair tonics) ; pharmaceutical goods ("Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream") ; furniture ; oil burners ; garden tools ; baseballs and other sporting goods ; leather goods ; chocolates and holiday novelties ; office products ; art and drafting supplies ; books ; saddlery and harness hardware ; food choppers and coffee mills ; hardware ; dolls and toys ; musical instruments ; luggage ; lavatory fixtures ; unique with many illustrations of period dress

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

New York City, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Appliances (household)  Search this

Artists; drafting; crafts materials and supplies  Search this

Ceramics; pottery; glass; crystal; china; bricks; and stones  Search this

Cleaning tools and supplies  Search this

Clocks and watches (including clock-making and watch-making equipment)  Search this

Clothing (including hats; shoes; accessories; etc)  Search this

Cosmetics  Search this

Curios; novelties and souvenirs  Search this

Cutlery  Search this

Department store; dry goods and mail order catalogs  Search this

Drugs; pharmaceuticals and patent medicines  Search this

Foods and beverage products and processing equipment (including brewing; distilleries; beer; wine; etc.)  Search this

Furniture and furnishings  Search this

Garden and lawn equipment and supplies  Search this

Hardware and hand tools  Search this

Heating; ventilation and air conditioning  Search this

Leather products; tanning and equestrian supplies  Search this

Lighting (electric; gas; candle; oil; etc.)  Search this

Luggage; travel; travel services and traveling accessories (including trunks; briefcases; and other traveling accessories)  Search this

Musical instruments  Search this

Office equipment and supplies  Search this

Plumbing supplies and fixtures  Search this

Sewing machines and equipment  Search this

Silverware  Search this

Sporting goods  Search this

Toys and games  Search this

Topic:

Air conditioning  Search this

Artists' materials  Search this

Beverage industry  Search this

Briefcases  Search this

Candles  Search this

Ceramics  Search this

Cleaning compounds  Search this

Cleaning machinery and appliances  Search this

Clocks and watches  Search this

Clothing and dress  Search this

Collectibles  Search this

Commercial catalogs  Search this

Cosmetics  Search this

Cutlery  Search this

Department stores  Search this

Distilleries  Search this

Dress accessories  Search this

Drugs  Search this

Dry-goods  Search this

Food industry and trade  Search this

Furniture industry and trade  Search this

Games  Search this

Garden ornaments and furniture  Search this

Garden tools  Search this

Glass  Search this

Handicraft  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_15088

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_15088

Artist:

John Plumbe, Jr., 13 Jul 1809 - 28 May 1857  Search this

Sitter:

Henry Washington Hilliard, 4 Aug 1808 - 17 Dec 1892  Search this

Medium:

Hand-colored lithograph on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 26 × 19.4 cm (10 1/4 × 7 5/8")

Sheet: 32.9 × 26.3 cm (12 15/16 × 10 3/8")

Book closed: 33.5 × 27 × 1 cm (13 3/16 × 10 5/8")

Book open: 33.5 × 53.5 × 1.2 cm (13 3/16 × 21 1/16")

Type:

Print

Place:

United States\Pennsylvania\Philadelphia\Philadelphia

Date:

1847

Topic:

Costume\Jewelry\Pin\Tie pin  Search this

Nature & Environment\Animal\Bird\Eagle  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Male  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War\Confederate Army  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\Smithsonian Institution\Regent of Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Henry Washington Hilliard: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Alabama  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.78.84.C

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location:

Currently not on view

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm44b2c74d4-e729-45f7-b92a-8fcd82aa7ff7

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.78.84.C

Artist:

John Plumbe, Jr., 13 Jul 1809 - 28 May 1857  Search this

Sitter:

Richard Mentor Johnson, 17 Oct 1781 - 18 Nov 1850  Search this

Medium:

Hand-colored lithograph on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 26.4 × 19.2 cm (10 3/8 × 7 9/16")

Sheet: 32.9 × 26.3 cm (12 15/16 × 10 3/8")

Book closed: 33.5 × 27 × 1 cm (13 3/16 × 10 5/8")

Book open: 33.5 × 53.5 × 1.2 cm (13 3/16 × 21 1/16")

Type:

Print

Place:

United States\Pennsylvania\Philadelphia\Philadelphia

Date:

1847

Topic:

Nature & Environment\Animal\Bird\Eagle  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Male  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\War of 1812  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Kentucky  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Kentucky  Search this

Richard Mentor Johnson: Politics and Government\US Senator\Kentucky  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.78.84.I

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location:

Currently not on view

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4da5c15ba-db45-4a36-88d4-4530aa86b15b

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.78.84.I

Artist:

John Plumbe, Jr., 13 Jul 1809 - 28 May 1857  Search this

Sitter:

Robert Patterson, 12 Jan 1792 - 7 Aug 1881  Search this

Medium:

Lithograph on paper

Dimensions:

Image: 26.7 × 19.3 cm (10 1/2 × 7 5/8")

Sheet: 32.9 × 26.3 cm (12 15/16 × 10 3/8")

Book closed: 33.5 × 27 × 1 cm (13 3/16 × 10 5/8")

Book open: 33.5 × 53.5 × 1.2 cm (13 3/16 × 21 1/16")

Type:

Print

Place:

United States\Pennsylvania\Philadelphia\Philadelphia

Date:

1847

Topic:

Nature & Environment\Animal\Bird\Eagle  Search this

Robert Patterson: Male  Search this

Robert Patterson: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War  Search this

Robert Patterson: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\College administrator  Search this

Robert Patterson: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Industrialist  Search this

Robert Patterson: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\War of 1812  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Object number:

NPG.78.84.M

Restrictions & Rights:

CC0

See more items in:

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Location:

Currently not on view

Data Source:

National Portrait Gallery

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49d706fd6-75dc-4184-9e25-f883e2cf7dec

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_NPG.78.84.M

Graphic artist:

Holman, Bill  Search this

Publisher:

News Syndicate Co., Inc.  Search this

Physical Description:

paper (overall material)

ink (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 31.4 cm x 67.5 cm; 12 3/8 in x 26 9/16 in

Object Name:

Drawing

Other Terms:

Drawing; Pen and Ink

Date made:

9/8/1963

09/08/1963

Credit Line:

Newspaper Comics Council, Inc., New York, NY

ID Number:

GA.22555

Catalog number:

22555

Accession number:

277502

See more items in:

Work and Industry: Graphic Arts

Cultures & Communities

Communications

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-df2e-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_797349

Collection Creator:

New York Central Railroad/Penn Central Railroad Companies  Search this

Container:

Bin C-11 (tube 8)

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

12/6/1913

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.

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:

Grand Central Terminal Collection, dates, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

Grand Central Terminal Collection

Grand Central Terminal Collection / Series 4: Drawings

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85a81631b-e444-44e6-a633-21ef9c124488

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1071-ref478

Collection Creator:

Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 1-2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1902-1933; 1934-1940

Scope and Contents:

An account of Mr. Craton's life from his birth on June 23, 1902 to January 1, 1924. Written in 1972, from old letters, genealogical materials collected by Mr. Craton's mother and memory.

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:

Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Forman H. Craton Papers

Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e4b3d73e-225a-47e3-98b2-3d02f68d8afe

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref253

Collection Creator:

Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this

Container:

Box 1, Folder 9

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1932-1933

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:

Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Forman H. Craton Papers

Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep810eee634-1f32-40eb-ad8f-1912a99466ac

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref259

Collection Creator:

Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1936-1937

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:

Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Forman H. Craton Papers

Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8aaeda311-3364-4468-aa30-519ad812117f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref261

Collection Creator:

Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this

Container:

Box 2, Folder 3

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1938-1939

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:

Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Forman H. Craton Papers

Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep80951b87c-e2d2-4d55-9c43-4608559965d3

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref262

Collection Creator:

Craton, Forman H., 1902-1983  Search this

Container:

Box 3, Folder 2-3

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1942

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:

Forman H. Craton Collection, 1902-1983, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Forman H. Craton Papers

Forman H. Craton Papers / Series 1: Memoirs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f67a0106-2e16-47e0-b7d2-02f28e1e9a67

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0454-ref269

Collection Author:

Harriman, Stephen (farmer)  Search this

Myers, Annamae Barlup (farmer)  Search this

Container:

Box 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1942

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:

Annamae Barlup Myers & Stephen Harriman Diaries, 1883-1894, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Annamae Barlup Myers and Stephen Harriman Diaries

Annamae Barlup Myers and Stephen Harriman Diaries / Series 1: Annamae Barlup Myers Diaries

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep863629066-45d4-4619-9c41-8d8b0bf4b183

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0345-ref30

Collection Author:

Harriman, Stephen (farmer)  Search this

Myers, Annamae Barlup (farmer)  Search this

Container:

Box 2

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1948

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:

Annamae Barlup Myers & Stephen Harriman Diaries, 1883-1894, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Digitization of this collection was made possible by Andrew and Anya Shiva.

See more items in:

Annamae Barlup Myers and Stephen Harriman Diaries

Annamae Barlup Myers and Stephen Harriman Diaries / Series 1: Annamae Barlup Myers Diaries

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89002f35c-97e4-4682-8879-6d52f3b5aa1f

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0345-ref36

Creator:

McCoy, Esther  Search this

Names:

Historic American Buildings Survey  Search this

Society of Architectural Historians  Search this

University of California, Los Angeles. School of Architecture and Urban Planning  Search this

Ain, Gregory, 1908-1988  Search this

Barragán, Luis, 1902-  Search this

Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012  Search this

Davidson, Julius Ralph, b. 1889  Search this

Dreiser, Theodore, 1871-1945  Search this

Ellwood, Craig  Search this

Gill, Irving, 1870-1936  Search this

Grotz, Dorothy  Search this

Hollein, Hans, 1934-2014  Search this

Jones, A. Quincy (Archie Quincy), 1913-1979  Search this

Maybeck, Bernard R.  Search this

Neutra, Richard Joseph, 1892-1970  Search this

O'Gorman, Juan, 1905-  Search this

Rand, Marvin  Search this

Schindler, R. M. (Rudolph M.), 1887-1953  Search this

Shulman, Julius  Search this

Soriano, Rafael, 1920-  Search this

Watanabe, Makoto  Search this

Worlidge, T. (Thomas), 1700-1766  Search this

Extent:

44 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Etchings

Photographs

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Drawings

Memoirs

Date:

circa 1876-1990

bulk 1938-1989

Summary:

The papers of Southern California architectural historian, critic, and writer Esther McCoy measure 44.0 linear feet and date from 1876 to 1990 (bulk 1938-1989). McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. The collection documents McCoy's career, as well as her family and personal life through biographical material, extensive correspondence, personal and professional writings, project files, Southern California architects' files, clippings and other printed material, a large collection of photographs and slides, and taped interviews of Southern California modern architects.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Southern California architectural historian, critic, and writer Esther McCoy measure 44.0 linear feet and date from 1876 to 1990 (bulk 1938-1989). McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. The collection documents McCoy's career, as well as her family and personal life through biographical material, extensive correspondence, personal and professional writings, project files, Southern California architects' files, clippings and other printed material, a large collection of photographs and slides, and taped interviews of Southern California modern architects.

Biographical and family material consists of awards, resumes, identification documents, and other documentation of McCoy's personal life. Included are a transcript of a 1984 interview of McCoy by Makoto Watanabe and material relating to her friend, Theodore Dreiser.

Correspondence focuses on her personal relationships with family, friends, and lovers, and general correspondence relating primarily to her work as a writer. McCoy's personal correspondence is valuable to researchers who are interested in her personal life, her struggles as a young writer, and the way in which her family, friends, lovers, mentors, and colleagues helped to shape her work and career. As documented in this correspondence, her life offers a glimpse into twentieth-century American social and political history, especially the radical leftist movements of the 1920s and 1930s. Researchers interested in the roots of feminism in the United States should also find these papers useful in documenting the life of a creative and productive woman who was successful in a field then almost entirely dominated by men. Correspondents of note include her husband Berkeley Tobey, lovers Geoffrey Eaton and Albert Robert, writers Ray Bradbury and Theodore Dreiser, and artists and architects, such as Dorothy Grotz, Craig Ellwood, A. Quincy Jones, Hans Hollein, and J. R. Davidson. General correspondence is primarily with researchers, professors, architects, publishers, and professional organizations.

Personal writings include McCoy's diaries, notebooks, and memoirs, and writings by others including friends, lovers, and colleagues. Also included are drafts of McCoy's fictional works, both published and unpublished, including short stories, teleplays, and novels.

The collection contains in-depth documentation of McCoy's pioneering study of the modernist work of twentieth-century architects in Southern California. The bulk of her papers consist of her writing files for books, exhibition catalogs, articles, and lectures on architecture. Because many of the architects about whom McCoy wrote were her contemporaries, she developed personal relationships with several of them through her research and writing. Her writing files include drafts, notes, research material, photographs, and correspondence. McCoy also traveled extensively, particularly in Italy and Mexico, and wrote about architecture, craft, and culture in those countries. Project files document McCoy's other activities related to architectural history, such preservation projects, juries, grants, the Dodge House Preservation Campaign and related film project, her work for the Society of Architectural Historians and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), and her work at the UCLA School of Architecture and Urban Planning, compiling a slide library and cataloging the Richard Neutra's papers. McCoy also maintained architect files which may contain correspondence, notes, photographs, research material, interview transcripts, about architects and their works. Among these extensive records, the files documenting the careers of R. M. Schindler, Irving Gill, Richard Neutra, and Juan O'Gorman are particularly rich.

Printed material in this collection documents McCoy's career as well as her personal interests. Included are books, clippings, magazines, newsletters, press releases, as well as publications arranged by subject such as architecture, art, Italy, and Mexico. McCoy also collected literary and leftist publications. The small amount of artwork in this collection consists of artwork sent to her by friends, including a drawing of her by Esther Rollo and etchings by various artists including Thomas Worlidge.

There are personal photographs of family and friends and of McCoy at different times in her life, as well as photographs gathered during the course of her research on architecture. Found here are photographs of architects and their works, including a large number depicting the work of Gregory Ain, Luis Barragan, J. R. Davidson, Irving Gill, Bernard Maybeck, Juan O'Gorman, R. M. Schindler, and Raphael Soriano. Many of these photographs were taken by notable architectural photographers Julius Shulman and Marvin Rand. Also found are photographs of architecture designed for the Case Study House program of Arts & Architecture magazine; exhibition photographs, primarily for the exhibition "Ten Italian Architects" in 1967; and other research photographs primarily documenting architecture and craft in other countries and the history of architecture in California. This series also includes approximately 3,600 slides of architecture.

Audio and video recordings include a videocassette of McCoy's 80th birthday party and 55 taped interviews with architects, people associated with architectural projects, and artists.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 10 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical and Family Material, 1881-1989 (boxes 1, 48; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1896-1989 (boxes 1-6, 4.9 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Writings, 1919-1989 (boxes 6-14; 8.1 linear feet)

Series 4: Architectural Writings, 1908-1990 (boxes 14-24, 42, 49, 50; 10.2 linear feet)

Series 5: Projects, circa 1953-1988 (boxes 24-26, 47, FC 53-56; 2.5 linear feet)

Series 6: Architect Files, 1912-1990 (boxes 26-28, 42; 2.2 linear feet)

Series 7: Printed Material, circa 1885-1990 (boxes 28-31, 42; 2.9 linear feet)

Series 8: Artwork, 1924-1967, undated (box 31; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 9: Photographs and Slides, circa 1876-1989 (boxes 31-38, 41-46, 51; 8.3 linear feet)

Series 10: Audio and Video Recordings, 1930-1984 (boxes 38-40, 47; 2.5 linear feet)

Biographical Note:

Esther McCoy (1904-1989) is remembered best for her pioneering work as an architectural historian, critic, and proponent of Southern California modern architecture of the early to mid-twentieth century. McCoy was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. Although her professional interests ranged from writing fiction to studying the folk architecture and crafts of Mexico, McCoy achieved her most notable success for her numerous articles, books, and exhibitions about Southern California architecture and the architects associated with the modernist movement.

Born in Arkansas in 1904, Esther McCoy grew up in Kansas and attended various schools in the Midwest. In 1926 she left the University of Michigan to launch a writing career in New York, where she moved in avant-garde literary circles and conducted research for Theodore Dreiser. She began writing fiction in New York and continued to write after moving to Los Angeles in 1932, working on short stories, novels, and screenplays. She published numerous short stories between 1929 and 1962, with works appearing in the New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and university quarterlies. Her short story, "The Cape," was reprinted in Best Short Stories of 1950. Many of the novels that she wrote from the mid-1960s through the 1980s were related thematically to architects and architecture.

During the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, McCoy participated in the politically radical movements of the period and wrote for leftist publications. Her interest in the lowcost housing projects of modern architects was prompted by one of her articles about slums for Epic News. During World War II she entered a training program for engineering draftsmen at Douglas Aircraft and in 1944 was hired as an architectural draftsman for the architect R.M. Schindler. As she became increasingly interested in modern architecture and design, she combined her two major career interests and began to focus her energies on architectural research, writing, and criticism. Her first article on architecture, "Schindler: Space Architect," was published in 1945 in the journal Direction.

McCoy began writing about architecture in earnest in 1950 as a free-lance contributor to the Los Angeles Times. From then until her death in 1989, she wrote prolifically for Arts & Architecture magazine, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Architectural Record, L'Architectura, Zodiac (Italy), Progressive Architecture, Lotus (Italy), and Architectural Forum. In addition to her numerous articles, McCoy wrote several books on Southern California modern architecture and architects. Her first major work, Five California Architects, published in 1960, is now recognized as a classic work in modern architectural history. It promoted a serious study of modern architecture in Southern California and introduced to the world several leading California architects and their work: Bernard Maybeck, Irving Gill, Charles and Henry Greene, and R.M. Schindler. That same year, she published another important book focusing on the work of the California architect Richard Neutra. Other books by McCoy include Modern California Houses: Case Study Houses (1962), Craig Ellwood (1968), Vienna to Los Angeles: Two Journeys (1979), and The Second Generation (1984).

In addition to these books, McCoy organized and wrote catalogs for several significant exhibitions focusing on contemporary architects. Her first was the R.M. Schindler Retrospective, a 1954 exhibition at the Landau Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Her other exhibitions and accompanying catalogs include Roots of California Contemporary Architecture, 1956, Los Angeles Municipal Art Department; Felix Candela, 1957, University of Southern California, Los Angeles; Irving Gill, 1958, Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Juan O'Gorman, 1964, San Fernando Valley State College; and Ten Italian Architects, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Moreover, McCoy contributed numerous essays to other exhibition catalogs and publications, lectured at the University of Southern California, participated in preservation projects, organized tours for the Society of Architectural Historians, and contributed to a number of documentary films. Her energy and interests also led her to catalog and transcribe Richard Neutra's papers at the University of California Los Angeles Archives.

McCoy received national recognition from the American Institute of Architects for her seminal and prolific work in the field of Southern California modern architectural history and criticism. Her interests, however, were not exclusively bound to California. She traveled the world and was interested in both Italian and Mexican architecture as well as the folk art and crafts of Mexico and South America. She made five extended trips to Italy during the 1950s and 1960s, publishing regularly about the architecture there and curating the exhibition Ten Italian Architects. She was a contributing editor to two Italian journals, Zodiac and Lotus, and was awarded the Star of Order of Solidarity in 1960 by the Republic of Italy for her research and writing.

Esther McCoy died of emphysema on December 30, 1989, at the age of eighty-five. Her last contribution was an essay for the exhibition catalog Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study House. The show opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles one month before her death.

Missing Title

1904 -- Born November 18 in Horatio, Arkansas. Raised in Kansas.

1920 -- Attended preparatory school at Central College for Women, Lexington, Missouri.

1922-1925 -- College education: Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas; University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; University of Michigan.

1924 -- Visited Theodore Dreiser in Michigan.

1926-1938 -- Began writing in New York City.

1926-1938 -- Researched and read for Theodore Dreiser.

1926-1938 -- Worked for editorial offices and publishers.

1926-1938 -- Traveled to write in Paris (1928), Key West, Florida (1930), and Los Angeles, California (1932-1935).

1938 -- Moved to Santa Monica, California.

1941 -- Married Berkeley Greene Tobey.

1942-1944 -- Employed as engineering draftsman at Douglas Aircraft.

1944-1947 -- Worked as architectural draftsman for R.M. Schindler.

1945 -- Began architectural writing career.

1950 -- Wrote script for film Architecture West.

1950 -- Joined editorial board of Arts & Architecture.

1950-1968 -- Worked as free-lance writer for the Los Angeles Times.

1951-1955 -- Traveled to, researched, and wrote about Mexico and Mexican art and architecture.

1954 -- R.M. Schindler Retrospective exhibition at the Landau Art Gallery, Los Angeles.

1956 -- Roots of California Contemporary Architecture exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Department.

1957 -- Felix Candela exhibition, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

1958 -- Irving Gill exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Traveled to Italy.

1959-1968 -- Contributing editor to Italian periodicals Zodiac and Lotus.

1960 -- Five California Architects (New York: Reinhold).

1960 -- Richard Neutra (New York: G. Braziller).

1960 -- Awarded Star of Order of Solidarity by the Republic of Italy for reporting on arts and crafts in Italy.

1962 -- Death of Berkeley Greene Tobey.

1962 -- Modern California Houses: Case Study Houses (New York: Reinhold) (reprinted as Case Study Houses, Los Angeles: Hennessey and Ingalls, 1978).

1963 -- Resident Fellow at Huntington Hartford Foundation.

1964 -- Juan O'Gorman exhibition, San Fernando Valley State College, Northridge, Calif.

1965 -- Consultant for the California Arts Commission.

1965-1966 -- Wrote and produced the film Dodge House.

1965-1968 -- Lecturer at University of California at Los Angeles, School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

1966 -- Resident Fellow at MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire.

1967 -- Ten Italian Architects exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

1967 -- Honorary Associate of the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

1967 -- Regents' Lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara.

1968 -- Craig Ellwood (New York: Walker).

1968 -- Distinguished Service Citation from the California Council of AIA.

1969-1970 -- Lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

1969-1989 -- Contributing editor of Progressive Architecture.

1971-1978 -- Graham Foundation Grants.

1974 -- Regents' Lecturer at the University of California,Santa Cruz.

1979 -- Vienna to Los Angeles: Two Journeys (Santa Monica, Calif.: Arts & Architecture Press).

1979 -- Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship.

1981 -- Los Angeles Chapter Women's Architectural League Honorary Member.

1982 -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art Council Award for Distinguished Achievement.

1983 -- Home Sweet Home: The California Ranch House exhibition at California State University.

1984 -- The Second Generation (Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith Books).

1985 -- American Institute of Architects, Institute Honor.

1986 -- High Styles exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

1987 -- Vesta Award for outstanding scholarship.

1989 -- Award from the Historical Society of Southern California.

1989 -- Award from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

1989 -- Blueprints for Modern Living: History and Legacy of the Case Study House exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Died in Santa Monica, California, December 30.

Related Material:

Also in the Archives of American Art are eight sound cassettes of a transcribed interview with Esther McCoy conducted by Joseph Giovannini, June 8-November 14, 1987.

Provenance:

The collection was given to the Archives of American Art by Esther McCoy in 1986. Before her death in 1989, McCoy assisted in the organization and identification of the papers. Original pre-print film elements for Dodge House 1916 were donated to the Archives of American Art by the Academy Film Archive in 2018.

Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of audiovisual recordings without access copies requires advance notice.

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.

Occupation:

Architectural historians -- California  Search this

Art critics -- California  Search this

Topic:

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- Mexico  Search this

Architects -- Italy  Search this

Architecture, Domestic -- California  Search this

Authors -- California  Search this

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- California  Search this

Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- Europe  Search this

Architects -- California  Search this

Feminism and art  Search this

Latino and Latin American artists  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Etchings

Photographs

Sound recordings

Interviews

Video recordings

Slides (photographs)

Transcripts

Drawings

Memoirs

Citation:

Esther McCoy papers, circa 1876-1990, bulk 1938-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Identifier:

AAA.mccoesth

See more items in:

Esther McCoy papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw93ee58e3b-f2fc-4d98-acf9-de6f76bfed63

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-mccoesth

Creator:

Fisher, Ernest Faraday, 1886-1974  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Blueprints

Correspondence

Patents

Photographs

Date:

1913-1979, undated

Summary:

Collection documents Ernest Faraday Fisher's work with heating, cooling, ventilating, and dust control systems.

Scope and Contents:

Collection consists primarily of correspondence, patents, black and white photographs, blueprints, handwritten notes, and drawings relating to Ernest Faraday Fisher's work. The correspondence include incoming and outgoing (copies) communications relating to his professional pursues with little or no information about his personal life. There is documentation for patents filed by Fisher including hydrodynamic balance (1915), fluid flow indicating meter (1918), heating apparatus (1930), air conditioning apparatus (1934), apparatus for cooling liquids (1934), sludge separators (1941), air and gas washer (1943), and water-cooled deflectors (1956). Most of the photographs are stamped Whiting Corporation on the reverse side but are undated and include images of hydro clone units. In addition, there are images of cooling units for the Gardner Advertising Company and electric heaters for Mr. Hooker's office. Blueprints for unit cooler (1933), fly ash collector (1938 January), ventilating tempering unit (1939), paint spray booth (1940), and Orchard heater for oil or liquid gas fuel (undated) are also found among these materials. Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged in one series.

Biographical:

Ernest Faraday Fisher (January 25, 1886-September 13, 1974) was born to George N. Fisher and Anna Barbara Claus in Leavenworth County, Kansas. In 1902, he graduated from Leavenworth High School at the age of sixteen and worked for one year in his father's foundry. Fisher moves to Pittsburgh in 1905, after attending the University of Kansas for one year, where he worked for Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. During this time, he attended Carnegie Tech, graduating in 1909. Employed by Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation throughout the 1910s Fisher leaves the states in 1913-1914 and moves to Europe to attend classes in the Berlin School of Technology (formerly SRH Hochschule Berlin). Upon his arrival back in the country, Fisher returned to the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company until 1920. On June 20, 1917, Fisher married Harriet M. Smith-Adair in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and to the union two sons, Ernest Faraday Jr. (April 17, 1918-March 21, 2013) and James Arthur (1920-), were born. Fisher would continue to work for many other companies including the Whiting Corporation (1940s), Wright Aeronautical Corporation (1940s), Faraday Engineering Company (1950s), and the York Corporation(1950s). During his career he acquired patents for heating, cooling, ventilating, and dust control systems. Several of these were sent to large manufacturing companies. Fisher died in 1974 at the age of eighty-eight.

Source

Biographical note found in the collection.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

For more materials relating to heating, see the following collections:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Heating Industry, NMAH.AC.0060

American Petroleum Institute Photograph and Film Collection, NMAH.AC.0711

T. B. Cryer Company Records, NMAH.AC.1085

Women's Auxiliary, National Association of Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Contractors Records, NMAH.AC.1304

Paul Steam-Heating System Company Records, NMAH.AC.1554

For more materials relating to cooling, see the following collections:

C. L. Strong Papers, NMAH.AC.0012

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Air-Conditioning, NMAH.AC.0060

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Refrigeration, NMAH.AC.0060

Frick Company Records, NMAH.AC.0293

Industry on Parade Film Collection, NMAH.AC.0507

American Petroleum Institute Photograph and Film Collection, NMAH.AC.0711

Cooper-Bessemer Corporation, NMAH.AC.0961

Nickerson and Collins Refrigeration Photographs, NMAH.AC.1044

For more materials relating to ventilating, see the following collections:

Parke, Davis Research Laboratory Records, NMAH.AC.0001

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Air-Conditioning, NMAH.AC.0060

Nicholas C. Mandragos Papers, NMAH.AC.0484

Alfred Maevis Collection, NMAH.AC.0954

Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, NMAH.AC.0984

James Forgie Papers, NMAH.AC.0986

Rudolph Hering Collection, NMAH.AC.0989

Coxe Brothers and Company, NMAH.AC.1002

Grand Central Terminal Collection, NMAH.AC.1071

T. B. Cryer Company Records, NMAH.AC.1085

For more materials relating to Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company Records, see the following collections:

George H. Clark Radioana Collection, NMAH.AC.0055

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Electricity, NMAH.AC.0060

Eisler Engineering Company Records, NMAH.AC.0734

Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company Records, NMAH.AC.0977

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown. Presumed to have been donated in 1970.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. 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:

Dust  Search this

Heating and ventilating  Search this

Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery  Search this

Genre/Form:

Blueprints

Correspondence

Patents

Photographs

Citation:

Ernest F. Fisher Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1537

See more items in:

Ernest F. Fisher Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep869b55f45-ab60-42a6-803a-b5dd3a7100f5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1537

Variant company name:

Denver, CO ; Orlando, FL ; Bensenville, IL ; Baltimore, MD ; Brownsville, TN ; Dallas, TX ; Kent, WA  Search this

Company Name:

Philips Industries Inc.  Search this

Related companies:

Lasco Div. ; Lasco Industries ; Tomkins PLC ; Lasco Composites LP  Search this

Notes content:

1984 catalog ; PVC pipe for industrial applications

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Anaheim, California, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Industrial equipment or mechanical machinery (including supplies and components)  Search this

Chemicals and chemical products  Search this

Materials handling equipment (includes barrels; bottling and filling; casters; chains; etc.)  Search this

Plastics and rubber  Search this

Plumbing supplies and fixtures  Search this

Topic:

Barrels  Search this

Bottling  Search this

Chemicals  Search this

Industrial equipment  Search this

Machinery  Search this

Plastics industry and trade  Search this

Plumbing equipment industry  Search this

Plumbing fixtures  Search this

Rubber industry and trade  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_32120

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_32120

Collector:

J. P. Morrison  Search this

Depth (m):

0.1 - 0.5

Preparation:

Dry

Stage:

dead

Place:

Plumb Creek, at the bend where the road ends to the south. This is the end of Torrence Ave, Chicago., Illinois, United States, North America

Collection Date:

28 May 1933

Published Name:

Fusconaia flava (Rafinesque, 1820)

Other Numbers:

Collector number : 9176

USNM Number:

1684053

See more items in:

Invertebrate Zoology

Mollusca

Data Source:

NMNH - Invertebrate Zoology Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3ce05b97e-03e8-45d7-bb3c-449d4b45f3ac

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhinvertebratezoology_16893037

Published by:

Freedomways Associates, Inc., American, 1961 - 1985  Search this

Edited by:

John Henrik Clarke, American, 1915 - 1998  Search this

Ernest D. Kaiser, American, born 1916  Search this

Jack O'Dell, American, 1923 - 2019  Search this

Esther Cooper Jackson, American, born 1917  Search this

John Devine  Search this

Written by:

Ellen Irene Diggs, American, 1906 - 1998  Search this

Ollie Harrington, American, 1912 - 1995  Search this

Loyle Hairston, American, 1926 - 2009  Search this

Constance E. G. Berkley, American, born 1931  Search this

Jacqueline Lee Young  Search this

Odie Hawkins, American  Search this

Virginia Rowley-Rotunno  Search this

Slettie Vera Bondurant  Search this

Sada¯nanda Rege  Search this

Vernon Kitabu Turner, American, born 1948  Search this

Subject of:

Tom Feelings, American, 1933 - 2003  Search this

Malcolm X, American, 1925 - 1965  Search this

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909  Search this

Medium:

ink on paper with metal

Dimensions:

H x W x D: 9 × 6 1/16 × 1/4 in. (22.8 × 15.4 × 0.6 cm)

Type:

magazines (periodicals)

Place printed:

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted:

Amenia, Dutchess County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Date:

1973

Topic:

African American  Search this

Activism  Search this

Art  Search this

Black Press  Search this

Civil Rights  Search this

Education  Search this

Language  Search this

Literature  Search this

Poetry  Search this

Politics  Search this

Race discrimination  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Maurice Jackson

Object number:

2021.20.14

Restrictions & Rights:

Unknown – Restrictions Possible

Rights assessment and 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/fd521b9bc81-38c0-4843-a6c7-73a93c0fb22e

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2021.20.14

Creator:

James Cunningham, Son and Company (Rochester, New York)  Search this

Extent:

10 Cubic feet (18 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Place:

Rochester (N.Y.)

Date:

1908-1964

bulk 1908-1929

Summary:

The collection consists of glass plate negatives and photographic prints of the glass plate negatives depicting horse-drawn hearses (funeral wagons), carriages, and ambulances and motorized vehicles produced by James Cunningham, Son and Company from approximately 1908 to 1929. The majority of the glass plates and photographic prints depict horse-drawn hearses, but there are some motorized vehicles.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of glass plate negatives and photographic prints of the glass plate negatives depicting horse-drawn hearses (funeral wagons), carriages, and ambulances and motorized vehicles produced by James Cunningham, Son and Company from approximately 1908 to 1929. The majority of the glass plates and photographic prints depict horse-drawn hearses, but there are some motorized vehicles.

There are approximately 335 glass plate negatives and the same number of photographic prints. It is unknown who created the photographic prints, but some of the glass plates were originally held at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

The glass plates are in three sizes: 5" x 7" 8" x 10" and 11" x 14". The glass plates and the photographic prints are arranged by an alpha-numeric system that was presumably developed by the company. In some instances, J.L. Hill is identified as a photographer.

In some instances, the model number, style and date are provided. Most images are side views, although there are some rear and interior views. Some glass plates are unidentified or missing. Some of the descriptions include lamp number information. Many carriages had mounted lamps or lanterns that were oil or battery powered. if a carriage was built for a specific person or company, such as W. H. Graham Company, this information is listed.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1, Glass Plates, A1 to A55, 1908-1929 and undated

Series 2, Glass Plates, B1 to B159, [1913?] and undated

Series 3, Glass Plates, C1 to C50, undated

Series 4, Glass Plates, D1 to D64, undated

Series 5, Glass Plates, E1 to E8, undated

Series 6, Photographic Prints, undated

Series 7: Background Materials, 1930s-1964

Biographical / Historical:

James Cunningham (1815-1886) was born in County Down, Ireland to Arthur and Ann Cunningham. He came to the United States in 1833 from Canada seeking work in the New York City area, where he had an uncle practicing architecture. In Canada, Cunningham had worked in woodwork design in a carpenter's shop east of Toronto in Cobourg, Ontario. Cunningham returned to Canada via Rochester, New York. While in Rochester, he was introduced to George Hanford and J.H. Whitbeck, entrepreneurs who set up the first coach-making shop in Rochester in 1834.

From 1834 to 1838 Cunningham worked as an apprentice and journeyman for George Hanford and J.H. Whitbeck. He formed a partnership with two of his fellow-workers, James Kerr and Blanchard Dean. Together they bought out Hanford and Whitbeck and made cutters, known as one-horse open sleighs and buggies. In 1842 Kerr and Blanchard resigned, and James Cunningham assumed full responsibility.

Cunningham married Bridget Jennings in 1838, and they had three children: Augustine, Joseph, and Margaretta. Cunningham's son, Joseph (1842?-1914) joined his father in the company and as a result, the company reorganized in 1866 as James Cunningham and Son. Joseph Cunningham became a full partner in 1868. Rufus Dryer (1846-1937) became a partner in 1875 when he married Margaretta Cunningham in the same year. There were branch offices with display rooms in Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Chicago, Des Moines, Kansas City, Topeka, Denver, and San Francisco. In 1876, Cunningham carriages and a hearse won prizes at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

In 1882, the firm was incorporated as James Cunningham, Son and Company. It was the largest industrial enterprise in Rochester, New York, both in its plant area and in capital. The firm continued to make carriages until 1915. Joseph Cunningham and Rufus Dryer retired in 1909, and the company, which had become a partnership, was reincorporated. Augustine Cunningham, son of Joseph Cunningham, was president, James Dryer (son of Rufus Dryer) vice-president, and Francis Cunningham (son of Joseph Cunningham) was secretary and general manager.

In 1908 the company began automobile production, not for the popular market, but for the type of customer that bought its carriages. The company did not mass-produce their automobiles. Intially, it made only automobile bodies and assembled the rest of the car from engines, transmissions, axles, and radiators made by proprietary companies. By 1910 it produced the entire automobile. In 1916 Cunningham produced a V-8 engine, and the Cunningham car became outstanding for its clean, classic lines. It was the first car to not have running-boards, using instead steps of brass-framed aluminum.

In the late 1920s Cunningham entered the aviation business and created a subsidiary, the Cunningham-Hall Aircraft Corporation. The primary aim of the corporation was to build an airplane that would combine stability with speed. The first Cunningham-Hall plane designed with these requirements was a modified biplane: the lower wing was considerably larger than the upper and slotted, so that a current of air could be made to flow between its surfaces. This enabled the plane to land at low speeds. It was first tested in the small town of LeRoy, New York. Cunningham-Hall continued to make aircraft until 1938. Its X-14324, produced in 1934, was a low-wing monoplane made entirely of metal. The company also produced primary trainers, a six-place cabin plane, other passenger and cargo craft, and experimental planes for the Army and Navy. By the early 1930s the company had ceased to produce automobiles and funeral carriages/hearses.

Over the years Cunningham made a wide variety of products. During World War II, Cunningham found a temporary role in defense production. Prior to the war the compaay had produced a variety of odd products: safety belts for aircraft, diving helmets, even belt buckles for Boy Scout uniforms. During the Civil War the company made carriages for the Union armies, and the First World War, ambulances and automotive windlasses for observation balloons. More significant had been its experience of producing armored and tracked vehicles. In March 1928, Cunningham's first tank was tested at Aberdeen, Maryland. Equipped with a revolving turret and armed with a 37 millimeter cannon and a .30 caliber machine gun, it traveled twenty miles an hour, faster than any tank produced up to that time. In 1933, Cunningham developed a tank track, with light-weight rubber-block treads that allowed for even greater speeds. Cunningham also developed experimental half-tracks, cargo carriers, armored cars, and a weapons carrier for a 75 millimeter Howitzer.

In 1940 James Dryer retired. The corporation was dissolved in 1941 and replaced by a partnership, with Augustine and Francis Cunningham as co-partners. After World War II, the firm produced small farm and garden machines such as sickle-bar mowers, tractors, and rotary tillers. Cunningham also designed and produced a complete line of plumbing fixtures for house trailers in a constant effort to retool and redefine itself in the post-war years.

By 1952, the firm met Andrew W. Vincent, an electrical engineer with Stromberg-Carlson in Rochester. Vincent devoted himself to perfecting a small dial telephone system. The heart of this system was the crossbar switch. The company acquired Vincent's initial designs and patent applications and hired him as a consultant. The company restricted its production to creating prototypes of switching devices. The Cunningham crossbar was versatile. It had the ability to switch electrical information from low-level DC signals to 100 megacycles, reliably and at high speeds.

In 1968, Peter F. Cunningham, then president of the company, sold controlling interest to the Gleason Works, a Rochester-based manufacturer of machine tools. Under Gleason Works, the company was renamed Cunningham Corporation. In 1977, all Cunningham-related activities ended.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History, Division of Work & Industry

1929 Cunningham touring car. See accession #:310671.

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Cunningham-Hall Collection, 1917-1940 (bulk 1928-1930)

Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Trade Literature Collection

Trade catalogs from James Cunningham Son & Company (See SILNMAHTL_12462)

Materials in Other Organizations

Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages

Includes drawings, a trade catalog, a cart, and a buggy from James Cunningham and Sons.

Detroit Public Library

Papers of the James Cunningham Company, 1902-1964 (bulk 1909-1946)

Includes notebooks of G. Carson Baker, chief designer and David Fergusson, chief engineer, patent applications, correspondence, drawings and blueprints related to Fergusson's work, parts and instruction books for early automobiles (including electric automobiles), photographs of Cunningham factories, military vehicles and motor trucks.

Rochester Museum and Science Center, Libraries and Collections Department

Local Business History vertical files hold items related to James Cunningham, Son and Company as well as books.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 1973 by the Cunningham Company to the National Museum of American History, Division of Transportation.

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.

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.

Topic:

Horse-drawn vehicles  Search this

Hearses (Vehicles)  Search this

Family-owned business enterprises  Search this

Automobile industry and trade  Search this

Carriage industry  Search this

Automobiles -- Design and construction  Search this

Carriage and wagon making  Search this

Ambulances  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 1900-1950

Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass -- 1900-1950

Citation:

James Cunningham, Son and Company Photonegatives, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1193

See more items in:

James Cunningham, Son and Company Photographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep84ed2ac9d-7565-4037-b058-0160c47a077c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1193

Company Name:

Seaboard Plumbing Specialty Corp.  Search this

Notes content:

plumbing supplies

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Physical description:

8 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

New York, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Plumbing supplies and fixtures  Search this

Topic:

Plumbing equipment industry  Search this

Plumbing fixtures  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_18119

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_18119