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Catalog Data

Creator:
Messmore, George Harold  Search this
Messmore and Damon Company  Search this
Damon, Joseph  Search this
Extent:
16 Cubic feet (40 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Clippings
Business records
Phonograph records
Date:
1892 - 1998
Summary:
The records document Messmore and Damon's work in the design and construction of parade floats, museum dioramas, exhibitions, displays and scenery. The materials include business records, photographs, patents, scrapbooks, promotional materials, sound recordings and moving image.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of papers relating to Messmore and Damon's work in the design and construction of parade floats, museum dioramas, exhibitions, displays and scenery. The materials include business records, patents, photographs, scrapbooks containing clippings and photographs, promotional materials, sound recordings, and moving image.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into eleven series. Series 1: Background/Biographical Materials, 1925-1996 Series 2: Business Files, 1918-1997 Subseries 2.1: Messmore and Damon, Inc., 1918-1988 Subseries 2.2: Messmore, Inc., 1971-1989 Series 3: Patents, 1892-1952 Series 4: Projects/Exhibitions, 1924-1997 Series 5: Parades, 1960-1997 Series 6: Product Literature, circa 1930s-1992 Series 7: Heart Patient Simulator Materials, 1977-1998 Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1925-1947 Series 9: Photographs, 1900-1997 Subseries 9.1: Family, 1900-1997 Subseries 9.2: Subjects, 1930-1995 Subseries 9.3: Chronological, 1957-1985 Subseries 9.4: Ephemera, undated Subseries 9.5: Postcards, undated Subseries 9.6: Negatives, undated Series 10: Oversize Materials, 1930-1989 Series 11: Audiovisual Materials, 1933-1937, 1997 Subseries 11.1: Audio Discs, 1933-1937 Subseries 11.2: Moving Image, 1997
Biographical / Historical:
Messmore and Damon, Inc. was founded in 1914 by George Harold Messmore (1884-1961) and Joseph A. Damon (1882-1962). Messmore and Damon met in 1916 while working on floats for the Elks Convention in New York City. The two formed a partnership and in 1914 opened Messmore and Damon, Inc., a small shop where they initially constructed animal displays, but quickly expanded to theatrical scenery, parade floats, props for television, amusement park operations, seasonal displays, special effects in stores, advertising and promotional work, window displays, dioramas, and other exhibit work. Most of their parade and department store work featured mechanical devices which animated the animal and human figures involved, pioneering in what became known as "animatronics." The firm did the first Macy's Day Parade in 1924 and attained world-wide fame with their exhibit, The World a Million Years Ago at the 1933-1934, Chicago Century of Progress Exposition. A separate company, Messmore, Inc., was created to manufacture and sell a cardiology patient simulator, "Harvey," later known as "George," for use in medical schools. Joseph A. Damon, born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, attended art school in St. Louis. A scenic artist by training he worked at Lee Lash Studios and built floats for the Hudson/Fulton Celebration in 1909. Damon married Olga Schaufelberger and had one daughter named Olga C. Damon (1922-2000). George H. Messmore, known as "GH," started his career working backstage in theaters and built displays for the Panama-Pacific Exposition (1915). Messmore married Meta Decker (1890-1985) and they had one son, Francis (1916-1997), known as "Fran." Fran joined Messmore and Damon in 1946, working on department store displays and ran the company until his death in 1997. The company was dissolved on September 2, 1998.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection (AC1319) Michael Cipriano Papers (AC1274) Landy Hales Papers (AC0906) John Nicholson Papers (AC1279) Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the World's Fair (AC0560)
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Pamela Messmore Tobiason, granddaughter of George H. Messmore, in 2003.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions. Reference copies for the audio discs do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement with Archives Center staff. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
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:
Parades  Search this
Dioramas  Search this
Parade float designers  Search this
Parade floats  Search this
Exhibitions  Search this
Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Clippings -- 20th century
Business records -- 20th century
Phonograph records
Citation:
Messmore and Damon Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0846
See more items in:
Messmore and Damon Company Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bff24a52-47bd-4f0d-a54e-86e811c4bf27
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0846