Bryce Canyon National Park -- photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Utah
Wyoming -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Colorado -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
South Dakota -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Florida -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Georgia -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Tennessee -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Zion National Park (Utah) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Kentucky -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Mt. Rushmore S.D. -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Black Hills (S.D. and Wyo.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Badlands National Park (S.D.) -- 1930-1940 photographs
Date:
1935 - 1940
Summary:
The collection consists of a disassembled photograph album, featuring images from the travels of Stauffer and his wife.
Scope and Contents:
This album consists of 109 loose pages, bearing a total of 134 black and white silver gelatin photoprints, some postcards, and a photomechanical reproduction clipped from a publication, with a 1939 World's Fair ticket stub. The subjects of the photographs include: Lincoln's birthplace and other sites in Kentucky; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida; Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts; the 1939 New York World's Fair, ships in Battery Park and Manhattan buildings; the ships The Normandie, The Queen Mary, and The U.S.S. Constitution and the Southern Clipper airplane; the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, Cathedral Spires and Mount Rushmore portrait busts during construction; Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming; Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak and Denver, Colorado; Bryce Canyon, the Mormon Temple, Zion National Park, Salt Lake City and other areas of Utah; Boulder Dam; Santa Catalina Island; Carlsbad Caverns; and celebrities Bill Robinson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson at a barbecue in Los Angeles. There are also photographs of the Stauffers and of friends whom they visited during their travels.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Alliance, Ohio on November 28, 1899, Clyde Stauffer served in the U.S. Navy from November 8, 1917 to July 31, 1919. He later worked as a police officer in Detroit, Michigan. He and his wife were active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post in Detroit, serving terms as post commander and president of the Women's Auxiliary, respectively. They traveled extensively throughout the United States to attend VFW meetings, and the album forms a record of their travels during the years 1935-1940. After retirement from the Detroit police force, the Stauffers moved to Oscoda, Michigan, and he worked at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Later they lived in Tucson, Arizona. Stauffer died in August, 1984.
Album forms a record of vacation travel by Mr. and Mrs. Clyde W. Stauffer, 1935-1940. Their travels were occasioned by Mr. Stauffer's position as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post of Detroit, Michigan, and the need to attend V.F.W. meetings around the country. Mrs. Stauffer was president of the V.F.W. auxiliary. Mr. and Mrs. James H. Stern met the Stauffers in Oscoda, Michigan, and both families eventually relocated in Tucson, Arizona.
Provenance:
This collection was bequeathed by Clyde W. Stauffer in August 1984. Mr. Stern, as administrator of the estate, sent the album to the Museum.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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:
Automobile travel -- Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- U.S.A. Search this
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945 Search this
Extent:
1 Sound disc (33 1/3 RPM)
1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound discs
Photographs
Place:
Mexico
Date:
1962 - 1962
1938-1944
bulk 1941-1941
Summary:
Papers document Katherine Joseph's career as staff photographer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. The papers contain negatives and prints taken in Mexico, and some photographs of a White House event in 1938, featuring Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; and images of American workers on the home front during World War II.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of negatives and photographs from Ms. Joseph's career as staff photographer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. There are also images taken in Mexico, and some photographs of a White House event in 1938, featuring Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; images of American workers on the home front during World War II; correspondence and travel notes.
Series 1, Historical Background, 1941, undated, consists of correspondence and travel notes from a photojournalistic trip to Mexico in 1941.
The correspondence is organized into three sections, Tayoltita in Northwest Mexico, the 1941 Colima, Mexico earthquake, and Thelma Goldman. In addition to the correspondence there are typescript captions for some of the photographs and annotated drafts of travel notes detailing the Mexico trip.
Series 2, Photographic Negatives and Prints, [1941?] and undated, consists of negatives and prints for garment workers and the photojournalistic trip to Mexico. The negatives and prints are housed together in 4" x 5" envelope enclosures. Captions and other information about the negative/print is provided on the envelope. The majority of negatives and prints are undated, and there is no arrangement.
Series 3, Photographic Prints, 1938, 1941 and undated, is further divided into four subseries topically: Subseries 1, International Ladies Garment Workers Union; Subseries 2, Labor; Subseries 3, Mexico and Subseries 4, Subjects. The photographs are 8" x 10" black-and-whites taken by Katherine Joseph and some by Harry Rubenstein, another journalist. The photographs are arranged topically. Some of the photographs have captions and/or annotations, and almost all bear a stamp "photo by Katherine Joseph."
Series 4, "Pins and Needles" (audio disc), 1962, consists of one (1) 33 1/3 RPM audio disc from the Pins and Needles twenty-fifth anniversary. Pins and Needles was originally produced by the Cultural Division of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union under the leadership of Louis Schaffer. The music and lyrics for Pins and Needles was composed by Harold Rome in 1936–1937. The revue had its public debut on November 27, 1937 at the New York Labor Stage, which had been created when the ILGWU leased the Princess Theater and renovated the space for union cultural performances. Because of their factory jobs, cast and crew could rehearse only at night and on weekends, and initial performances were presented only on Friday and Saturday nights. The original cast was made up of cutters, basters, and sewing machine operators. Pins and Needles satirized current events and cultural trends from a pro-union standpoint. Pins and Needles went on to become the longest-running musical of the 1930s, with 1108 New York performances and multiple national tours.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into three series.
Series 1, Historical Background, 1941, undated
Series 2, Photographic Negatives and Prints, 1941 and undated
Series 3, Photographic Prints, 1938, 1941 and undated
Subseries 3.1, International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), undated
Subseries 3.2, Labor, undated
Subseries 3., Mexico, undated
Subseries 3.4, Subjects, 1938, 1941, 1944 and undated
Series 4: Sound Recording, 1962
Biographical / Historical:
Katherine Joseph (1909-1990) was active as a professional photographer from approximately 1937 to 1944. Much of her time was spent as a staff photographer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) in New York City. Her photographs documented workers on the shop floors and union, community, political, and cultural activities. One of Joseph's most notable assignments was a 1938 visit to the White House where she photographed the cast of ILGWU's Broadway revue, "Pins and Needles," performed for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the invitation of Eleanor Roosevelt. After the Second World War, Joseph left her photographic career to look after her family. In 1941, Joseph undertook a photojournalistic tour of Mexico with two friends, Thelma Goldman, and Andrée Vilas Graham, made possible by the gift of a Willys-Overland Americar to Joseph and her two friends as part of of publicity campaign for the Americar.
Willys-Overland Motors, was an American automobile company founded by John North Willys in 1908 and best known for its design and production of military Jeeps during World War II.
The Americar that Joseph and her friends drove to Mexico was a powder blue Model 441 which they nicknamed "Willy.". Their south-of-the-border road trip held only one obligation, to send back to the United States photographs featuring themselves and "Willy" against the Mexico landscape. Katherine Joseph took photographs and Thelma Goldman and Andrée Vilas-Graham wrote about their travels using a portable typewriter. When the women arrived in Mexico City they secured press passes from the Minister of Information.
Joseph returned to New York as America was gearing up to enter the war and resumed working for the ILGWU in 1942. Her New York images from this period chronicle the Home Front contributions of the garment industry to the war effort. In July 1944 Joseph covered the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where Franklin D. Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth-term nomination and Harry S. Truman was chosen as his running mate over the incumbent vice-president, Henry Wallace. This was to be Joseph's last professional assignment before, like millions of American women, she gave up her career to devote herself to family life.
Related Materials:
Materials at Other Organizations
A master's thesis written by Suzanne Herzberg is available through the University of Southern California's Digital Library. The thesis does not form part of the Katherine Joseph Papers held by the Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Author retains sole copyright; use of copyrighted material requires author's permission.
Herzberg, Suzanne. "Photo by Katherine Joseph." (master's thesis, University of Southern California, 2002), 217 pages.
Hertzberg, Suzanne. Katherine Joseph Photographing an Era of Social Significance. Bergamot Books, 2016.
When Katherine Joseph died in 1990, her daughter discovered a trove of memorabilia from her mother's life as a Roosevelt-era photographer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU). Ms. Joseph's photographs celebrate the golden age of organized labor, from her iconic image of the ILGWU's Pins and Needles White House performance to her sensitive portraits of men and women at work. Her images from a 1941 journey to Mexico reveal a nation caught in the high-stakes political crossfire between the superpowers of the day. She photographed marketplaces, artists' colonies, and Acapulco's posh set as well as a secret gold mine, a historic labor convention, American movie stars on a "Goodwill Fiesta" tour, and a devastating earthquake. Returning to New York, Ms. Joseph documented labor's home front efforts and the historic 1944 Democratic Convention that put Harry Truman on the ballot. Hertzberg's book tells a remarkable story that preserves a legacy of historical, artistic, and feminist significance.
Separated Materials:
Materials in National Museum of American History, Division of Political History
Division holds some materials related to the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union
Provenance:
Donated by Suzanne Hertzberg and Richard Hertzberg, daughter and son of Katherine Joseph, February 20, 2007.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Rights:
Copyright held by donor. Written permission required prior to obtaining reproductions. Consult with Archives Center staff for contact information. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Correspondence; sketchbooks; sketches; scrapbooks; exhibition catalogs; photographs; business records; and printed material.
Correspondence, mostly routine business dealing with exhibitions, sales, purchases of equipment, and other business matters, and from family and friends in the art world, including Alexander Calder, Herman Cherry, Robert M. Coates, Helen Frankenthaler, Clement Greenberg, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, George Rickey, Marian Willard and others; sketchbooks, sketches, and notebook, annotated and relating to his sculptural work, 1930s-1940s; lectures, speeches, and writings; an 18 page transcript of an interview of Smith conducted by Thomas Hess, June 1964; photographs, mostly small snapshots of Smith's work, often annotated with descriptive information; scrapbook materials; articles; exhibition catalogs and announcements; and publications.
Biographical / Historical:
David Smith (1906-1965) was a sculptor from Bolton Landing, N.Y. Began his career as a painter. Studied at Art Students League. Married artist Dorothy Dehner. Was one of the first sculptors to develop a uniquely American abstract style. Worked in monumental style, incorporating painted metal and welding techniques into his work. Smith died in an automobile accident in May 1965.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming by Rebecca and Candida Smith.
Restrictions:
ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required.
Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- Bolton Landing Search this
Topic:
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film sheet, 8" x 10".)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Westminister Street (Washington, D.C.)
9th Street (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1939-1940
Scope and Contents:
Ink on negative: "G McGuire view". Exterior of McGuire's Funeral Services on 9th Street and Westminister Street. "DEFENDER SAFETY BASE" edge imprint. No Scurlock number.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Seventeen messengers, some with bicycles, in two groups on both sides of an automobile in front of a Western Union office.
Local Numbers:
AC0205-0000129 (AC Scan)
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
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.
Messengers unloading Western Union van. See also image AC0205-0000085.
Local Numbers:
AC0205-0000128 (AC Scan)
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
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.
The collection documents the forty day driving trip made by Ada Mitchell and her son Cecil from Vancouver, Canada to Key West, Florida and back, August-September 1938. This diary was kept by Ada Mitchell and tracks their experiences in all of the places they visited.
Scope and Contents:
A diary chronicling a road trip taken in 1938 by Ada Mitchell and her son Cecil. The trip began in Vancouver, British Columbia, continued through the southern United States to Key West, Florida, and concluded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along the way Ada Mitchell commented on the places they visited, the prices of products, and other aspects of their trip. Two photographs of Mitchell and her son are included.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
Ada Mitchell was born on December 20, 1882 in Birmingham, United Kingdom and died in 1958 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She lived most of her life in Toronto, moving to Vancouver for a short period. Her son, Horace Cecil Mitchell, was born on June 5, 1908 in Birmingham, United Kingdom and died in 1966 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He accompanied her on their trip from Vancouver, Canada to Key West, Florida and back to Toronto, Canada.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center by Ada Mitchell's great-grandson, Gordon Griffith in 2015.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
Displayed in Archives Center exhibition, "Americans Experience Mexico," Sept. 1-Nov. 30, 2010; Craig Orr, curator.
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research access on site by appointment. Gloves required with unprotected photographs.
Series 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.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Geographical Categories: Mexico, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film sheet., [10" x 20"].)
Container:
Box 6, Folder 6
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Banquet camera photographs
Panoramas
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Washington (D.C.) -- 1930-1950 -- Photographs
Date:
1931
Scope and Contents:
Scan Number: AC0618.004.0001291.tif
Exterior view of the Freedmen's Hospital building. There are trees and cars in front of the building. No ink on negative. Pencil on tape "1931". No edge imprint.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Series 8: Business Records, Subseries 8.1: Studio Session Registers are restricted. Digital copies available for research. See repository for details.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Banquet camera photographs -- 1930-1940
Panoramas
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item (Silver gelatin on cellulose acetate film sheet, 11" x 20".)
Container:
Box 13, Folder 79
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Panoramas
Banquet camera photographs
Retouching
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Washington (D.C.) -- 1930-1950 -- Photographs
U Street, N.W. (Washington, D.C.)
Date:
1935 August 4
Scope and Contents:
Scan Number: 618ns0241672sc.tif
Posed group of men in two rows. The front row is seated on a lawn, the other row stand behind them. In the background is a building and a bus and car on the road. Signpost reads, "N.W. U ST" and "N.W. 10 ST." Ink on negative: caption and "Scurlock Photo". "DEFENDER SAFETY BASE" edge imprint. Pencil retouching on faces.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Series 8: Business Records, Subseries 8.1: Studio Session Registers are restricted. Digital copies available for research. See repository for details.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Panoramas
Banquet camera photographs -- 1930-1940
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Retouching -- Pencil
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Man sitting on the back bumper of a car, a younger man with a rag standing next to the bumper.
Local Numbers:
AC0161-0000001.tif (AC Scan No.)
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site, by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
Collection Rights:
Photographs by de Wendler-Funaro are available for reproduction. Fees for commercial use. Permission to reproduce photographs by Alexander Alland must be granted by the photographer's estate; other photographs may have copyright restrictions.
Roumanian [sic] Gypsy women chat in the middle of the village [Maspeth], oblivious of Twentieth Century fashions [caption taped to print : black &white photoprint.]
Photographer:
Wendler-Funaro, Carlos de, 1898-1985 (language teacher, also known as Carl Funaro) Search this
Typed caption attached to the bottom of the photograph. Two automobiles visible in background. "1939 / Maspeth / L.I." hand-written in ink, at right of caption.
Local Numbers:
AC0161-0000009.tif (AC Scan No.)
Restrictions:
Unrestricted research use on site, by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
Collection Rights:
Photographs by de Wendler-Funaro are available for reproduction. Fees for commercial use. Permission to reproduce photographs by Alexander Alland must be granted by the photographer's estate; other photographs may have copyright restrictions.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 62
Culture:
African Americans -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans
Scope and Contents:
Caption in ink on negative. Image shows row houses with cars on street. "DEFENDER SAFETY BASE" edge imprint. No Scurlock number.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 62
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
College Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.
Scope and Contents:
Row houses with automobiles parked in front of them. Unnumbered.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 17
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
1935
Scope and Contents:
Funeral home with sign, hearse, and two other automobiles. "1935 / Mr. M. Malvin [sic]. E" in ink on film edge. Defender safety base edge imprint.
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Funeral homes -- 1930-1940 -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Buildings -- Washington (D.C.) -- 1930-1940. Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
Scurlock, George H. (Hardison), 1919-2005 Search this
Extent:
1 Item
Container:
Box 35
Type:
Archival materials
Photographs
Date:
May 23, '35 [1935]
Scope and Contents:
Photograph of Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall, located at 6th Street, NW. More than six automobiles, parked on both sides of the street are visible. Date only on film edge. Film edge imprint: "Eastman--Safety--Kodak--156".
Subseries Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view negatives due to cold storage. Using negatives requires a three hour waiting period. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.
Subseries Rights:
When the Museum purchased the collection from the Estate of Robert S. Scurlock, it obtained all rights, including copyright. The earliest photographs in the collection are in the public domain because their term of copyright has expired. The Archives Center will control copyright and the use of the collection for reproduction purposes, which will be handled in accordance with its standard reproduction policy guidelines. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film
Subseries Citation:
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
The collection was acquired with assistance from the Eugene Meyer Foundation. Elihu and Susan Rose and the Save America's Treasures program, provided funds to stabilize, organize, store, and create digital surrogates of some of the negatives. Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
A very complete collection of records of a "Mom and Pop" rural service station in the post-World War II era. Includes papers illustrating the day-to-day operations of the garage, such as financial records, ledgers, and property records. Also included are personal papers, such as a diploma and letters; and photographs, both personal and of the business.
Scope and Contents:
This collection is a very complete collection of records representative of the many small "mom and pop" service stations that went into business in the years following World War II. The records represent a time when Americans fell headlong in love with the automobile. With their increased mobility (as well as their additional disposable income), they took to the roads. The many financial documents, ledgers, canceled checks and monthly profit and loss statements, present a day to day picture of the economics of a small local gas station/garage operation. The personal items illustrate not only facets of the man who owned the garage but also, through the documents relating to the Ward residence, a picture of home ownership prior to World War II. Also of note is the V-mail from Ward's brother-in-law, Henry Whitehill Townshend (1912-1989) covering the years 1942-1945 during his service with the 29th Division, US Army, in the European theatre of World War II.
The collection is divided into five series. All series are arranged chronologically.
Series 1: Financial Records, 1946-1962, includes cancelled checks, monthly profit and loss statements, 1946-1961, garage property financing documents,1946, bills and receipts,1952-1962, a final inventory from 1962 and a boundary survey for a neighboring property from 1962 that includes the relation of the Ward's Garage and Ward home properties relative to their neighboring properties.
Series 2: Garage Ledgers, 1946-1962, includes garage ledgers 1946-1962 and one ledger with no date that detail daily income and expenses month by month.
Series 3: Photographs, 1929-1951 includes personal photographs of Ward and his wife Margaret, the Ward residence, Ward working on a car, photographs of Ward's Garage during construction and at completion, one photograph of Ward's Garage taken in the aftermath of a wind storm, photographs of Ward's participation in two Firemen's Parades and an aerial view of Hyde Field and the Ward residence.
Series 4: Forms and Promotional Items, 1961, undated, includes blank forms used in the garage operation, Estimate of Damage sheets and blank bill heads and two of Ward's Garage promotional items, a 1961 calendar and an undated thermometer.
Series 5: Personal Papers, 1929-1965, includes Ward's 1929 High School Diploma, a bank book for his personal account, marriage, confirmation and certificates, hunting licenses, documents relating to purchasing land and building the Ward residence (10316 Piscataway Road), V-mail from Ward's brother-in-law Henry W. Townshend, 1942-1945, a Christmas card from his nephew William H. Townshend, Ward's Last Will and Testament and funeral ephemera and bills.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into 5 series.
Series 1: Financial Records, 1946-1962
Series 2: Garage Ledgers, 1946-1962
Series 3: Photographs, 1929-1951
Series 4: Blank Forms and Promotional Items, 1961 and undated
Series 4: Personal Papers, 1929-1965
Biographical Note:
Frank Elmo Ward (1912-1964) was born on the family tobacco farm near Thrift in southern Prince George's County, Maryland on February 2, 1912. He seldom used his real middle name preferring Elmer as opposed to Elmo. His parents were Harrison C. and Rena Roberts Ward. He attended local elementary and secondary schools graduating from Surratt Senior High School in 1929. Growing up on the farm, Ward had been adept at fixing various types of farm machinery and as automobiles became a more prominent part of the landscape he found he enjoyed working on cars. After high school, Ward worked on the family farm and eventually took a job with Mandell Chevrolet in Washington, DC. On May 26, 1933, he married Margaret Naylor Townshend (1908-1997), the daughter of Harry N. and Martha Robinson Townshend of Marston in Carroll County, Maryland. The couple had no children. They eventually purchased an acre of land from Nicholas Miller and built a house in 1936. The property was across from Hyde Field Airport and situated on the Piscataway Road between the small towns of Piscataway and Clinton (also known as Surrattsville). Ward enjoyed hunting as a leisure time activity. He also enjoyed showing off his antique car, a 1916 Overland that he had purchased from his cousin, Mamie Herbert. Ward was active in civic affairs. He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, Clinton, where he served on the vestry and he was also a member of the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department. He participated in many Firemen's Parades throughout the state.
In 1945, Ward grew tired of his job at Mandell's and decided to go into business for himself. With the increased amount of automobile ownership and travel after World War II along with the ever increasing need to keep those vehicles running, Ward decided to become his own boss and open a full-service auto garage. He purchased one third of an acre of land, a few hundred feet from his home, near the corner of Piscataway Road and Tippett Road (Liber 808, folio 490, Prince George's County Land Records). Initially borrowing money from his former employer, Mandell's, Ward constructed his new garage and service station according to his own plans and sketches. The garage was built of cinderblock with a paint shop added to the rear at a later date. The garage opened for business on January 2, 1946 with Ward and one full-time employee, William "Billy" Tippett. Ward borrowed money from The Second National Bank of Washington in March 1946 to repay his employer for the money borrowed to construct his garage. The construction note was paid off in April 1954. The garage proximity to Hyde Field Airport as well as Andrews AFB and being situated along Piscataway Road, a major artery between the western side of the county and the town of Clinton, in the east, assured the garage a steady customer base. Also, in a community of strong family ties, being related by birth and marriage to many families in the area made him a known commodity and many of his extended family went the extra mile to patronize his garage over one that was perhaps closer to them. Ward also advertised in The Enquirer Gazette, the local county newspaper.
In addition to selling Texaco gasoline and oil products and doing general car repairs, Ward also dealt in used cars and trucks and seems to have sold new Kaiser-Fraiser cars as well. He later added a paint shop to the rear of the garage. He offered towing and wrecker services and attended used automobile auctions as far away as Fredericksburg, Virginia. Ward initially kept his own books/ledgers until July 1946. Beginning in late July, his wife Margaret, who termed the garage "the doghouse," kept the books/ledgers and "ran parts" for the business. She kept a double set of books/ledgers and the garage used outside auditing firms for accounting: first Pearson's Counting House in Washington, DC, then County Bookkeeping Service in Waldorf, Maryland. A business checking account was established at The Clinton Bank and it seems that some household expenses did on occasion come out of the business checking account. At Christmas, Ward gave out the usual promotional items to his valued customers: calendars and thermometers. His waiting room also offered the usual range of snack food, a Coca-Cola machine and Lance brand crackers and cookies. The garage was a success but Ward's increasing battle with alcoholism eventually began to take its toll on his health and ability to manage the garage. Because of his worsening illness, the garage was closed on August 1, 1962 and sold in November to Cecil and Betty Williamson. Ward died on February 2, 1964. His wife Margaret died on September 28, 1997. Both he and his wife are buried in Westminster Cemetery, Carroll County, Maryland.
Separated Materials:
The Division of Home and Community Life (formerly Division of Costume and Textiles Collection) holds related objects that include personal clothing and cosmetics from Frank and Margaret Ward.
For Margaret Ward these include:
Woman's necklace,1906, (See accession number 1992.0474.13)
Rouge compact (Princess Pat), 1920-1940, (See accession number 1998.0129.1)
Rouge compact (Kissproof), 1920-1940, (See accession number 1998.0129.2)
Lipstick (Colgate), 1935-1950,(See accession number 1998.0129.3)
Rouge (Hazel Bishop), 1945-1960,(See accession number 1998.0129.4)
Card of buttons (Chic), 1930-1940, (See accession number 1998.0129.5)
Nail polish (Northern Warren), 1930-1950,(See accession number 1998.0129.6)
Two women's brooches (possibly antimacassar pins), 1930-1939, (See accession number 1998.0129.8)
Woman's brooch, 1900-1925, (See accession number 2003.0015001)
Hair curler, 1933-1938, (See accession number 1998.0038.1)
Tape measure, 1930-1940, (See accession number 1998.0038.2)
Woman's compact (Bourjois), 1944-1954, (See accession number 2001.0196.17)
Container of dusting powder (Helena Rubenstein), 1940-1950, See accession number 2001.0196.18)
Container of dusting powder (Coty), 1940-1950, (See accession number 2001.0196.19)
There is a photograph, most likely a wedding portrait, in which Martha is wearing the woman's necklace referred to above (see accession number 92-11940). She married Harry Naylor Townsend on 29 October 1906. Margaret married Frank Ward in 1933. For photographs of Margaret and Frank Ward see the Ward's Garage Papers, #783, AC-NMAH.
For Frank Ward there are the following items:
A bathing suit, 1890-1900, (See accession number 1997.0327)
A buckle, 1920-1940, (See accession number 1998.0129.7)
Provenance:
Donated to the National Museum of American History, Archives Center, by Franklin A. Robinson, Jr., in August 2001.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
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.
The collection contains 74 unmounted silver gelatin photoprints. Sizes range from typical amateur rollfilm snapshots up to 5" x 7" enlargements. A typical range of snapshot subjects is included, such as a wedding group, informal portraits, including people with automobiles, landscapes and waterfalls (including the Temperance River and Gooseberry Falls), the Split Rock Lighthouse, and a costume party. Seven prints have been hand colored. Some prints are identified in pencil on the verso. The dates September 28, 1936 and September 21, 1937 are included, and several prints are identified as processed by Brown Photo Service, Minneapolis, Minn., and La Crosse Film Service ("Nature Tone Prints"), La Cross, Wis., so it is assumed that most of the subjects are in Minnesota and Wisconsin. One picture of an infant is marked "Michael Shaw Ohme 4 mo."
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged topically.
Historical:
As the donor did not supply identification with the photographs, nothing is known about them except for captions and marks on the backs of the prints.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Marshall Sylvia, 1988.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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 consists of three photoprints of African American subjects.
The dates and captions of the photographs are written on print surfaces.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical/Historical note:
No other information available; photographers unidentified.
Provenance:
Gift.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research and access 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.
