Search Results

Creator:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-11-30T01:19:21.000Z

YouTube Category:

Entertainment  Search this

Topic:

Art, modern  Search this

See more by:

hirshhornmuseum

Data Source:

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

YouTube Channel:

hirshhornmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_VVcTL25CeEc

Author:

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Scientific Council  Search this

Physical description:

v. : ill. ; 28 cm

Type:

Periodicals

Place:

North Atlantic Ocean

Date:

1981

1981-

Topic:

Fisheries  Search this

Fishes  Search this

Call number:

SH213.5 .S416

SH213.5.S416

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_149193

Donor:

Finley, Harry, 1942-  Search this

Names:

Museum of Menstruation (1994-1998)  Search this

Extent:

7.5 Cubic feet (23 boxes, 1 map folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Cd-roms

Correspondence

Filmstrips

Fliers (printed matter)

Newspaper clippings

Pamphlets

Patents

Photographs

Postcards

Trade literature

Videocassettes

Date:

circa 1890s-2011

Summary:

Collection documents menstruation and menstrual products.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents through advertisements, product packaging, educational materials and pamphlets, correspondence, photographs, and videotapes, one of the most important topics in health experienced by half of the world's population, menstruation. Menstruation products are a worldwide industry with a documented connection to women's rights, pervasive economic, education, and opportunity inequities, and ecological problems.

The archival materials document health, business, advertising, and innovation history. Topics found within the collection include freedom, equality, success, ideals of race and gender in advertising, disposable products and innovation, small, woman-owned businesses and DIYers (Do It Yourself) who devised products to keep plastics out of landfills; business and health issues with multinational conglomerates, such as Tambrands, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and Scott Paper Company; and period poverty and tampon tax issues.

The collection represents US-made and consumed products, both mass-marketed and small business/DIY (Do It Yourself), from around the country. Also represented are products produced in other countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Mexico and Italy. All major, corporate US brands (and many multinational brands) are represented, for example: Tampax (now owned by Procter & Gamble), Kotex (Kimberly-Clark and Scott Paper), o.b (Johnson & Johnson, now Edgewell Personal Care). Also represented are a host of small companies, inventors, and DIY (Do It Yourself) products, such as: Women's Choice, Glad Rags, Instead Cup (Ultrafem), the Keeper, and organic cotton products from Natracare.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1: Museum of Menstruation Materials, 1984-2003

Series 2: Booklets, Pamphlets, and Other Writings, circa 1894-2003

Series 3: Product Inserts and Product Packaging, circa 1890s-2011

Series 4: Advertising and Sales Materials, 1914-2000s

Series 5: Ephemera and Other Materials, circa 1896-2005

Biographical:

Harry Finley (1942-) was born in Long Branch, New Jersey to George and Marjorie Finley. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and did post graduate work in philosophy and German at the University of Florida. Finley worked as a graphic designer for the Department of the Army in Washington DC and Germany (1971—2004) and also as a painter, illustrator, and cartoonist.

Historical:

The Museum of Menstruation (MUM) was founded by Harry Finley in 1994 and operated as a physical museum until 1998, after which it continued as an extensive website. The Museum was an outgrowth of a collection he started assembling when living in Europe. Finley worked in Germany as a graphic designer for the U.S. government and was researching print ad layouts. Among the print ads he acquired some documented Kotex and other menstrual products which piqued his interest. Finley built the Museum's collection through his own collecting efforts, and through purchasing materials and by writing to researchers and mentrual-product manufacturers.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Harry Finley, October 13, 2022.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Reference copies for audio and moving images materials do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.

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:

Advertising, magazine -- 20th century  Search this

Birth control  Search this

Contraceptives industry  Search this

Coupons (Retail trade)  Search this

Feminine hygiene products  Search this

Feminine hygiene products industry  Search this

Health education  Search this

Hygiene  Search this

Menstrual cycle  Search this

Menstruation  Search this

Patent medicines  Search this

Pregnancy  Search this

Sanitary napkins  Search this

Tampons  Search this

Sex  Search this

Sex instruction  Search this

Teenagers  Search this

Women -- Health and hygiene  Search this

Zines  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

CD-ROMs

Correspondence

Filmstrips

Fliers (printed matter)

Newspaper clippings

Pamphlets

Patents

Photographs

Postcards

Trade literature

Videocassettes

Citation:

Museum of Menstruation Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1586

See more items in:

Museum of Menstruation Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8288ee9dc-59d3-4419-9446-a7a7783bd76c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1586

Manufacturer:

NASA, Lewis Research Center  Search this

Materials:

Exterior: anodized aluminum, foam, lacquer, Nomex tape, paint, plated metal, steel, Velcro

Interior: Electronic circuitry, cables, cooling fan, optical disk drives

Dimensions:

3-D: 41.9 x 54.6 x 26.7cm (16 1/2 x 21 1/2 x 10 1/2 in.)

Type:

INSTRUMENTS-Scientific

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Credit Line:

Transferred from NASA, Glenn Research Center.

Inventory Number:

A20000456000

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Collection

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv97ee1f789-81d7-4419-bb38-70fdd14413af

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nasm_A20000456000

Collection Correspondent:

Nash, Philleo, 1909-1987  Search this

Zimmerman, Lorraine May  Search this

Wolfe, Alvin W. (Alvin William), 1928-  Search this

Tax, Sol, 1907-1995  Search this

Wheeler-Voegelin, Erminie, 1903-1988  Search this

Sebeok, Thomas A. (Thomas Albert), 1920-2001  Search this

Schwartz, Douglas W., 1929-  Search this

Silverberg, James Mark  Search this

Sellers, Mary  Search this

Sahlins, Marshall David  Search this

Hart, Charles William Merton  Search this

Schnitt, Ivan  Search this

Schneider, Harold Kenneth, 1925-1987  Search this

Stout, David Bond  Search this

Titterington, P.F.  Search this

Titiev, Mischa  Search this

Spicer, Edward Holland  Search this

Smith, Marian W. (Marian Wesley), 1907-1961  Search this

Spuhler, James Norman  Search this

Spier, Robert Forest Gayton  Search this

Wallis, Wilson D. (Wilson Dallam), 1886-1970  Search this

Warner, William Lloyd  Search this

Watson, James B. (James Bennett), 1918-2009  Search this

Weckler, Joseph E., Jr.  Search this

Useem, John  Search this

Vaughan, James Herbert  Search this

Vaughan, Wilson Herbert  Search this

Wallace, Anthony F. C., 1923-  Search this

White, Leslie A., 1900-1975  Search this

Whiteford, Andrew Hunter  Search this

Whitten, Norman E.  Search this

Wittry, Warren L.  Search this

Wedel, Waldo R. (Waldo Rudolph), 1908-1996  Search this

Weer, Paul  Search this

Weitzner, Bella, 1891?-1988  Search this

Angel, J. Lawrence (John Lawrence)  Search this

Aginsky, Ethel G.  Search this

Aberle, David F. (David Friend), 1918-2004  Search this

Bittle, William Elmer  Search this

Black, Robert A.  Search this

Boggs, Stephen Taylor  Search this

Borhegyi, Stephan F.  Search this

Bourguignon, Erika Eichhorn  Search this

Carlson, Gustav G.  Search this

Casagrande, Joseph B. (Joseph Bartholomew), 1915-1982  Search this

Champe, John L. (John Leland), 1895-  Search this

Christensen, James Boyd  Search this

Cobb, W. Montague  Search this

Cole, Fay-Cooper  Search this

Collier, Donald, 1911-1995  Search this

Henry, William E.  Search this

Field, Henry  Search this

Hoijer, Harry  Search this

Herskovits, Melville J. (Melville Jean), 1895-1963  Search this

Honigsheim, Paul  Search this

Holmes, Lowell Don  Search this

Jantzen, Carl Raymond  Search this

Isaac, Barry Lamont  Search this

Jones, Volney H. (Volney Hurt), 1903-1982  Search this

Johnson, Frederick, 1904-1994  Search this

Kaplan, Bernice Antoville  Search this

Haag, William George  Search this

Harding, Charles  Search this

Hanna, Katherine  Search this

Griffin, James B. (James Bennett), 1905-1997  Search this

Goldschmidt, Walter, 1913-2010  Search this

Guthe, Alfred K. (Alfred Kidder), 1920-1983  Search this

Griswold, Charles H.  Search this

Frantz, Charles  Search this

Fox, George R.  Search this

Godfrey, William S.  Search this

Gallagher, Art  Search this

Estel, Leo  Search this

Eggan, Fred, 1906-1991  Search this

Force, Roland W.  Search this

Deuel, Thorne, 1890-  Search this

Douglas, Frederick Huntington  Search this

Dragoo, Don W.  Search this

Guthe, Carl E. (Carl Eugen), 1893-1974  Search this

Driver, Harold E. (Harold Edson), 1907-1992  Search this

Bennett, John William  Search this

Culver, Dwight W.  Search this

De Pena, Joan Finkle  Search this

Despres, Leo Arthur  Search this

Bates, Marston  Search this

Helm, June, 1924-  Search this

Bauxar, J. Joseph  Search this

Beardsley, Richard K. (Richard King), 1918-1978  Search this

Bee, Robert L.  Search this

Baby, Raymond S.  Search this

Baerreis, David A., 1916-1989  Search this

Barnouw, Victor  Search this

Bascom, William Russell, 1912-1981  Search this

Meggers, Betty Jane  Search this

Melin, Mary  Search this

Neumann, Georg K. (Georg Karl), 1907-1971  Search this

Nesbitt, Paul  Search this

Nash, Manning  Search this

Moss, Leonard Wallace  Search this

Morgan, Richard G.  Search this

Miner, Horace M.  Search this

Merriam, Alan P. (Alan Parkhurst), 1923-1980  Search this

Rowe, Chandler William  Search this

Robinson, J.T.  Search this

Ritzenthaler, Robert E. (Robert Eugene), 1911-1980  Search this

Quimby, George I. (George Irving), 1913-2003  Search this

Pilling, Arnold R.  Search this

Philips, Jane  Search this

Osmundsen, Lita S.  Search this

Noon, John A.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Central States Anthropological Society (U.S.)  Search this

American Anthropological Association. Central States Branch  Search this

Kelley, J. Charles, 1913-1997  Search this

Kneberg, Madeline D.  Search this

Keyes, Charles Fenton  Search this

La Barre, Weston, 1911-1996  Search this

Kurtz, Ronald Joseph  Search this

Lewis, Thomas M. N. (Thomas McDowell Nelson), 1896-  Search this

Lily, Eli  Search this

Lessa, William Armand  Search this

Lewis, Oscar  Search this

Laughlin, William Sceva  Search this

Lehman, Edward J.  Search this

Lange, Charles Henry  Search this

Lasker, Gabriel Ward  Search this

McGregor, Jo  Search this

McKern, W. C. (Will Carleton), 1892-  Search this

Marriott, McKim  Search this

Martin, Paul S. (Paul Sidney), 1899-1974  Search this

Lurie, Nancy Oestreich  Search this

Mandelbaum, David G.  Search this

Extent:

[2 of 2]

Container:

Box 3

Box 3

Type:

Archival materials

Computer Disks

Text

Scope and Contents:

Dow Presidential Archive on CD-ROM, created July 20, 1999 [67.1MB, 951 files, 87 folders; 1 disc deposited, additional copies of disc retained by archivist], with 29-page printed inventory (filelist.txt) itemizing files: 1994 annual meeting (incorporating Marty Ottenheimer's files); 1996 annual meeting; 1997 annual meeting; 1998 annual meeting; 1996 miscellaneous materials 34 (forms, mail, 1995 annual meeting materials received from Jim Hopgood, student prizes, awards); 1997 miscellaneous materials (AAA meeting, meeting blacklist, mail, awards); 1998 miscellaneous materials (AAA meeting, awards, board, mail); documents (by-laws); e-mail (1994, 1996-1999); history (including printed copy of informal discussion based on Barry Isaac's manuscripts); images (CSAS logos); notes (including compilation of historical materials and inventory of award winners); CSAS officers handbook (including list of meeting locations, local arrangements chairs, 1970-1998); White-Dillingham award announcements.

Inventory of Jim Dow's CSAS-related e-mail correspondence, 1993-1999 (175-page printout and 3-1/4 floppy disk, including Date, From, Subject information; duplicates \Email\ subdirectory of Dow Presidential Archive on CD-ROM).

CD and floppy disk removed due to preservation concerns.

Collection Restrictions:

Materials relating to CSAS award applicants and selected correspondence from 1976-77 are restricted until 10 years after the death of the correspondents. Computer disks are restricted due to preservation concerns.

Access to the Central States Anthropological Society records requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

See more items in:

Central States Anthropological Society records

Central States Anthropological Society records / Series 2: Presidents' Files / 2.10: James W. Dow (President 1997-1998)

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw368882149-b550-47e8-bcdb-ff62202d1405

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-1977-55-ref133

Creator:

Goodman, Cynthia  Search this

Names:

Everson Museum of Art  Search this

Kwangju Piennalle  Search this

Hofmann, Hans, 1880-1966  Search this

Paik, Nam June, 1932-2006  Search this

Extent:

33.2 Linear feet

0.34 Gigabytes

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Gigabytes

Moving images

Motion pictures

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Panel discussions

Lectures

Date:

circa 1944-2001

bulk 1975-1996

Summary:

The papers of curator and writer, Cynthia Goodman, date from circa circa 1944-2001, bulk 1975-1996 and measure 33.2 linear feet and .340 Gigabytes. The collection is comprised of artist files, records documenting computer and technological art, and research on Hans Hofmann and the New York School. The papers document Goodman's graduate and professional career including her studies in art history and early career writing and organizing exhibitions around Hans Hofmann and his legacy, and later her research related to the nascent computer art. The papers, organized primarily by project and artist files, include biographical material, interviews with artists, correspondence, writings, printed material, photographs and audio-visual material.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of curator and writer, Cynthia Goodman, date from circa circa 1944-2001, bulk 1975-1996 and measure 33.2 linear feet and .340 Gigabytes.

The artist file series is comprised of correspondence and promotional materials in various formats including resumes, invitations, slides, and audio-visual and born-digital portfolio submissions.

The computer and technological art series is comprised of research material, conference materials, writings, and exhibition files relating to two major exhibitions organized by Cynthia Goodman: Digital Visions: Computers and Art, Everson Museum of Art (1987), and the InfoArt Pavilion at Kwangju Biennale (1995), co-curated with artist Nam June Paik. Both shows were accompanied by exhibition catalogs, the latter in CD-ROM format, innovated as one of the first of its kind.

The Hans Hofmann and the New York School Material series consists of Goodman's early academic career studying Hofmann and his contemporaries, culminating in a PhD dissertation from University of Pennsylvania in 1982. This material includes records related to the Chester Dale Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Goodman worked on a catalogue raisonné for the artist. Also included are records related to the 1986 monograph on Hofmann as well as the exhibition file for a Hofmann retrospective staged at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1990, as well as other traveling exhibitions on Hofmann and his students, as well as Fritz Bultman. Research material includes numerous original sound recordings and interviews.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged as three series:

Series 1: Artist Files, circa 1964-2000 (13.4 Linear feet: Boxes 1-12, 33-35)

Series 2: Computer and Technological Art, circa 1960s-2001 (14.6 Linear feet: Boxes 13-26, 33-35; 0.34 Gigabytes: ER0001)

Series 3: Hans Hofmann and the New York School, circa 1944-1996 (5.2 Linear feet: Boxes 26-32, 34)

Biographical / Historical:

Cynthia Goodman is an independent curator and writer born in, and currently based in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is particularly well-known for her work with emergent art technologies, particularly those relevant to Computer Art. Cynthia Goodman received her Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. She curated the traveling exhibition Digital Visions: Computers and Art , Everson Museum of Art in 1987, and the InfoArt Pavilion at Kwangju Biennale (1995), co-curated with artist Nam June Paik. Both shows were accompanied by exhibition catalogs, the latter in CD-ROM format, innovated as one of the first of its kind. Following the success of the Digital Visions Cynthia briefly taught art history and aesthetics in the Master of Fine Arts program in Computer Art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Goodman's early career was devoted to her investigations into the work and legacy of artist Hans Hofmann and his contemporaries, culminating in a PhD dissertation from University of Pennsylvania in 1982. She was awarded the position of Chester Dale Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where Goodman worked on a catalogue raisonné for the artist and towards the end of her time organized Hans Hofmann as Teacher: Drawings by His Students, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1979. She also authored the monograph and exhibition catalog Hans Hofmann, for Abbeville Press in 1986 and organized a retrospective exhibition for the artist at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1990.

Goodman has acted as advisor to corporations including IBM, Polaroid, and Time Warner. In addition she acted as Director of the IBM Gallery of Science and Art, New York, New York from 1987-1990. She was appointed Fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she was Director of Arttransition '90, an international conference on art, science and technology.

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 2019 by Cynthia Goodman.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Curators -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Authors -- Ohio -- Cincinnati  Search this

Topic:

Computer Art  Search this

Women authors  Search this

Abstract expressionism  Search this

Interviews  Search this

Video art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Moving images

Motion pictures

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Panel discussions

Lectures

Citation:

Cynthia Goodman papers, circa 1944-2001, bulk 1975-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.goodcynt

See more items in:

Cynthia Goodman papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9b647b5a4-6a83-47db-bac0-73e1906029e8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-goodcynt

Creator:

Truck, Fred  Search this

Names:

Des Moines Festival of the Avant-garde (1979)  Search this

Brown, Jean, 1911-1994  Search this

Gibbs, Michael, 1949-2009  Search this

Held, John, 1947-  Search this

Welch, Chuck, 1948-  Search this

Extent:

15.4 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Performances (creative events)

Motion pictures

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Date:

1960-2019

Summary:

The papers of multimedia and computer artist Fred Truck measure 15.4 linear feet and date from 1960-2019. Records include biographical material, correspondence including mail art, writings by Truck, project files, rare printed material including artist books and small press publications, artwork, and sound and video recordings. Additionally, a substantial portion of the collection is in electronic format, including Truck's hard drive and software programs developed by him.

Scope and Contents:

The papers of multimedia and computer artist Fred Truck measure 15.4 linear feet and date from 1960-2019. Records include biographical material, correspondence including mail art, writings by Truck, project files, rare printed material including artist books and small press publications, artwork, and sound and video recordings. Additionally, a substantial portion of the collection is in electronic format, including Truck's hard drive and software programs developed by him.

Correspondence and mail art documents Truck's involvement with the mail art network throughout his career and includes letters and mail art from artists including Anna Banana, Michael Gibbs, John Held Jr., Jürgen Olbrich, Lon Spiegelman, Chuck Stake, Chuck Welch, and many others. Also found here is a substantial group of letters from Jean Brown to Truck in which Brown comments on Truck's work, her connections with other artists, and her collecting activities focusing on Fluxus and the avant-garde, for the Jean Brown Archives.

Writings include early short stories, a play, and published articles and artist statements by Truck.

Truck's project files touch on all aspects of his career, including his making of artist books, his involvement in early and developing computer art and software, and his forays into virtual reality. Files also record his involvement in collaborative works of early electronic art including his significant contributions to the Art Com Electronic Network (ACEN), and his collaborations in performance art including The Des Moines Festival of the Avant-Garde, the Electric Bank, and the Performance Bank. Records include motion picture film of events that took place during the Des Moines Festival of the Avant Garde.

Exhibition files document six exhibitions including the group exhibition Almost Warm and Fuzzy (1999), at the Des Moines Art Center, and Here and There: Photography as a Cross-Cultural Mirror (2007), with Mano Tohei in Japan. Other professional activities are documented in files covering Truck's attendance and presentations at conferences and symposiums, on panels, and at the Banff Centre for the Arts where he undertook a residency in 1991. This series and Truck's personal business records also include scattered documentation of consignments, sales, and exhibitions with Vail Giesler/Steven Vail Galleries, and Karolyn Sherwood Gallery.

Printed material includes coverage of Truck's career in press reviews of his work and copies of two of his books, Around the House and The Hot Rod Show. The series also houses Truck's significant collection of rare artist books, artist publications, and small press publications. Additionally, Truck's printed material includes announcements, catalogs, newsletters, postcards, and other printed material for art events, literary press events, and mail art events primarily from the 1970s-1990s, including a substantial group of material from Franklin Furnace.

Artwork by Truck includes digital artwork and Fred Truck's print collection. Photographs include Truck's index to his digital photographs, some of his fine art photographic prints, and a series of snapshots taken of Truck and others on the occasion of La Mamelle Inc./Art Com's donation of its records to Stanford University.

Unprocessed born digital material appears to document Truck's research and practice in computer technology and art over several decades, including the online activities of ACEN. Additional born digital records include programs and software such as Truck's ArtEngine and Bottega.

Arrangement:

With the exception of some unsorted material, papers were generally organized alphabetically across projects, institutions, and individuals by Fred and Lorna Truck before donation to the Archives. Notes on Truck's career and an inventory of the sorted material providing folder labels and broad series types was included with the donation and both were used extensively during arrangement and description of the material. Series were further refined to facilitate access and merged with unsorted material. The collection was arranged as 10 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1980s-2017 (Box 1; 3 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence and Mail Art, 1974-2017 (Boxes 1-4; 3.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings by Truck, circa 1960s-circa 2000s (Box 4; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 4: Project Files, circa 1960s-2017 (Boxes 4-7, 14, FC 15-16; 4.4 linear feet)

Series 5: Exhibition Files, 1988-2007 (Boxes 8-9; 0.25 linear feet)

Series 6: Other Professional Files, 1988-2001 (Box 9; 0.6 linear feet)

Series 7: Personal Business Records, 1960s-2006 (Box 9; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 8: Printed Material and Artist Books, 1960-2017 (Boxes 9-13; 3.2 linear feet)

Series 9: Artwork by Truck, circa 1990s-circa 2000s (Box 13; 0.15 linear feet)

Series 10: Photographs, 1980s-2019 (Box 13; 0.15 linear feet)

Series 11: Unprocessed Born Digital Material, circa 1970s-circa 2019 (Boxes 18-20; 2.5 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical:

West Des Moines, Iowa, multimedia and computer artist Fred Truck (b. 1946) played a pivotal role in the burgeoning computer art world of the 1970s, was an early and vital participant in the Art Com Electronic Network (ACEN; 1986–1999), one of the first virtual artist communities, and has been active in the mail art network throughout his career. Truck is a sculptor, a photographer, and a creator of artist books, software, and virtual reality artwork.

Born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Truck graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College in 1969 with a B.A. and then briefly attended American University in Washington, D.C.. From the mid-1970s to mid-1980s he worked in the printing trade and attended printing school in Ankeny, Iowa, where he was able to print the books he had been writing and making. His work included the offset book Camping Out (1975), and George Maciunas, Fluxus and the Face of Time (1984), in which which used his own Jean Brown Ultrabold typeface.

Truck was a co-founder and systems engineer for the Art Com Electronic Network (ACEN), an artist-built virtual social network established in the early internet era before the development of web-based graphics through which artists communicated and performed in text-based graphics. Truck established a menu-driven structure that would allow easy access to ACEN content invented collectively by Truck and co-founders Carl Loeffler and Anna Couey. In the late 1980s to 1990s Truck developed ArtEngine, a stand-alone software application applying artificial intelligence to graphics, text analysis, and design. His software Bottega was an interactive CD-ROM developed for the Macintosh which allowed users to explore a digital artist's workshop and also introduced users to Analog Engine, a steam-powered visual analog of his ArtEngine software.

Truck is also known for his work with virtual reality and in 1993, with the assistance of programmers, built Labyrinth, a flight simulator based on Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine. The project took place at Carnegie Mellon University under the supervision of Carl Loeffler.

In 1998 Truck created the fictitious Badge of Quality Corporation with Mr. Milk Bottle as it's public representative and himself as president and CEO of the corporation. In 2007 he was commissioned to build a 62" tall steel sculpture of Mr. Milk Bottle dissolving into nature.

Truck became interested in digital photography in 2005 and joined Flickr in 2009, where he continues to post his photographs. Truck is a pioneer in the use of stereographic projections and anaglyph images and describes his work as using digital processing to move his 2-D images into "a 3-D arena via anaglyph techniques, stereograms or 360 720 panoramas."

Provenance:

The collection was donated in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by Fred Truck.

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.

Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Occupation:

Computer artists -- Iowa -- Des Moines  Search this

Multimedia artists -- Iowa -- Des Moines  Search this

Topic:

Mail art  Search this

Fluxus (Group of artists)  Search this

Performance art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Performances (creative events)

Motion pictures

Sound recordings

Video recordings

Citation:

Fred Truck papers, 1960-2019. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

AAA.trucfred

See more items in:

Fred Truck papers

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9735e3576-a15c-4e97-8844-500946f6cb4b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-aaa-trucfred

Collection Creator:

André Emmerich Gallery  Search this

Container:

Box 59, Folder 6

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1997

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Access of diaries and appointment books required written permission.

Collection Rights:

The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.

Collection Citation:

André Emmerich Gallery records and André Emmerich papers, circa 1929-2009. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Leon Levy Foundation.

See more items in:

André Emmerich Gallery Records and André Emmerich Papers

André Emmerich Gallery Records and André Emmerich Papers / Series 6: Artists Files

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91a6826d9-90e5-4511-86fa-a036b6f90a62

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-andremmg-ref2940

Collection Creator:

Walker, Phillip L., 1947-2009  Search this

Container:

Box 55

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

undated

Collection Restrictions:

The Phillip Walker papers are open for research.

Requests to view forensic files are subject to review by the NAA. Forensic files can only be viewed in the National Anthropological Archives reading room. No copies are permitted unless permission is granted by the agency the report was written for.

Access to the Phillip Walker papers requires an appointment.

Collection Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Collection Citation:

Phillip Walker papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Wenner-Gren Foundation.

See more items in:

Phillip Walker papers

Phillip Walker papers / Series 6: Other research / Russian, Aral Sea material:

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw36b900b28-67e6-4e64-bbb6-418050948863

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-2014-08-ref815

Creator:

Ortner, Donald J.  Search this

Names:

Paleopathology Association  Search this

Smithsonian Institution Department of Anthroplogy  Search this

University of Bradford  Search this

Frohlich, Bruno, 1945-  Search this

Putschar, Walter G. J., 1904-1987  Search this

Extent:

44.37 Linear feet (96 boxes, 3 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Maps

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Negatives (photographic)

Manuscripts

Sound recordings

Correspondence

Place:

Virginia

England

Jordan

Peru

Date:

1963-2013

Summary:

The Donald J. Ortner Papers, dated 1963 to 2013, document his research and professional activities while working in the Division of Physical Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. They primarily deal with his contributions to the field of paleopathology and his work with specimens from Bab edh-Dhra, Jordan and Chichester, England. The bulk of this collection consists of correspondence, files related to Ortner's publications, specimen observations and analysis, and photographs.

Scope and Contents:

The Donald J. Ortner Papers primarily document his projects, research, and correspondence working as a biological anthropologist in the Division of Physical Anthropology of the Department of Anthropology from 1963 until his death in 2012. The bulk of the projects represented relate to his work in paleopathology, such as the Near Eastern skeletal biology program in Jordan and the medieval skeletal disease project in England. The collection consists of notes, research materials, correspondence, data and data analysis, transcripts of specimen observations, maps, blueprints, artwork, negatives, slides, photographs, CD-Roms, floppy discs, and sound cassettes.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in 8 series: Series 1. Correspondence, 1966-2012; Series 2. Subject files, 1965-2013, undated; Series 3. Near Eastern Skeletal Biology Program, 1977-2010, undated; Series 4. Medieval Skeletal Disease Project, 1988-2006, undated; Series 5. Other publications, projects, and research, 1963-2011, undated; Series 6. Professional activities, 1971-2007, undated; Series 7. Biographical and office files, 1963-2011, undated; Series 8. Artwork, 1978, undated

Biographical Note:

Donald J. Ortner was a biological anthropologist in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). By the time of his death, Ortner had served in many positions at the Museum, including Acting Director (1994-1996). His areas of expertise included human paleopathology, human health in medieval England, bioarcheology of the ancient Near East, and the history and evoluton of human infectious diseases. Ortner was a founding member of the Paleopathology Association.

Ortner was born in 1938 in Stoneham, Massachusetts and arrived at the NMNH in 1963, working primarily with J. Lawrence Angel who had recently started as Curator in the Division of Physical Anthropology. While working at the Museum, Ortner completed his Master's in Anthropology in 1967 and received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1970. His doctoral dissertation was on The Effects of Aging and Disease on the Micromorphology of Human Compact Bone.

Ortner worked with Walter G. J. Putschar, a pathologist based at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, on a series of short-courses (1971-1974) on paleopathology at the Smithsonian. During the summer of 1974, Putschar and Ortner traveled to Europe (London, Edinburgh, Zurich, Strasbourg, Vienna, Prague) studying and photographing examples of skeletal pathology in museums and other repositories. The result of this research was the book Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains published in 1981, with later editions in 1985 and 2003.

In 1977, Ortner joined the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain directed by archaeologists Walter E. Rast and R. Thomas Schaub, focusing on the site of Bab edh-Dhra. Ortner studied the tombs and skeletons for data indicating cultural and biological changes, especially urbanization and connection to the development of other "Western civilizations." Ortner participated in two more field seasons in Bab edh-Dhra in 1979 and 1981. From his research at Bab-edh-Dhra, Ortner published many scholarly articles and recreated two tombs for the Hall of Western Civilization at NMNH.

In 1988, Ortner began his collaboration with the University of Bradford in Bradford, England, teaching short-courses on paleopathology. While a Visiting Professor at the University, he also participated in a project on human health and disease in Medieval England. The project focused on leprosy and syphilis in skeletons from St. James Hospital's leprosarium cemetery in Chichester, Wharram Perry, and Magistrates' Court in Kingston-upon-Hull. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University in 1995.

Donald J. Ortner died on April 29th, 2012 in Maryland.

Sources consulted:

Ubelaker, D. H. "Obituary: Donald J. Ortner (1938–2012)." American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 149 (2012): 155–156.

Arnoldi, Mary Jo and Ann Kaupp. "Donald J. Ortner, Sr. (1939-2012)." Anthropolog: Newsletter of the Department of Anthropology, Spring 2012: 1-3.

Chronology

1938 -- Born on August 23 in Stoneham, Massachusetts.

1960 -- Received B.A. in Zoology from Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland.

1963 -- Began working at the Smithsonian Institution.

1967 -- Received M.A. in Anthropology from Syracuse University.

1969 -- Promoted to Assistant Curator.

1970 -- Received Ph.D. from the University of Kansas.

1971 -- Promoted to Associate Curator.

1971-1975 -- Taught part-time at the University of Maryland.

1974 -- Spent summer with Dr. Walter G. J. Putschar studying pathological specimens in Europe.

1976 -- Promoted to Curator in the Anthropology Department, National Museum of Natural History.

1977 -- First field season at Bab edh-Dhra cemetery site in Jordan.

1979 -- Second field season at Bab edh-Dhra cemetery site in Jordan.

1981 -- Third field season at Bab edh-Dhra cemetery site in Jordan.

1988 -- Began association with the University of Bradford in Bradford, England.

1988-1992 -- Chairman of the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History.

1994-1996 -- Acting Director of the National Museum of Natural History.

1995 -- Awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree from the University of Bradford.

1999-2001 -- President of the Paleopathology Association.

2005 -- Received Eve Cockburn Award from the Paleopathology Association in recognition of his contributions in the field of paleopathology.

2012 -- Died on April 29 in Maryland.

Related Materials:

The following photo lots depicting Donald J. Ortner can be found at the NAA:

Photo Lot 7D: Photograph of attendees after American Anthropological Association annual meeting, 1965

Photo Lot 7A: Portraits made at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, 1970

Photo Lot 77-45: Photograph of Smithsonian Institution physical anthropologists, circa 1977

Photo Lot 4822: Division of Physical Anthropology collection of photographs of physical anthropologists, undated

Sound recordings of Donald J. Ortner at the NAA:

John Lawrence Angel Papers, Sound Recordings, "How Humans Adapt: A Biocultural Odyssey," November 9, 1981

Other collections at the NAA in which Donald J. Ortner is a correspondent or creator of material:

Records of the Department of Anthropology, 1877-1980

Department of Anthropology Annual Reports, 1920-1983

John Lawrence Angel Papers, 1930s-1980s

Three films that document Ortner's work in Bab edh-Dhra are located in the Human Studies Film Archives (HSFA):

Film number 2000.9.1, The Bones of Bab edh-Dhra, ca. 1970s

Film number 2000.9.3, Bab edh-Dhra Film Project, 1970-1980

Film number 2014.3, City of the Dead, 1978

The Smithsonian Institution Archives holds the original City of the Dead in Accession 05-282, Office of Telecommunications, Productions.

Provenance:

These papers were transferred to the NAA from the Department of Anthropology in 2014.

Restrictions:

The Donald J. Ortner Papers are open for research.

Access to the Donald J. Ortner Papers requires an appointment.

Requests to view forensic files are subject to review by the NAA. Forensic files can only be viewed in the National Anthropological Archives reading room. No copies are permitted unless permission is granted by the agency the report was written for.

Electronic records are unavailable for research. Please contact the reference archivist for additional information.

Use of audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Anthropologists -- United States  Search this

Archaeology  Search this

Human remains (Archaeology)  Search this

Excavations (Archaeology) -- Middle East  Search this

Scurvy  Search this

Leprosy -- Research  Search this

Physical anthropology  Search this

Bāb edh-Dhrā Site (Jordan)  Search this

Excavations (Archaeology) -- England  Search this

Forensic anthropology  Search this

Paleopathology  Search this

Bronze age  Search this

Chichester (England)  Search this

Diseases  Search this

Genre/Form:

Maps

Photographs

Slides (photographs)

Negatives (photographic)

Manuscripts

Sound recordings

Correspondence

Citation:

Donald J. Ortner Papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Sponsor:

The papers of Donald J. Ortner were processed with the assistance of the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund.

Identifier:

NAA.2014-07

See more items in:

Donald J. Ortner Papers

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw34f215cb8-26a6-4988-9af5-a94af54f4ac3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-2014-07

Author:

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization  Search this

Physical description:

v. : ill. ; 27 cm

Type:

Periodicals

Place:

North Atlantic Ocean

Date:

1980

[1980?]-

Topic:

Fisheries  Search this

Fishes  Search this

Call number:

SH213.5 .J86

SH213.5.J86

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_139995

Creator:

Northlight of Colorado, Inc.  Search this

Jacobson, Jake  Search this

Extent:

8 Prints (framed)

3.42 Cubic feet (2 boxes, 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Photographs

Sound recordings

Inkjet prints

Iris prints

Ink jet printing

Compact discs

Digital images

Cd-roms

Color prints (photographs)

Date:

1996-2000

Summary:

Collection consists of photoprints and other materials created by Jacob Jacobson for the "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of photoprints and other materials created by Jacob Jacobson for the "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004. The materials are arranged into two series.

Series 1: Iris (Inkjet) Digital Photoprints, dates, consists of eighty six color Iris (inkjet) items. The subjects are primarily individual musicians and craftsmen, although several instrument companies are included, notably the venerable Selmer Company of Elkhart, Indiana, which has manufactured band instruments for many decades. These digital prints were made from Jacobson's 35mm color transparencies (although print number one is monochrome, rather than full color). The prints are from a limited edition of 350, and are signed by the photographer in the lower right beneath the image, and numbered on the lower left. Some prints bears Northlight Atelier blind stamp in the margin and an identifying label with the print number and subject's name is affixed to each print on the verso at the bottom. Most of the prints have an image size of 20" in the long dimension and from approximately 13-1/4" to 14-1/4" on the short side; on heavy, textured archival paper, ranging in size from about 16"x 23" to 19"x 24". Eight larger prints, with image sizes of approximately 21-22" x 31-32" in size, were received matted and in 28" x 40" frames. Some representative image and print sizes are included. Most prints are in one large flat box; prints in the "folder" are stored separately because the paper is slightly too large for the box. The large framed prints are necessarily stored separately and are less accessible.

Series 2: Other Materials, dates, includes a loose-leaf notebook containing inventory of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) exhibit prints with titles and thumbnail images for identification (except item 55, which is omitted), plus a CD-ROM containing the images in pocket. Note that the images for numbers 81 and 85 in the notebook are reversed. There is also a compact disk in plastic jewel case of the same name ("Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America"), which contains sixty tracks of instrument makers playing their instruments and interviews with some of them. Compact disk in plastic jewel case, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America; Music and Interviews Recorded Live; Taken from the Book..." (produced by Northlight). Containing music and selected interviews with instrument makers, produced for commercial distribution by Northlight Atelier; 60 tracks. Compact disk in plastic jewel case, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America; Music and Interviews Recorded Live; Taken from the Book..." (produced by Northlight). Containing music and selected interviews with instrument makers, produced for commercial distribution by Northlight Atelier; 60 tracks.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into two series.

Series 1, Iris (Inkjet) Digital Photoprints

Series 2, Other Materials

Biographical / Historical:

"Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" was an exhibition of photographs by Jake Jacobson, circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004 to at least fourteen venues. The first site was April 8, 2000, at the Georgia Mountains History Museum, and the last venue for the show was the Elkhart County Historical Museum, Bristol, Indiana, ending April 6, 2004. Selections from the exhibition were on view from June 4 to 8, 2001, in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building, and it was shown in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries building, March 2-April 28, 2002.

The field work for the project was begun in 1996, culminating in 1998. "Traveling coast to coast, in an extensive two-year journey across the United States, Jake Jacobson and research collaborator Trisja Malisoff recorded the images, words, and music of over 300 contemporary musical instrument makers. Documenting the diversity of American music, Jacobson's photographs reveal a complex, living tradition-a heritage that draws upon Latin, Native American, European, African and Asian music influences."

Following this project, Jacobson engaged in a related photographic documentation, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of China." He has established a "Heart & Hands Foundation." Music has been an important part of Jacobson's life throughout his career as a photographer, printmaker, and jazz musician. During the mid-1960s he operated a backyard print shop, producing rock concert posters. As an advertising and editorial photographer, he pioneered new techniques for special effects and printmaking. His continuing passion for photographing musical artists is evident in the portraits in the "Heart & Hands" project.

A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography, Jacobson has taught photography at UCLA and Cypress College in Orange County. A longtime practitioner and teacher of Yoga, he is the owner of the Center for Yoga in Los Angeles. He operated a "state-of-the-art" photography, printmaking, and video production studio, Northlight of Colorado, in the mountains near Telluride, Colorado, before relocating the Northlight Atelier to Santa Barbara, California, in 2003.

Another project of Jacobson's is entitled, "Oh, Baby--Celebrating Birth Rites around the World."

Provenance:

Collection donated by Mr. Jacobson.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.

Technical Access: Do not use original

Rights:

Jake Jocobson retains copyright. 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:

Musical instruments -- 20th century  Search this

Musical instrument makers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Inkjet prints -- 1990-2000

Sound recordings -- Compact disks

Inkjet prints

Photographs -- Digital prints -- 20th century

Iris prints

Ink jet printing

Compact discs

Digital images

CD-ROMs

Color prints (photographs)

Citation:

Jake Jacobson "Heart & Hands" Color Iris Photoprints, Archives Center, National Museum of American History,

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0866

See more items in:

Jake Jacobson "Heart & Hands" Color Iris Photoprints

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e49666db-ef2c-40a1-ad9a-ee43e0d5f3e7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0866

Collection Creator:

Smalley, William Allen  Search this

Container:

Box BD-5

Type:

Archival materials

Computer Disks

Date:

1996

Scope and Contents:

CD-ROM for Thai Studies 6th International conference at Chiang Mai, 1996. Possibly contains papers presented at conference. Unable to play cd.

Restrictions:

RESTRICTED for preservation reasons.

Collection Rights:

Contact repository for terms of use.

Collection Citation:

William A. Smalley papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

See more items in:

William A. Smalley papers

William A. Smalley papers / Series 6: Talks

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3b18380f5-ea8c-41f9-bcdc-a0dc68edd534

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-naa-2006-06-ref288

Author:

Kalfatovic, Martin R.  Search this

Object Type:

Smithsonian staff publication

Year:

1995

Citation:

Kalfatovic, Martin R. 1995. "Review. "Walkthroughs and Flybys CD" (1993) by Phil Shatz"." CD-ROM Professional, 8, (1) 108–109.

Identifier:

130659

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:slasro_130659

Donor:

Nelson, Scott  Search this

Creator:

Bobcat Company  Search this

Extent:

24 Film reels

56 Cubic feet (128 boxes, 8 oversized folders)

10 Electronic discs (CD)

5 Electronic discs (DVD)

14 Videocassettes (BetacamSP)

38 Videocassettes (U-matic)

9 Videocassettes (VHS)

1 Videocassettes (Digital Betacam)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Film reels

Electronic discs (cd)

Electronic discs (dvd)

Videocassettes (betacamsp)

Videocassettes (u-matic)

Videocassettes (vhs)

Videocassettes (digital betacam)

Dvds

Compact discs

Christmas cards

Awards

Advertisements

Posters

Stickers

Tickets

Videocassettes

Photographs

Placemats

Invitations

Newsletters

Greeting cards

Place:

West Fargo (North Dakota)

Gwinner (North Dakota)

Date:

1940s-2009

Summary:

The Bobcat Company Records document a post-war invention process and American manufacturing system through the case study of a dynamic machine, the Bobcat skid-steer loader. The records focus primarily on Bobcat's products, marketing, and advertising through product literature, photographs, advertisements, posters, newsletters, and audiovisual materials.

Scope and Contents:

The records are divided into ten series which document a post-war invention process and American manufacturing system, through the case study of a dynamic machine, the Bobcat skid-steer loader. The records focus primarily on Bobcat's products, marketing, and advertising through product literature, photographs, advertisements, posters, newsletters, and audiovisual materials.

Series 1, Historical Background, 1965-2007 and undated, is divided into nine subseries: Subseries 1, Company Histories, 1965-1996 and undated; Subseries 2, Organizational Materials, 1970s-2003 and undated; Subseries 3, Factories/Plants, 1965-1996; Subseries 4, Union Materials, 1971, 2005-2007; Subseries 5, Kaizen Materials, 2003-2004 and undated; Subseries 6, Company Christmas Cards, 1965-1974 and undated; Subseries 7, Company Picnics, 1966-1979; Subseries 8, Awards, 1969-1988; and Subseries 9, Subject Files, 1963-1985.

Subseries 1, Company Histories, 1965-1998 and undated, consists of published and unpublished accounts of the early history of Melroe Manufacturing and its corporate evolution. Of note is the undated A Modern Guide to North Dakota. This guidebook is intended for "foreign" visitors (anyone from Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia or outside the city limits of Gwinner, North Dakota) and provides historical background as well as information on the many diverse and interesting aspects of North Dakota.

Subseries 2, Organizational Materials, 1970s-2003 and undated, consists of mission statements, codes of conduct, a corporate directory, organizational charts, and letterhead. The organizational chart, while marketing and sales specific, does provide an overview of the company's administrative functions.

Subseries 3, Factories/Plants, 1965-1996, includes information about each plant.Factories represented include Belcourt, Bismarck, Cooperstown, and Gwinner, North Dakota; and Fort Benton, Montana. The materials document each plant and consist of a range of formats from articles and clippings to birthday cards, highway maps, fact sheets, field trip schedules, histories of the plant, service awards, product literature, guides, press releases, and employee information.

The Belcourt Plant was home to Melroe Manufacturing's welding division. Dedicated in 1975 at the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation (Chippewa Tribe), this plant was established to relieve the Bismarck Plant of a heavy workload in welding requirements. The plant closed in the 1980s.

The Fort Benton Plant manufactured thirty-two different models of chisel plows under Clark Equipment Company's Melroe Division for Ag Products. The Fort Benton Plant closed in 1982.

The Bismarck Plant served as Melroe Manufacturing's headquarters for the three Ag Product Plants: Bismarck, Benton, and Cooperstown. Opened in 1973, the Bismarck Plant made grain drills, the windrow pick-up combine attachment, the automatic reset plow and plow packers, and crop sprayer (the Spra-Coupe). The Bismarck Plant closed in 2009.

The Cooperstown Plant also manufactured Ag products such as grain augers, swathers, field sprayers, machinery trailers, raw crop harvesters, grain drill packers, steel buildings, and aluminum grain boxes. The best known products produced at this plant were the steel teeth for making hay stacks and the automatic reset moldboard plow. The plant also fabricated parts and components for the Bobcat skid-steer loader. Of note in the Cooperstown Plant materials are a black-and-white advertisement and programmatic brochures for Clark Equipment Company's 1975 International Teenage Exchange Program. Five teenagers from "Clark North America" were selected to live with Clark families in Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, or Germany. The Cooperstown Plant closed in 1977.

The Gwinner Plant remains open today and is the main manufacturing facility for Bobcat of North America. The Gwinner folder contains a high school paper title "Melroe" by Craig Allen Knudson, undated, and remarks given at a Dealer Advisory Council Meeting by Jim Strande about the "B Series" from the Engineering Department.

Subseries 4, Union Materials, 1971, 2005-2007, includes information about the United Steel Workers Local 560, the union that is currently in place at the Bobcat Company. Employees formally voted to unionize on April 2, 1970, under the Allied Industrial Workers (A.I.W.). In the early 1990s, the A.I.W. was becoming too small and could no longer provide the best financial backing or representation to Melroe employees, and therefore the employees decided to merge with the United Paperworkers International Union (U.P.I.U.). In 2005, the U.P.I.U. decided to merge with the delegates of the United Steel Workers of America and form the United Steelworkers (U.S.W.). Today, the Bobcat Company is represented by the U.S.W. in District 11 which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The materials in this subseries consist of United Steel Workers Local 560 handbooks and agreements as well as authorized announcements from the local union members and Bobcat management that were posted for employees to read. These announcements/fliers were placed in authorized areas at the factory in Gwinner. There is one grievance record from 1971 detailing the request that certain jobs be posted so personnel can bid for the position.

Subseries 5, Kaizen Materials, 2003-2004 and undated, contains materials related to the Kaizen process, which is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the chief operating officer to the assembly line workers. These materials include An Introduction to the Bobcat Production System ( BPS), undated, and a booklet that provides a road map to all Bobcat employees in utilizing "lean" concepts versus traditional mass production manufacturing. The BPS is intended to redesign production systems, machinery and labor to be as efficient as possible. Other documents include copies of power point slides and materials from a Kaizen workshop.

Subseries 6, Company Christmas Cards, 1965-1974 and undated, includes Christmas cards sent by the Bobcat Company as well as "mock-ups" of cards created by Flint Communications. The Bobcat Company purchased merchandise from companies that specialized in promotional and specialty gifts. Additonal information from those companies is included in this subseries.

Subseries 7, Company Picnics, 1966-1979, contains information about the company's annual family picnic or "family feast" at Lisbon Park in Lisbon, North Dakota. The picnics typically included a program (musical entertainment), games for children, prizes, and a softball game. The documentation includes fliers announcing the picnic, tickets, and receipts and memos detailing the prizes available and the associated costs. Prizes included, but were not limited to, portable televisions, drills, binoculars, cookware, cameras, bicycles, camping equipment, vacuums, and clocks.

Subseries 8, Awards, 1969-1988, contains information about awards given to the Bobcat Company from external organizations as well as individual awards given by the company to its employees. The Export "E" Award is bestowed by the United States Department of Commerce. Awarded for success in boosting sales of American products abroad, Melroe Manufacturing won this honor in 1969 for its increased sales of farm implements and industrial equipment to Canadian and European markets. Material about the 'E" Award includes newspaper clippings and articles, presentation remarks, and photographs. The United States Senate Productivity Award is administered through the United States Senate Commerce Committee. Each United States senator is allowed to select one winner every year. The program was established to encourage competiveness in American industry and ensure its survival in the international marketplace through increased productivity. In 1984, Senator Mark Andrews (R) announced that the Melroe Division of Clark Equipment Company was a recipient of the Productivity Award. The file contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, black-and-white photographs of the presentation, a tour of the factory in Gwinner, North Dakota, and the medal itself. There are other files about awards that recognize employees: Employee Recognition Service Awards, Patents Awards Recognition Dinner, and the 1000 Club. These materials contain lists of awardees, award programs, invitations, and napkins.

Subseries 9, Subject Files, 1963-1985, captures a varity of documentation associated with the company's corporate structure such as testimonials from owners and users of Bobcat skid-steer loaders, the first invoice for the Bobcat skid-steer loader (1963), the celebration of the 100,000th Bobcat skid-steer loader being produced and the "Melroe Mission to Japan." In 1985, a cross-sectional group of Melroe employees were selected to tour Japanese manufacturing plants and examine new concepts in both manufacturing and engineering. The lessons learned from this valuable trip were implemented at Bobcat and ultimately manifested themselves in the Kaizen materials. See Series 1, Subseries 4. The report, Bobcat Reports: The Melroe Mission to Japan contains employee observations about the trip, insights into similarities and difference between Japanese plants and Melroe plants; life style differences; and what it meant individually to the employee.

Series 2, Clark Equipment Company, 1965-1994, contains documentation about the Clark Equipment Company, one of the largest producers of material handling equipment. There are three subseries: Subseries 1, Company Histories, 1965-1978, (not inclusive); Subseries 2, Annual Reports, 1974-1994 (not inclusive); and Subseries 3, Employee Information, undated. The histories consist of typescript documents that were used for various presentations as well as a printed history, "Growing Up with Clark," Clark Magazine, spring 1978, by Steve Lokker. The employee information contains an employee handbook titled "Your Circle of Security" detailing total compensation of pay, benefits, and career opportunities at Clark, and a Guide to Maintaining Non-Union Status and Combating Union Organizational Attempts, undated. The annual reports, 1974-1994, also include information about quarterly report and annual meeting summaries.

Series 3, Newsletters, 1965-2009, consists of published newsletters for both internal and external distribution. Arranged alphabetically by title, the newsletters represent a variety of Bobcat Company news items aimed at specific audiences such as current employees, former employees (alumni), dealers, prospective customers, and the industry. For example, Bobcat Briefs, a monthly publication, contains information for and about Melroe Manufacturing Company employees. The Summit (Bobcat Sales Masters) a monthly newsletter designed for salesmen at varying levels, allowed them to stay up-to-date on their progress in the Sales Masters Program. It was created to recognize the achievements of retail salesmen. Additional newsletters targeted at salesmen/dealers include the Bobcat's Pajamas, Feller Buncher Toppers, Melroe Scoop, Winners Circle, Territory Tales and Worksaver. Worksaver is published four times a year and sent directly to a dealer's mailing list of customers and prospects. Worksaver is part of the Bobcat Company's co-op advertising program, with the single most important feature being the ability to target the Bobcat sales message. Newsletters aimed at employees include Bobcat Briefs, Bobcat Messages, Melroe Pick-up, Clark Pick-up, Melroe and Messages. The only newsletter not represented in this series is the Spra-Coupe Reporter. See series 8 for this newsletter.

Series 4, Photographs, Negatives, Slides and Transparencies, 1960-2003 and undated, contains photographs, negatives, slides, and transparencies. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order following the original filing scheme created by the Bobcat Company. The only exception to this order is "Products" which are filed numerically by model number. For example, the B300 (Loader Backhoe), 2005, is filed before the 310 (Skid Steer Loader), 1977. Each model is identified parenthetically. The bulk of the materials consists of photographs, both black-and-white and color prints documenting the company's activities. They were created and assembled by Ernie Feland, the company's photographer for 37 years.

The images document almost every aspect of the company and its culture. Included are: products, employees, company picnics and outings, factory activities, trade shows, and dealerships. Well documented are the various company outings and activities that involved dealers and vendors. Elaborate theme-based activities were created for the dealers/vendors which were the highlight of the year. The company fostered a "family friendly" atmosphere and this is evident in the images. Many of the photographs documenting company products show the product in use in various industries and with various attachments. For example, there are photographs of skid-steer loaders removing snow, moving fertilizer, drilling holes, and hauling dirt.

Series 5, Dealer Materials, 1964-2003, documents the valuable connection between the customer, dealer, and the company. Dealers are an important part of the Bobcat success story. This series is further divided into eight subseries: Subseries 1, Dealer Advisory Council Meetings, 1967-1996; Subseries 2, Sales Meetings, 1964-1999; Subseries 3, District Manager Meetings, 1971-1990; Subseries 4, Conferences, 1973, 1974,1993; and Subseries 5, Specific Dealers, 1978, 1979, 2003; Subseries 6, Dealer Advertising and Sales Promotion Kits, 1967-1996; Subseries 7, Co-op Advertising Materials for Dealers, 1979-1982; and Subseries 8, Subject Files, 1965-2003.

Subseries 1, Dealer Advisory Council Meetings, 1967-1996, documents Dealer Advisory Council (DAC) activities and meetings. The first DAC was held in 1965 at the Ash Forks Camp on Lake of the Woods, Canada. Dealers competed in a sales contest prior to the meeting to determine which twelve of them would attend. Over the years the roster of dealers attending grew, and those chosen to serve on the council had an outstanding sales record. The company sought these dealers' advice on all aspects of Bobcat marketing, engineering and manufacturing, and both dealers and company management were encouraged to share their ideas and experiences. It is through a strong dealership system that the company sells its products and many times, it was a solid demonstration that sold the product. Dealers frequently were invited to the Bobcat Boot Camp in Lisbon, North Dakota, where they spent one week training on various Bobcat Company products as well as competitors' products.

To this day, dealers meet annually in different locations throughout the United States with particular emphasis on North Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Wisconsin, and parts of Canada. The meetings were well planned and followed a structure with receptions, orientations, dinners, plant tours, presentations, group discussions, and award presentations.

These records provide insight into the relationship between the company and its dealers with dealer distributor materials such as the dealer kits. The photographs in Series 4 document this aspect of the company well. Among one of the boot camp's first trainers was none other than inventor Cyril Keller.

The materials are arranged chronologically by meeting date and contain correspondence, agendas, memos, lists of dealers (in some instances with profiles), certificates (recognizing outstanding sales achievement), invitations, licenses for fishing, invoices for airline tickets, presentation scripts, photographs (the majority document fishing and hunting trips), and brochures. Many of the meetings also had programs for "ladies" since many of the dealer's wives accompanied them.

Subseries 2, Sales Meetings, 1964-1999, documents the annual gathering of all Bobcat dealers. Unlike the DAC Meetings, the annual sales meetings were larger in scale and had more programmatic functions. Meetings were held in a variety of locations throughout the United States, and almost all of the meetings were held either in January or February. The meetings are arranged chronologically and contain the location of the meeting if known. There is unevenness to the type and amount of documentation for each meeting. Many files include agendas, memos, correspondence, name tags, meeting programs, banquet programs, and presentation remarks. Some meetings contained more unusual materials. The 1974 Kona, Hawaii Meeting had a "Clark Money Tree Mid-Term Quiz" designed for dealers and dealer salesmen as a means of testing their knowledge of the Clark Retail Finance programs. The quiz was graded, and if the individual passed, a doctor of finance was issued along with a cash prize. Additionally, an audio disc from the 1974 Kona, Hawaii Meeting, Swing and Sway The Bobcat Way with Bobcat- The One and Only and Cattin Around was intended for use by dealers for a wide variety of promotional and selling situations: background music for radio and TV commercials, local fairs, exhibits, and conventions.

Subseries 3, District Manager Meetings, 1971-1990, consists of documentation for district managers' meetings which dealt with the "how" of demonstrating, advertising, financing, and servicing and the "why" of compact size, maneuverability, all-wheel drive, visibility, time, and labor for Bobcat products. These meetings appear to have been held in conjunction with the annual sales meeting.

Subseries 4, Conferences, 1973, 1974, 1993, includes speeches, photographs, agendas, invoices, memos, programs, and notes. The bulk of the materials consists of Clark Executive Conference materials from 1973.

Subseries 5, Specific Dealers, 1978, 1979, 2003, contains files for specific Bobcat dealers in the United States. The files are arranged alphabetically by dealership name and include advertisements, announcements, correspondence, and other branded materials with the Bobcat logo.

Subseries 6, Dealer Advertising and Sales Promotion Kits, 1967-1996, consists of folders filled with a memo or letter to the dealer, dealer lists, newsletters, logo types, line drawings, price lists, brochures, product information sheets, specifications, and posters designed to assist dealers in promoting a certain product, campaign, or sale. Reg Stansfield served as the dealer development manager (regional, European and worldwide) from 1978 to 1988. It's clear that the company was interested in measuring performance, seeking room for improvement, and knowing about problems. Stansfield had a great interest in training and in helping salesmen avoid making unnecessary mistakes. He created "Sales Success Strategy" cards with sales tips which were included in the dealer promotion kits. These tips were part of the "Melroe Success Formula," which was to promote, demonstrate, sell, and support. Arranged chronologically, these kits provide valuable information on what the company was sending its dealers and the accompanying instructions. The kits also provide a comprehensive overview of the types of industries using Bobcat products, such as colleges, cemeteries, landscapers, stockyards, rendering, and the poultry industry.

Subseries 7, Co-op Advertising Materials for Dealers, 1979-1982, includes materials that were assembled into binders and were distributed to dealers as a way to assist them in promoting and advertising Bobcat products. The binders were organized into categories: direct mail, newspaper, radio, television, Yellow Pages, specialties, signs and displays, and fairs and shows.

Subseries 8, Subject Files, 1965-2003, are arranged alphabetically by topic. These files include topics such as dealer financial profiles, golf tournaments, review guidelines, motivational concepts, sales specialist's guides, website programs, and Y2K compliancy. The dealer-initiated materials include examples of specific materials developed by dealers for promoting Bobcat products and sales. For example, the J.S. Equipment Company of Sacramento, California, developed a Bobcat Bulletin and the K.C. Bobcat of Kansas City, Missouri, developed a mailer card touting their Bobcat Center with equipment and accessories. Proper use of the Bobcat brand name adds value, helps develop customer loyalty and presents a consistent identity. Spelled out in a brochure of Brand Identity and Standards for Bobcat Dealers are the four trade name categories used by dealers: "Bobcat of (location);" "Bobcat (Name);" "(Name) Bobcat;" and "An Independent Trade Name." Additionally, it details unacceptable uses of the Bobcat trademark logo and the associated color standards.

The Melroe Annual Sands Hill One Invitational Engolfment (MASHIE) files chronicle the establishment of an annual golf tournament designed for the company (Melroe) and its dealers to get to know each other better and have fun while doing it. The golf tournament included visits to the factory and offices as well as an awards dinner.

The motivational concepts file contains a variety of notes and lists detailing motivational concepts for dealers. There is an untitled poem about Christmas, Santa, and a Bobcat as well as a 1977 planning session document from Flint Advertising. The Y2K compliancy materials consist of memos, correspondence, spreadsheets, and questionnaires for dealers about their computer compliancy for the year 2000.

Series 6, Marketing and Promotional Materials, 1954-2007, are divided into ten subseries: Subseries 1, Correspondence of Ferd Froeschle, 1974-1976, 1990; Subseries 2, Budget/Finances, 1961-2000 (not inclusive); Subseries 3, Advertisements, 1964-2001; Subseries 4, Artwork/Storyboards, undated; Subseries 5, Advertising Proof Books, 1954-1993; Subseries 6, Surveys/Profiles, 1977, 1979, 1990-1991; Subseries 7, Promotional Ideas/Retail Sales, 1970s-2007; Subseries 8, Sales Campaigns and Programs, 1972-2001; Subseries 9, Contests, 1965-1999, undated; and Subseries 10, Posters, 1977-2005, undated.

Almost all of the promotional pieces were created by Flint Communications of Fargo, North Dakota, under the direction of the Bobcat Advertising/Marketing Department. Flint was established in 1946, by Harold Flint. Today, Flint consists of a network of six companies, known as the Flint Group, serving a diverse list of businesses, industries, government entities, and not-for-profit clients. The Flint Group includes Flint Communications, Fargo, North Dakota; HatlingFlint, St. Cloud, Minnesota; SimmonsFlint, Grand Forks, North Dakota; WestmorelandFlint, Duluth, Minnesota; AadlandFlint, Anchorage, Alaska; and Flint Interactive, an online services firm with staff in multiple locations. In some instances the marketing and promotional pieces have a Knight Printing Company tag affixed to them. This tag provided critical information to both Flint and the Bobcat Company for reordering purposes and dating. For example KN-500-397-#650152-F translated means Knight Printing Company-quantity 500-March 1997-Bobcat Company job number, and the F equals Flint.

The marketing and promotional materials were intended for dealers in the Bobcat dealership network. Many of these pieces were distributed through targeted promotional programs which were designed to maintain regular contact with all existing users, to foster rental customers, and generate new inquiries. The promotional pieces consisted of giveaways, sponsorships, machine displays on dealership frontage, special displays at shopping centers, casual machine displays at stockyards and auctions, presentations and lectures to associations and colleges, group demonstrations, and highway billboards. The promotional methods included permanent advertisements, building and truck designs, ads in newspapers, local television and radio spots, envelope stuffers and stickers for correspondence, fairs, shows, and customer service schools, open houses at dealerships, handouts for salesmen and mechanics, and special telephone canvassing campaigns. These methods maximized the "Worksaver" Program.

Basic markets for the Bobcat include agriculture, agri-business (feed, fertilizer, grain elevators, meat packing), construction (excavating, landscaping, paving, utility, sewer, roofing, concrete, sand and gravel, snow removal, asphalt, and brick), industry (foundries, glass, steel mills, chemicals, coal and coke, lumber, papers, smelters and refiners, castings), forestry, rental yards, and miscellaneous (garbage, rubbish removal, waste paper, nurseries).

Subseries 1, Correspondence of Ferd Froeschle, 1974-1976, 1990, contains correspondence of Ferd Froeschle, the advertising manager and public relations director at Melroe Manufacturing from 1964 to 1981.

Subseries 2, Budget/Finances, 1961-2000 (not inclusive), includes budgets, price lists, advertising schedules (with proposed ad expenditures). There are monthly budget spreadsheets with actuals, budget, and variation for media, production, printing, film and photo, travel, conventions, co-op advertising, sales aids, and miscellaneous.

Subseries 3, Advertisements, 1964-2001, documents advertisements (both color and black and white), color proofs (used to evaluate the ads' final appearance), some examples of the four-color process-a printing process that combines different amounts of the four colors red, yellow, blue and black, copies and/or originals torn from trade and industry magazines. The advertisements are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by language. There is some clip art with Bobcat Company logos and an advertising manual for the international market. The manual was intended to help dealers prepare their own advertising.

Subseries 4, Artwork/Storyboards, undated, include artwork-the visual components of many advertisements-with and without typeset text for a variety of Bobcat Company products. Many are black and color ink on tracing paper or a transparency such as a photographic image on clear plastic. Also included is documentation on the development of the Bobcat Company logo and storyboards for the Bobcat of Futureville with plans on how to set-up/lay out a Bobcat dealership.

Subseries 5, Advertising Proof Books, 1954-1993, consists of advertisements that were placed in newspapers or various industrial, construction, and farming publications. The proofs are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by product or the industry in which the product was used; for example, agriculture, contruction, forestry, industry, and rental. In some instances, the alphabetical heading is further refined such as construction (regional) versus construction (national). This distinction was drawn to distinguish the type of advertisement and where it would appear. Advertisements appeared in publications such as The Dakota Farmer, Montana Farmer- Stockman, The Farmer, Canadian Machinery and Metalworking, and Heavy Construction News.

Subseries 6, Surveys/Profiles for Skid-Steer Loaders, 1977, 1979, 1990-1991, contains survey and summaries from research services that conducted interviews and analysis for the company on the use of skid-steer loaders. The testimonials contained within this section are from employees at Central Bi-Products, (a meat processing facility) in Long Prairie, Minnesota.

Subseries 7, Promotional Ideas/Retail Sales, 1972-2001, include pamphlets, brochures, point-of-purchase ads, stickers, calendars, and greeting cards (Christmas, birthday, and Thanksgiving).

Subseries 9, Contests, 1965-1999 and undated, contains documentation illuminating the company's many and varied contests. Held company-wide and worldwide, the contests were intended for dealers to promote the sale of new products. Incentives included cash, prizes, or attachments for various Bobcat skid-steer loaders. The Let's Do It! contest and campaign of 1972-1973, was a competiton for all employees to think more about their productivity efforts. Employees competed quarterly for corporate awards which were given to divisons and plants with the best nine month performance. Employees were judged on return on investment, inventory control, sales volume, and forecasting while the plants were judged on productivity improvement and inventory control.

Subseries 10, Posters, 1977-2005 and undated, consists of posters created by the company for dealers to use in conjunction with various campaigns, programs, and contests.

Series 7, Product Information, 1967-2008, contains brochures, specification sheets, and catalogs detailing the various products offered for sale by the Bobcat Company. Melroe product history file consists of histories of Melroe Ag products, memorable dates in the Melroe company history and speeches about Melroe Manufacturing.

Series 8, Melroe Ag Products/Spra-Coupe Materials, 1972-1998, is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1, Melroe Ag Products Division, 1973-1983 and Subseries 2, Spra-Coupe, 1972-1998, undated. Melroe Ag Products was a division of Melroe Manufacturing which specialized in farm equipment. The products included reset plows, multi-weeders, rock pickers, chisel plows, grain drills, harroweeders, windrow pick-ups and the Spra-Coupe. The Spra-Coupe materials consist primarily of advertisements, product information, and promotional materials. The Spra-Coupe was first built in 1963 by John D. Kirschmann and brought to market in 1965. In the spring of 1972, Melroe Manufacturing acquired the Spra-Coupe, which was designed to apply chemicals using a self-propelled sprayer. The Spra-Coupe was sold primarily to custom operators and was used to replace the airplane as a means of applying liquid spray.

Series 9, Press Related Materials, 1969-2005, is arranged chronologically and divided into four subseries: Subseries 1, Press Clippings, 1969-2005; Subseries 2, Scrapbook of clippings, 1977-1978; Subseries 3, Press Releases, 1972-1999, undated; Subseries 4, Press Conferences, 1978, 1989, 1994; and Subseries 4, Articles, 1967, 1979, 1993. The press releases were used by the company as "organizational announcements" and were released internally to announce promotions, new positions, scholarship recipients, and service awards. In some instances there are black-and-white photographs found in this series as well as "special" releases from 1972-1974 containing correspondence with television stations and industry specific publications such as the Montana Farmer- Stockman and Fertilizer Solutions.

Series 10, Audiovisual Materials, 1963-2007, is divided into seven subseries: Subseries 1, Corporate documentation, circa 1960s-2007, undated; Subseries 2, Promotional, 1967-2007, undated; Subseries 3, Sales, 1963-2003, undated; Subseries 4, Safety/training, circa 1970s-1983, undated; Subseries 5, Commercials, 2004, undated; Subseries 6, Spra-Coupe, 1988-1993, undated; and Subseries 7, Supplemental documentation, 1974-1975, 1983, undated.

Of note are the commercial films made by William Snyder. Snyder was born and raised in North Dakota, and after working in Hollywood, California, for Technicolor he returned to Fargo to form Bill Snyder Films, Inc. Most of Snyder's output was 16 mm film format in color and black-and-white for industrial programs produced by corporate entities and non-profit groups. Snyder supplemented this work by producing television commercials and commercial movies for industry, including Melroe Manufacturing. Melroe hired Snyder in the early 1960s to make a "short" demonstrating the company's skid-steer loader. Eventually more movies were made: The Story of the Bobcat Kid, Bobcat a Go- Go, and Farm Boy at Heart. The movies provide an insight into the marketing strategy of a small company looking for a new and creative marketing effort called the "info-mercial." Aired on local television in the five-state area (Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming) and using Melroe employees, these movies boosted sales for the company.

Subseries 1, Corporate documentation, circa 1960s-2007 and undated, contains footage of corporate events (primarily National Dealer Meetings), the manufacturing process in the two North Dakota factories, employees at work, and other company-related moving images.

Subseries 2, Promotional, 1967-2007 and undated, consists of films that promote various models of Bobcats and attachments to consumers and dealers. Many films highlight the features, capabilities, and different uses of specific models and associated attachments. CD-ROMs were probably given to potential customers based on their interest in Bobcat products or could have been used in dealerships for customers to access the same information.

Subseries 3, Sales, 1963-2003 and undated, documents the material shown to salesmen and dealers of Bobcats for sales purposes. Methods for improving sales, techniques for selling against competitors' machines, and detailed information about Bobcats' capabilities and features are highlighted to educate salesmen on the products. Numerous motivational and instructional videos were made with Reg Stansfield, Regional Sales Manager, offering strategies to improve sales and increase productivity. Some films in this subseries may have been shown to customers.

Subseries 4, Safety/training, circa 1970s-1983 and undated, documents education of the safe operation of Bobcat machines.

Subseries 5, Commercials, 2004 and undated, contains tapes of thirty second television commercials promoting Bobcat skid-steer loaders.

Subseries 6, Spra-Coupe, 1988-1993 and undated, consists of material relating to the Melroe Spra-Coupe and its electrostatic spraying process. Customer testimonials, descriptions of the use of the machine, and the features and capabilities of the Spra-Coupe are included.

Subseries 7, Supplemental documentation, 1974-1975, 1983, and undated, consists of brochures, scripts, and descriptions for some of the audio visual materials.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1, Historical Background, 1965-2007

Subseries 1.1, Company Histories, 1965-1998 and undated

Subseries 1.2, Organizational Materials, 1970s-2007 and undated

Subseries 1.3, Factories/Plants, 1965-1996; 2007

Subseries 1.4, Union Materials, 1971, 2005-2007

Subseries 1.5, Kaizen Materials, 2003-2004 and undated

Subseries 1.6, Company Christmas Cards, 1965-1974 and undated

Subseries 1.7, Company Picnics, 1966-1979

Subseries 1.8, Awards, 1969-1988

Subseries 1.9, Subject Files, 1963-1985

Series 2, Clark Equipment Company, 1965-1994 and undated

Subseries 2.1, Company Histories, 1965-1978

Subseries 2.2, Annual Reports, 1974-1994

Subseries 2.3, Employee Information and undated

Series 3, Newsletters, 1965-2009 and undated

Subseries 3.1, Bobcat Alumni Newsletter, 1984 fall; 1987 spring

Subseries 3.2, Bobcat Brief, 1985-1993

Subseries 3.3, Bob Cat's Pajamas, 1965-2008

Subseries 3.4, Bobcat Messages, 2000

Subseries 3.5, Bobcat System, 1993

Subseries 3.6, Clark Pickup, 1975-1976

Subseries 3.7, Feller Buncher Toppers, 1984-1985

Subseries 3.8, Melroe Farm Reporter, 1973-1977

Subseries 3.9, Melroe Messages, 1987-1996, 1999

Subseries 3.10, Melroe Pickup, 1969-1975

Subseries 3.11, Melroe Scoop, 1970

Subseries 3.12, Newsloader, 1979-1982 and undated

Subseries 3.13, Scoop, 1991

Subseries 3.14, The Summit, 1990-1992

Subseries 3.15, Territory Tales, 1974-2002

Subseries 3.16, The Winner's Circle, 1983-1989

Subseries 3.17, Worksaver, 1977-2008

Series 4, Photographs, Negatives, Slides, and Transparencies, 1960-2003 and undated

Subseries 4.1, Alphabetical, 1960-2003 and undated

Subseries 4.2, Miscellaneous, 1963-1986 and undated

Series 5, Dealer Materials, 1964-2003

Subseries 5.1, Dealer Advisory Council Meetings, 1967-1996

Subseries 5.2, Sales Meetings, 1964-1999

Subseries 5.3, District Managers Meetings, 1971-1990

Subseries 5.4, Conferences, 1973, 1974, 1993

Subseries 5.5, Specific Dealers, 1978, 1979, 2003

Subseries 5.6, Dealer Advertising and Sales Promotion Kits, 1967-1996

Subseries 5.7, Co-op Advertising Materials for Dealers, 1979-1982

Subseries 5.8, Subject Files, 1965-2003

Series 6, Marketing and Advertising Materials, 1954-2007

Subseries 6.1, Correspondence of Ferd Froeschle, 1974-1976, 1990

Subseries 6.2, Budget/Finances, 1961-2000 (not inclusive)

Subseries 6.3, Advertisements, 1964-2001

Subseries 6.4, Artwork/Storyboards, undated

Subseries 6.5, Advertising Proof Books, 1954-1993

Subseries 6.6, Surveys/Profiles, 1977, 1979, 1990-1991

Subseries 6.7, Promotional Ideas/Retail Sales, 1970s-2007

Subseries 6.8, Sales Campaigns and Programs, 1972-2001

Subseries 6.9, Contests, 1965-1999, undated

Subseries 6.10, Posters, 1977-2005, undated

Series 7, Product Information, 1967-2008

Series 8, Melroe Ag Division/Spra-Coupe Materials, 1972-1998

Subseries 8.1, Melroe Ag Products Division, 1973-1983

Subseries 8.2, Spra-Coupe, 1972-1998, undated

Series 9, Press Related Materials, 1969-2005

Subseries 9.1, Press Clippings, 1969-2005

Subseries 9.2, Scrapbook of clippings, 1977-1978

Subseries 9.3, Press Releases, 1972-1999, undated

Subseries 9.4, Press Conferences, 1978, 1989, 1994

Subseries 9.5, Articles, 1967, 1979, 1993

Series 10, Audiovisual Materials, circa 1960s-2007, undated

Subseries 10.1, Corporate documentation, circa 1960s-2007 and undated

Subseries 10.2, Promotional, 1967-2007 and undated

Subseries 10.3, Sales, 1963-2003 and undated

Subseries 10.4, Safety/Training, circa 1970s-1983 and undated

Subseries 10.5, Commercials, 2004 and undated

Subseries 10.6, Spra-Coupe, 1988-1993 and undated

Subseries 10.7, Supplemental documentation, 1974-1975 and undated

Biographical / Historical:

The Bobcat Company Records document the evolution of the Bobcat skid-steer loader from a simple agricultural machine into a versatile and widely recognized tool. The Company's loaders, mini track loaders, and product attachments improved productivity in many industries such as shipping, landscaping, and construction. In 1958, approximately 20 loaders were built, and by the 1960s, the total number of units was in the few thousands. In the 1970s, 10,000 loaders were being manufactured a year. Today, Bobcat produces approximately 40,000 loaders a year and celebrated its 750,000th loader in 2008. Other companies, such as Caterpillar, Case, John Deere and New Holland all make loaders, but Bobcat dominates the market and its name is synonymous with the compact construction equipment industry. The records focus primarily on Bobcat's products, marketing, and advertising through product literature, photographs, advertisements, posters, newsletters, and audiovisual materials. The Bobcat Company is a story of individuals, simple ingenuity, independence, and innovation and improvement. The Kellers' problem of removing turkey manure from a barn was solved with a can-do, make-do ethos of the farm which spawned a global industry. The early roots of the Bobcat machine lie in the farming heritage of central Minnesota and the North Dakota plains with two blacksmith brothers, Louis (b. 1923-) and Cyril (b. 1922-) Keller. Out of farming necessity to make manual labor easier, a story of technology grew into a world-wide industry that would become known as the compact equipment industry and would be identified with the name Bobcat. In the fall of 1947, Louis Keller formed Keller Manufacturing (sometimes known as Keller Welding) in Rothsay, Minnesota, which provided a wide range of general repair services to customers, especially blacksmithing and welding services. In 1953, Cyril Keller joined his brother Louis as an equal partner in the business. The small family business noted that they "weld anything except a broken heart." In the summer of 1956, Eddie Velo, a local turkey farmer, approached the Kellers with the problem of cleaning manure out of his turkey barns after the turkeys had been taken to slaughter. Standard loader tractors could not be utilized because of their limited maneuverability, and they were too heavy to operate on the second story of a barn. Velo needed a tractor that could maneuver around the posts in his barn, move backwards and forward, and make sharp turns. The Kellers developed a drive system that was designed to provide the maneuverability required by Velo. A bucket was placed in the front, and a motor in the back. A third castor wheel was added to permit sharp turning. They employed a pulley-and-chain system to switch back and forth. They found that this system was too dangerous, and they abandoned it for a clutch system. The result was a system for "transmitting power from a power unit to propulsion wheels, drive shafts and the like, and in particular to a transmission system for self-propelled vehicles having independently rotatable propulsion or drive wheels."0F[1] A completed loader was delivered to Velo in fall 1957, but the Kellers continued to refine and test it. They manufactured six additional models on speculation and ultimately sold them to area poultry farms. To address the instability issues of having three wheels, they added a counter weight at the back. Additionally, they introduced attachments for the loader-snow blade, sweeper, a bucket, and a manure fork. The Kellers sought to mass-produce their loader. After pursuing various avenues, their uncle, Anton Christianson, a dealer with Melroe Manufacturing Company of Gwinner, North Dakota, introduced them to Melroe Manufacturing. Melroe Manufacturing Company was founded in 1947 by Edward Gideon "E.G." Melroe (d. 1955), a pioneer in agricultural technology. The Kellers were invited to bring their loader to the Melroe booth at the 1958 Minnesota State Fair, to determine the amount of interest in the loader. The interest was so great that Melroe decided to manufacture the loader. After the State Fair, an agreement was reached-Melroe would have exclusive manufacturing rights on a royalty basis. The Kellers would be employed by Melroe to further develop the loader. Access to the Melroe facilities allowed the Kellers' work to progress and be widely marketed. In the fall of 1958, Louis and Cyril Keller moved to Gwinner, North Dakota, to begin work. Louis worked on the manufacturing floor from 1958 to 1967 developing the loader, and Cyril worked from 1958 to 1980 as a salesman promoting and selling Melroe products and training dealers. Development of the first Melroe loader prototype (M60) began in November 1958 and was completed in early 1959. The prototype utilized the Keller patented drive design, which was used on various Melroe and later Bobcat models until 1982. The name "Bobcat" originated in 1962 with Lynn Bickett, of Gould, Brown and Bickett, a marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Allegedly, Bickett found the word "bobcat" in the dictionary, and noted that it was a North American mammal that is "tough, quick, and agile." These traits perfectly described the Melroe loader to them, and the Bobcat slogan, "Tough, quick, and agile," was born. Officially designated the Bobcat Company in 2000, the company previously operated under the names: Melroe Manufacturing (1958-1969); Clark Equipment Company (1969-1995); and was also known as Ingersoll-Rand Company (1995-2007). In 1969, Clark Equipment Company of Buchanan, Michigan, acquired Melroe Manufacturing and pushed the Bobcat loader to even greater sales. Clark was a leader in forklifts, but adding the Bobcat product line expanded Clark's range and marketing potential. In 1995, Clark was acquired by Ingersoll-Rand (IR), a leading manufacturer of construction equipment and industrial machinery. IR wanted a strong brand name and the top market share that accompanied it, and Bobcat was just the thing. The IR Company provided Bobcat with a platform to focus on product innovation (front end attachments) and it encouraged global manufacturing and development. The Bobcat Company was acquired by Doosan Infracore International of South Korea in October 2007.

2 Louis Keller. Transmission system. US Patent 3,151,503, filed Dec. 1, 1958, and issued Oct. 6, 1964.

Related Materials:

These records complement many of the Archives Center's agricultural holdings such as the William C. Kost Farm Records (documenting a 20th century family-owned farm in Illinois); the Robinson-Via Family Papers (documenting daily farm life in Prince George's County, Maryland); the Everett Bickley Collection (documenting agricultural technology of bean sorting) and the Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records (documenting the disappearing farm). These papers also complement the Archives Center's holdings of industrial equipment such as Caterpillar, Page Tractors, and B.B. Brown (documenting tractor engines). Construction related papers include the Clyde Learned Papers (documenting a highway engineer); Lloyd F. Rader Papers (documenting civil engineering); the Leon Struck Photo Album (documenting road building) and many of our collections of civil engineering materials.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds one magnetic lifter, Accession 2007.0196.01-.02

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Scott Nelson, President of the Bobcat Company of North America on June 23, 2008.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Viewing the film portion of the collection without reference copies requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use original materials when available on reference video, DVD, or audio tapes. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. The Archives Center does not own rights to these photographs. All requests for permission to use these photographs for non-museum purposes must be addressed directly to the Bobcat Company. Potential users must receive written permission from appropriate rights holders prior to obtaining high quality copies.

Topic:

Construction industry  Search this

Construction equipment  Search this

Genre/Form:

DVDs

Compact discs

Christmas cards

Awards

Advertisements -- 20th century

Posters -- 20th century

Stickers

Tickets

Videocassettes

Photographs -- 20th century

Placemats

Invitations

Newsletters -- 20th century

Greeting cards

Citation:

Bobcat Company Records, 1940s-2009, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing of this collection was made possible, in part, by a gift from the Bobcat Company of North America.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1129

See more items in:

Bobcat Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8a2f6ef8d-f1c0-4127-be32-76de9e143114

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1129

Creator:

Baer, Ralph H., 1922-2014  Search this

Extent:

16 Cubic feet (45 boxes and 1 oversize folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Audiocassettes

Cd-roms

Diagrams

Drawings

Interviews

Videotapes

Correspondence

Sketches

Photographs

Oral history

Notes

Manuals

Date:

1943 - 2015

Summary:

Ralph H. Baer was a German-born ordnance specialist, inventor, and engineer. He was a pioneer of early videogame technology. The papers include autobiographical materials; firearms notes, manuscripts, and photographs; and videogame and television engineering notes, diagrams, schematics, and video documentation.

Scope and Contents:

The Ralph Baer Papers include autobiographical materials and an extended oral history interview. The Papers also include materials about military small arms created by Baer during his World War II service. The largest portion of the collection documents Baer's work on video games.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 12 series.

Series 1: Autobiographical Documents, 1962-2006

Subseries 1.1: Manuscript, book and other documents, 1962-2006

Subseries 1.2: Other Media: CDs, VHS videos, periodical, 1991, 2000-2003

Series 2: WW II Small Arms Documents, 1943-1953

Subseries 2.1: Correspondence, 1950-1953

Subseries 2.2: Writings and notes, 1943-1948

Subseries 2.3: Drawings and schematics, undated

Subseries 2.4: Manuals and encyclopedias, 1943

Subseries 2.5: Photographs, 1945

Series 3: Hans Otto Mauksch Materials, 1944-1964

Subseries 3.1: Personal background information, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1964

Subseries 3.2: Instructional materials, 1944-1946, undated

Subseries 3.3: Ft. Riley, Kansas, 1946, 1953

Series 4: TV Game Documents, 1966-1972

Subseries 4.1: Working notes, diagrams and schematics, 1966-1971

Subseries 4.2: Administrative documents, 1966-1972 Subseries 4.3: Notebooks, 1966-1968

Subseries 4.4: TV game development documentation, 1966-1968

Series 5: Sanders Associates, Transitron, and Van Norman Industries, 1952-2003

Series 6: Product Development Documents, 1974-2015

Series 7: Product Guides and Technical Support, 1943-2011

Series 8: Legal and Patent Documents, 1966-2014

Series 9: Writings and Notes, 1946-1999

Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1961-2012

Series 11: Correspondence, 1983-2014

Series 12: Publicity and Awards, 1979-2015

Biographical / Historical:

Ralph H. Baer (1922-2014) was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1938. A graduate of the National Radio Institute (1940), Baer worked as a radio technician in the New York City area, servicing all types of home and auto radios. During World War II, Baer served in the United States Army, one year stateside, and two years in Europe. He was assigned to Military Intelligence and became an expert on military small arms. Baer returned to the United States with eighteen tons of foreign small arms for use in exhibits at Aberdeen, Maryland; Springfield, Massachusetts Armory; and Ft. Riley, Kansas.

After the war, Baer attended the American Television Institute of Technology in Chicago, graduating with a BS in television engineering. In 1949, Baer joined a small electro medical equipment firm, Wappler, Inc., as their chief engineer. He designed and built surgical cutting machines, epilators, and low frequency pulse generating muscle-toning equipment. In 1951, Baer moved to Loral Electronics of Bronx, New York as a senior engineer, designing power line carrier signaling equipment for IBM. During 1952-1956, Baer worked at Transitron, Inc., in New York City as a chief engineer and later as vice president. In 1956, Baer joined Sanders Associates in Nashua, New Hampshire building airborne radar components. He became manager of the Electronic Design Department at Sanders and eventually Division Manager and Chief Engineer for Equipment Design. Baer retired in 1987.

At Sanders in 1966, Baer began an independent project experimenting with ways for consumers to interact with standard home television sets. Development of interactive TV Game (TVG) ideas became a company-supported project continued by Baer and assisted by William H. Harrison and William T. Rusch (download the TV Game chronology prepared by Ralph Baer in 2006). By mid-1967, ping pong videogames were played inside Sanders, patent disclosures were applied for, and hardware was designed. Baer and his associates called the devices they were developing "boxes" and numbered the various versions one through seven. In 1971, Magnavox became Sanders Associates's first videogame licensee. Between 1972 and 1975, Magnavox produced and sold over 700,000 units of Odyssey, a set of games played on its television receivers. Atari became a licensee in 1976 after the first of many lawsuits won by Sanders in pursuit of patent infringements.

During his tenure at Sanders and thereafter, Baer was a prolific inventor. His creations included many electronic toys and games and other consumer electronic products. Among the better known products based on Baer's work are Milton Bradley's Simon, Galoob's Smarty Bear Video, and Kenner's Laser Command. In 2004 President George W. Bush awarded Baer the National Medal of Technology.

Baer married Dena Whinston in 1952 and they had three children, James, Mark, and Nancy. Ralph Baer died on December 6, 2014, at the age of 92.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Ralph H. Baer Innovative Lives Presentation, August 15, 2009 (AC1179)

The presentation documents a moderated conversation about Baer's life and work. Baer reenacts, with his partner William Harrison, the first time he played "Odyssey," the first home video game for the consumer market, which he invented, and answers questions from the audience. Materials include original video (born digital), master videos, and reference videos.

Materials at Other Organizations

Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong

Ralph H. Baer Papers, 1968-2010 inclusive; 1975-1998 bulk

The Ralph H. Baer papers are a compilation of correspondence, game designs, drawings, notes, reference materials, photographs, product descriptions, digital videos, schematics, electronic components, and manuals utilized by Ralph H. Baer throughout his lengthy career in the toy and game industry. The bulk of the materials are from 1975 through 1998.

U.S. Ordnance Museum, Fort Lee, Virginia

Materials consist of data on foreign small arms brought back from Europe in 1946 by Ralph H. Baer.

Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, New York

Holdings include set of seven recreations of "TV game" prototypes originally created between 1966 and 1969, donated by pioneering game developer Ralph Baer. One of Baer's game prototypes, known as the "Brown Box," was licensed by Magnavox and released in 1972 as the Magnavox Odyssey, the world's first commercial home video game console.

University of Texas, Austin, Briscoe Center for American History

Ralph H. Baer "Brown Box" replica, 1952-1983, 2006-2012

The Ralph H. Baer "Brown Box" replica includes a fully-functional replica of Ralph Baer's "Brown Box," the prototype video game console that was used as the basis of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972. The collection also contains related research materials.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Medicine and Science holds artifacts related to this collection including early video game prototypes and TV Game products.

TV Game Unit #1 (TVG#1); 1966; vacuum tube spot generator with Heathkit IG-62 Generator (See Accession 2006.0102.01)

Heathkit IG-62; used with TVG #1 (See Accession 2006.0102.02)

TV Game Unit #2 (TVG #2), aka the "Pump Unit," 1967; large aluminum chassis with wooden "pump" handle (See Accession 2006.0102.03)

TV Game Unit #7 (TVG#7), aka "Brown Box," 1967/1968; prototype for Magnavox Odyssey (See Accession 2006.0102.04)

Cardboard program cards for use with Brown Box (See Accession 2006.0102.05)

Lightgun, 1967/1968; game accessory for Brown Box (See Accession 2006.0102.06)

TV Game Unit #8, 1968; "de/dt" (velocity responsive) ballgame chassis for use with Brown Box (See Accession 2006.0102.07)

Magnavox Odyssey (Model ITL200) video game unit, 1972; with all accessories in the original carton (See Accession 2006.0102.08)

Milton-Bradley Company SIMON handheld microprocessor-control game, 1978 (See Accession 2006.0102.09)

Ideal Toy Company MANIAC microprocessor-control game, 1979, in original box with game instructions (See Accession 2006.0102.10)

Golf Game accessory, 1968; golf ball mounted on joystick handle for use with Brown Box (See Accession 2006.0102.11

"Brown Box" programming card, target shooting, 1967 (See Accession 2006.0102.12)

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Ralph H. Baer in 2003.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use. 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. Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Books  Search this

Firearms  Search this

Games  Search this

Litigation  Search this

Inventions -- 20th century  Search this

Machine guns  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Weapons  Search this

Video games  Search this

Toys -- 20th century  Search this

Television -- History  Search this

Rifles  Search this

Pistols  Search this

Military intelligence  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes

Audiocassettes

CD-ROMs

Diagrams

Drawings -- 1940-1950

Interviews -- 2000-2010

Videotapes

Correspondence -- 1950-2000

Sketches

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1940-1950

Photographs -- 20th century

Oral history -- 2000-2010

Notes

Manuals -- 1940-1950

Citation:

Ralph H. Baer Papers, 1943-2015, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0854

See more items in:

Ralph H. Baer Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82f137fe4-60d3-4527-aa78-fed55d4b4fef

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0854

Creator:

Discover Card.  Search this

Extent:

3 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Color prints (photographs)

Snapshots

Chromogenic processes

Chromogenic color prints

Date:

circa 1996-1997

Scope and Contents note:

Color snapshots of family groups, with contest entry forms; also, copy of CD-ROM used in exhibition.

Arrangement:

1 series. Arranged alphabetically by family name within four separate regional groupings.

Biographical/Historical note:

Photographs solicited in a nationwide contest organized by Discover card in connection with a Smithsonian exhibition. For example, Barbara (Mrs. George D.) Derry of Melbourne, Florida submitted a color photograph of her family group.

General:

Paper prints, mostly 3.5 x 5" and 4 x 6". Color dyes

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:

Individual photographers hold copyrights. Copyright and privacy restrictions on reproduction.

Topic:

Family -- 20th century  Search this

Contests  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Color photoprints -- 1990-2000

Color prints (photographs)

Snapshots -- 1990-2000

Chromogenic processes

Chromogenic color prints

Citation:

American Family Photographs, ca. 1996-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0636

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep892c93295-f135-4a0f-835a-8a97fbb56359

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0636

Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Elisofon, Eliot  Search this

Extent:

1 Slide (col.)

Type:

Archival materials

Slides

Color slides

Place:

Africa

Mali

Date:

1970

Scope and Contents:

"The city of Tombouctou (Timbuktu) first won renown in the fourteenth century when Mansa Musa, the converted Malian king who made the pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324-27, returned via Timbuktu and ordered the construction of the DjinguereBer (Jingerebir) Mosque. Over the centuries, the DjinguereBer Mosque underwent many reconstructions and spatial reorganizations. The pyramidal tower-cum-minaret on the earliest side, now completely enveloped by subsequent extensions, innumerable re-renderings and stairway access, may very well have initially been a mausoleum or tomb which was subsequently expanded into a solid built-up earthen mass. It stands in balanced contrast with the conical pillar form which marks the currently extant semi-circular mihrab." [Frishman M. and Khan H.-U., 1994: The Mosque. Thames and London Ltd.]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17,1970.

Local Numbers:

T 1 MAL 34 EE 70

General:

Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.

Local Note:

Frame value is 0.

Slide No. T 1 MAL 34 EE 70

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Collection Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Cultural landscapes  Search this

Religious buildings  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Collection Citation:

Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EECL 16364

See more items in:

Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Mali

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo75fbf9a21-4679-4590-ab70-f6ce7647c930

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref7650

Creator:

Vernon, Lillian, 1927-2015  Search this

Extent:

8 Cubic feet (37 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audio cassettes

Cd-roms

Dvds

Sales catalogs

Videotapes

Date:

1974-2008

Summary:

Collection documents Lillian Vernon, entrepreneur who started a catalog business on her kitchen table. Materials include video and audio cassettes, awards, certificates, clippings, and sales catalogs.

Scope and Contents:

This collection consists of 12 cubic feet of material relating to Lillian Vernon, entrepreneur, who started her catalog business at her kitchen table. Materials include video and audio cassettes, awards, certificates, clippings, and sales catalogs, 1987-2008.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged in three series.

Series 1: Lillian Vernon Bound Catalogs, 1987-2007

Series 2: Biographical Material, 1989-2004 Series 3: Audio Visual Materials, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Lillian Vernon, born Lilli Menasche (1927-2015), immigrated with her family to the United States from Germany after escaping the Nazi regime of the 1930s. Vernon inherited her family's entrepreneurial spirit and in 1951 when pregnant with her first child, she searched for a way to stay home and yet augment the family budget. Using her combined wedding gifts, Vernon invested $2,000 in the business and placed her first advertisement in Seventeen for monogrammed accessories for teenagers. She received an overwhelming response and her business was launched. In the early years, the size of the business was limited to Vernon and her kitchen table, where she sorted and filled orders.

Vernon grew her enterprise into one of the nation's most successful mail-order catalogs and a major corporation. The Lillian Vernon Catalog, which the company launched in 1956, became an iconic shopping resource for American women. Produced monthly, the catalog was typically 120 pages and usually featured 750 items. In response to a catalog and shopping mall boom in the United States in the 1980s, the company produced a number of specialty catalogs in order to broaden its market, including ones targeted for children and homemakers.

In 1987, Vernon's company became the first business founded by a woman to be publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Responding to the increasingly important online market in the early 1990s, the Lillian Vernon Corporation opened a storefront on AOL in 1995 and followed with an online catalog and website. However, by the end of the 1990s, the company began to struggle to meet online needs, especially after the collapse of the dot-com bubble. Vernon sold the company to Zelnick Media in 2003, but retained the symbolic title of non-executive chairman.

Related Materials:

Materials at the National Museum of American History

The Division of Work and Industry holds related objects: engravo-graph machine, engraving blocks, kitchen table, wood sign, purse, and belt. See accession 2019.0306.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Fred P. Hochberg and David Hochberg, 2019.

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:

American woman entrepreneur  Search this

Business -- History  Search this

Direct marketing  Search this

Mail-order business  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audio cassettes

CD-ROMs

DVDs

Sales catalogs

Videotapes

Citation:

Lillian Vernon Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1495

See more items in:

Lillian Vernon Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b38cef11-ceea-4f69-b3d7-dad9c94b334b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1495

Collection Creator:

Vernon, Lillian, 1927-2015  Search this

Extent:

1 Videocassettes (VHS)

Container:

Box 20, Item AC1495-OV0034

Type:

Archival materials

Moving Images

Videocassettes (vhs)

Date:

1994-05-17

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:

Lillian Vernon Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Lillian Vernon Collection

Lillian Vernon Collection / Series 3: Audio Visual Materials / 3.2: Videocassettes

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8279c260d-e7a9-48df-9d17-2302f2adf02c

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1495-ref780