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From the cotton field to the cotton mill a study of the industrial transition in North Carolina

Author:
Thompson, Holland 1873-1940  Search this
Physical description:
ix, 284 p 23 cm
Type:
Books
Place:
North Carolina
Caroline du Nord
Date:
1971
1906
Topic:
Cotton growing  Search this
Cotton trade  Search this
Coton--Culture  Search this
Call number:
HD9877.N8 T5 1971X
HD9877.N8T5 1971X
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_7134

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Textiles

Creator:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this
Extent:
12.77 Cubic feet (consisting of 26.5 boxes, 1 folder, 7 oversize folders, 2 map case folders, 1 flat box (partial), plus digital images of some collection material.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Print advertising
Periodicals
Publications
Advertising cards
Advertising mail
Printed ephemera
Patterns
Catalogues
Designs (textile)
Sales catalogs
Business cards
Legal records
Contracts
Textiles
Trade catalogs
Exhibition catalogs
Advertising
Advertisements
Mail order catalogs
Business records
Designs
Printed material
Labels
Instructional materials
Trademarks
Legal documents
Trade cards
Legislation (legal concepts)
Ephemera
Samples
Manuals
Sample books
Design patents
Advertising fliers
Illustrations
Catalogs
Sales letters
Business letters
Correspondence
Manufacturers' catalogs
Commercial correspondence
Letterheads
Invoices
Photographs
Sales records
Printed materials
Fabrics
Trade literature
Business ephemera
Receipts
Commercial catalogs
Date:
1784-1970
Summary:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Accounting and Bookkeeping forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana
Scope and Contents:
This material is concentrated on the 19th century United States textile manufacture and trade, and the sale of textiles in the form of bale, bolt, roll, and fabric to commercial vendors or consumers as source material to make other goods. The first series contains day-to-day records of dealers and vendors, plus advertising and marketing material. Artisan and home production of goods are virtually not covered but are a couple of incidental publications related to arts, crafts (rugs, weaving, looms), and more refined work such as tapestry. The import/export of textiles is well represented with a large volume of records, which may also provide some insight into the shipping industry.

There is not much on the infrastructure of the industry in the way of directories, trade journals, trade associations, along with manufacturing and plants, though there are a few examples of each. There are virtually no catalogues, except for a few thin ones that were filed by company name. While not extensive, the sample books and swatches offer a glimpse into product lines. Material types offers limited, specific information on certain varieties such as cotton, wool, linen, rayon, etc. Thread might be incidentally present but is not specifically included since there is already a dedicated subject category for it.

There is a healthy sampling of product labels. A handful of intellectual property related documents cover protections of designs, plus patents and trademarks. There is a small bulk of publications related to tariffs and the wool industry.

Clothing patterns, home economics, sewing and seamstresses, household use of textiles (furniture covering, as a cleaning tool, bedding/pillows, etc.) are not covered within this category. Researchers should also look at any of a number of other Warshaw categories, particularly those related to clothing, hosiery, dry goods, furniture, curtains, etc. for period popularity of certain materials and patterns.
Arrangement:
Textiles is arranged in three subseries.

Business Records and Marketing Material

Genre

Subject
Forms Part Of:
Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.

Missing Title

Series 1: Business Ephemera

Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers

Series 4: Photographic Reference Material
Provenance:
Textiles is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
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:
Trade associations  Search this
Patents  Search this
Cotton textile industry  Search this
Fabrics, including spinning and weaving  Search this
Tapestry  Search this
Cotton  Search this
Textile manufacture  Search this
Textile design -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources  Search this
Textile crafts  Search this
Textile  Search this
Retail trade  Search this
Tapestry -- Design  Search this
Textiles -- India  Search this
Labels -- Design  Search this
Textile fabrics in art  Search this
Textile fibers, Synthetic -- Equipment and supplies  Search this
Cotton picking machinery  Search this
Wool, Artificial  Search this
Cotton manufacture  Search this
Textile fabrics  Search this
Cotton picking  Search this
Textile fabrics -- 20th century  Search this
Textile fibers, Synthetic  Search this
Trademarks -- Design  Search this
Silk industry  Search this
Textile fibers, Synthetic Dyeing  Search this
Textile industry  Search this
Cotton industry  Search this
Tapestry -- Technique  Search this
Cotton growing  Search this
Cotton -- 1890-1910  Search this
Textile mills  Search this
Synthetic fabrics  Search this
Consumer goods -- Catalogs  Search this
Textile industry -- 1900-1910  Search this
Genre/Form:
Print advertising
Periodicals
Publications
Advertising cards
Advertising mail
Printed ephemera
Patterns
Catalogues
Designs (textile)
Sales catalogs
Business cards
Legal records
Contracts
Textiles
Trade catalogs
Exhibition catalogs
Advertising
Advertisements
Mail order catalogs
Business records
Designs
Printed material
Labels
Instructional materials
Trademarks
Legal documents
Trade cards
Legislation (legal concepts)
Ephemera
Samples
Manuals
Sample books
Design patents
Advertising fliers
Illustrations
Catalogs
Sales letters
Business letters
Correspondence
Manufacturers' catalogs
Commercial correspondence
Letterheads
Invoices
Photographs
Sales records
Printed materials
Fabrics
Trade literature
Business ephemera
Publications -- Business
Receipts
Commercial catalogs
Citation:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Textiles, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Textiles
See more items in:
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Textiles
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8452a33db-9793-45c0-890c-a0dc6c7e8893
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-textiles
Online Media:

Gossypium tomentosum Nutt.

Biogeographical Region:
63 - North-Central Pacific  Search this
Collector:
ex Cotton Growing Corp.  Search this
Place:
Hawaii, United States, Pacific Islands
Collection Date:
12 Jul 1935 or 7 Dec 1935
Taxonomy:
Plantae Dicotyledonae Malvales Malvaceae
Published Name:
Gossypium tomentosum Nutt.
Barcode:
00435939
USNM Number:
1755219
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Flora of Hawaii
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/353a1d8ae-725e-4791-addd-b6978171a487
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_2740276

Missouri Botanical Garden

Creator:
Board of Trustees  Search this
Shaw, Henry  Search this
Missouri Botanical Garden  Search this
Tower Grove  Search this
Seiwa-en  Search this
Landscape architect:
Kawani, Koichi  Search this
Architect:
Barnett, George L.  Search this
Horticulturist:
Raven, Peter  Search this
Gates, David M.  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Extent:
1 Slides (photographs) (col.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Place:
Missouri -- Saint Louis
United States of America -- Missouri -- St. Louis
Date:
1917
General:
Henry Shaw was in business at 17, retired at 40 a very wealthy man. He built a country house, Tower Grove in 1849. In 1853, Henry Shaw decided to create a botanical garden at Tower Grove that would be given to the citizens of St. Louis. In 1858 the main part of the 79 acre garden plans had been completed. In 1881 and 1882, the Linnaean House, designed simular to a European orangery and housed displays of camellias. Economic Garden.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Summer  Search this
Rice  Search this
Cotton growing  Search this
Botanical gardens  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, Item MO017090
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Missouri / MO017: St. Louis -- Missouri Botanical Garden
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6cacd2693-0860-42e5-9fac-756231db3057
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref9062

National Cotton Council of America (NCC) Photographs and Film

Creator:
National Cotton Council  Search this
Extent:
28 Cubic feet (48 boxes)
224 Motion picture films
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Motion picture films
Photographs
Motion pictures (visual works)
Slides (photographs)
Date:
circa 1945-1999, undated
Summary:
The collection consists primaily of photographs and films created by the National Cotton Council of America (NCC) to document cotton production and use and to support the advocacy and educational work of the organization.
Scope and Contents:
Collection consists of photographs, slides, and 16mm films created by the National Cotton Council of America (NCC) to document cotton production and use and to support the educational and advocacy work of the organization. It is arranged into four series.

Series one contains black and white photographic prints dating primarily from the 1950s-1970s. The photographs document every aspect of cotton farming, from before the seed is planted to the production of finished cloth. Most of these prints illustrate agricultural practices, including land preparation, planting, bedding, plowing, harrowing, drainage, cultivation, stripping, and harvesting. Another group documents pests and infestations – boll weevils, fleas, mites, pink bollworm, hoppers - and the methods of countering them with insecticide and herbicide applications. Other photographs illustrate more general topics, including the history of cotton, research programs, trading, foreign cotton farming, printing, spinning, and weaving. There are also photographs of agricultural equipment manufactured by International Harvester. In addition, a small group of photographs consist of images from movies produced by the National Cotton Council of America (NCC). The photographs were maintained in the order that was created by the National Cotton Council of America (NCC).

Series two include slides and color photographs which date from the 1980s-early 2000s. These materials document many of the same topics as the black and white photographic prints during a later time. Many of the slides were created and assembled for use in presentations. In addition, there are slides of individuals and activities from the National Cotton Council of America (NCC) board meetings and conferences.

Series three consists of publications and reference materials.

Series four contains two hundred and fourteen films that were created by the National Cotton Council of America (NCC) and date from the 1960s-1980s. Films primarily document cotton farming and its versatility and use in consumer goods. A consistent theme and message are to promote cotton to the fashion industry and for home use.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1, Black and White Photographic Prints, 1945-1970s, undated

Subseries 1.1, Cultivation and Production of Cotton, 1950s-1970s

Subseries 1.2, Film Stills, 1956-1971, undated

Subseries 1.3, Subjects and Events, 1945-1965

Series 2, Slides, 1979-1999, undated

Series 3, Publications, 1954-1981

Series 4, Films, 1953-1996, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The National Cotton Council of America (NCC) is the official trade association of the cotton industry. The NCC was founded in 1939 to promote the interests of cotton farmers, ginners, brokers, and manufacturers from the Southern, cotton-growing states. Its mission evolved over the years as new uses for cotton and its byproducts were found; as synthetic fibers were developed; as fashion tastes changed; as government regulation increased; and as foreign competition in farming and manufacturing grew. The National Cotton Council's website states that its current mission is "to ensure the ability of all United States cotton industry segments to compete effectively and profitably in the raw cotton, oilseed and United States-manufactured product markets at home and abroad." Throughout its existence, the NCC has been the contact point for industry issues affecting its members, legislators in Congress, allied agribusinesses, and consumers.

The National Cotton Council of America (NCC) initially gave this collection to the Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange early in 2008, during the move of the Memphis-based NCC's corporate offices into a much smaller facility. Calvin Turley, president of the Board of the Cotton Museum, accepted the materials with the understanding that he could do with them as he wished. Ultimately, he decided that the collection was outside the scope of the Cotton Museum's mission. Turley offered the collection to the National Museum of American History in the belief that this was "the best possible place in the whole world for it."
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

Maid of Cotton Records (NMAH.AC.1176)

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (NMAH.AC.0060)

Peter Paul Haring Papers (NMAH.AC.1014)

Sally Fox Innovative Lives Presentation (NMAH.AC.0646)

William Mason Papers (NMAH.AC.0045)

Anne E. Peterson Stereograph Collection (NMAH.AC.0402)

Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records (NMAH.AC.0773)

Uriah A. Boyden Papers (NMAH.AC.0982)
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center in 2009 by the Cotton Museum.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.

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:
Cotton textile industry  Search this
Cotton industry  Search this
Cotton growing  Search this
Cotton picking  Search this
Cotton manufacture  Search this
Trade associations  Search this
Textile industry  Search this
Cotton  Search this
Cotton farming  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs -- 1950-2000
Motion pictures (visual works)
Slides (photographs) -- 1950-2000
Citation:
National Cotton Council of America Photographs and Film, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1177
See more items in:
National Cotton Council of America (NCC) Photographs and Film
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep842ca420b-ff48-45ca-8699-a5af5759a074
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1177

The People of India, Volume Eight

Publisher:
Watson, J. Forbes (John Forbes), 1827-1892.  Search this
Kaye, John William, Sir, 1814-1876  Search this
Collection Publisher:
Watson, J. Forbes (John Forbes), 1827-1892.  Search this
Kaye, John William, Sir, 1814-1876  Search this
Extent:
1 Volume
Container:
Box 11
Culture:
Hindus  Search this
Muslims  Search this
Christians  Search this
Malay  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Books
Volumes
Local Numbers:
FSA A1990.03 8
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Topic:
Indigenous peoples -- South Asia  Search this
Ethnography -- South Asia  Search this
Collection Citation:
The People of India. FSA.A1990.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Purchase.
Identifier:
FSA.A1990.03, Series FSA A1990.03 8
See more items in:
The People of India: A Series of Photographic Illustrations, with Descriptive Letterpress, of the Races and Tribes of Hindustan
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc39ad05066-9319-4b1b-a92c-244db95fc32e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a1990-03-ref8
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Online Media:

Hyparrhenia rufa (Nees) Stapf

Biogeographical Region:
26 - South Tropical Africa  Search this
Collector:
G. Jackson  Search this
Place:
Nyasaland: Citata, Empire Cotton Growing Corporation, Salima., Malawi, Africa
Collection Date:
17 Apr 1952
Taxonomy:
Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Poaceae Panicoideae
Published Name:
Hyparrhenia rufa (Nees) Stapf
Barcode:
04353806
USNM Number:
3115044
See more items in:
Botany
Flowering plants and ferns
Data Source:
NMNH - Botany Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/38792d822-4471-4407-87e5-4ff13cbe08cb
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhbotany_16199791

P-V2091 Cars Loaded with Cotton Bales on Levee, Near Cotton Growing District, Texas

Published by:
Keystone View Company, American, 1892 - 1972  Search this
Photograph by:
Underwood & Underwood, American, 1881 - 1940s  Search this
Subject of:
Unidentified Man or Men  Search this
Medium:
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper on card mount
Dimensions:
H x W (image): 3 1/8 × 6 1/16 in. (8 × 15.4 cm)
H x W (sheet): 3 7/16 × 7 in. (8.8 × 17.8 cm)
Type:
stereographs
Place depicted:
Texas, United States, North and Central America
Date:
ca. 1900
Topic:
African American  Search this
Agriculture  Search this
American South  Search this
Cotton  Search this
Labor  Search this
Photography  Search this
Transportation  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number:
2015.248.4.11
Restrictions & Rights:
Public domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Media Arts-Photography
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5fe3d13a7-bdc7-4219-ad0a-83e3be060fb7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2015.248.4.11
Online Media:

Publications by George M. McBride

Collection Creator:
McBride, George McCutchen, 1876-1971  Search this
Container:
Box 2, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1920-1942
Scope and Contents:
Mostly reprints. Includes "The Agrarian Indian Communities of Highland Bolivia," flyer for Chile: Land and Society, "Cotton Growing in South America," "The Evacuation of Mexico City," and "Inquilinos cileni."
Collection Restrictions:
The George McCutchen McBride papers are open for research.

Access to the George McCutchen McBride papers requires an appointment.

Nitrate negatives are in cold storage and are not available for viewing without approval of the photo archivist. One photo album is extremely fragile so researchers must consult digital copies.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
George McCutchen McBride papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
George McCutchen McBride papers
George McCutchen McBride papers / Series 2: Writings / Writings and notes by George McBride
Archival Repository:
National Anthropological Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw3acf6006c-18bf-4604-9e3b-7c33871bc39a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-naa-1978-24-ref11

K – L

Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1865–1866
Collection Restrictions:
Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection, 1865–1872, is a product of and owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright for digital images is retained by the donor, FamilySearch International; permission for commercial use of the digital images may be requested from FamilySearch International, Intellectual Property Office, at: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org.
Collection Citation:
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, FamilySearch International, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Identifier:
NMAAHC.FB.M1048, Item 4.1.2.7
See more items in:
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for State of Virginia, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869 / Series 4: Letters and Telegrams Received / 4.1: Registers of Communications Received / 4.1.2: Entered in Registers 1 – 4
Archival Repository:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io384caec78-fc39-470a-a144-632ee73d7351
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmaahc-fb-m1048-ref86
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  • View K – L digital asset number 2
Online Media:

The Crisis Vol. 13 No. 4

Published by:
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909  Search this
Edited by:
W.E.B. Du Bois, American, 1868 - 1963  Search this
Subject of:
Richard T. Greener, American, 1844 - 1922  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper
Dimensions:
9 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 1/8 in. (24.8 x 17.1 x 0.3 cm)
Type:
magazines (periodicals)
Place printed:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
February 1917
Topic:
African American  Search this
Advertising  Search this
Associations and institutions  Search this
Black Press  Search this
Business  Search this
Civil Rights  Search this
Education  Search this
Literature  Search this
Mass media  Search this
Poetry  Search this
Politics  Search this
Race relations  Search this
Social life and customs  Search this
Social reform  Search this
Women's organizations  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bobbie Ross in memory of Elizabeth Dillard
Object number:
2012.84.9
Restrictions & Rights:
Public Domain
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Movement:
Women's Club Movement
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd50b650817-b743-4378-bfc4-d5dc91c485f8
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2012.84.9
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Maid of Cotton Records

Creator:
Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange  Search this
National Cotton Council  Search this
Extent:
38 Cubic feet (91 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Videocassettes
Slides (photographs)
Scrapbooks
Reports
Programs
Photographs
Photograph albums
Audiotapes
Place:
Memphis (Tenn.)
Date:
1939-1994, undated
Summary:
The Maid of Cotton (MOC) beauty pageant was sponsored by the National Cotton Council, Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans from 1939-1993. The contest was held annually in Memphis, Tennessee until the National Cotton Council and Cotton Council International moved to Dallas, Texas. Beginning with the 1985 pageant (held December 1984) the competition was held in Dallas. The pageant was discontinued in 1993 due to lack of funds, a sponsor, and changes in marketing strategies. The records include files on contestants, photographs, and scrapbooks.
Scope and Contents:
The collection contains the records for the Maid of Cotton pageant (1939-1993) sponsored by the National Cotton Council (NCC), Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans. The collection consists of approximately 38 cubic feet of records created by the NCC in the course of operating the Maid of Cotton contest from 1939 to 1993. The records form the complete archive of this fifty-four year program. The records include administrative files, scrapbooks, photographs, slides, and videotapes.

"One of the main values of the Maid of Cotton collection is its completeness. These are all of the official records of the program, documenting all of its activities throughout its entire existence from 1939 to 1993. As such, it represents a truly unique documentary record and opportunity for research.

Beauty contests have been the subject of serious scholarly study for many years. A search of WorldCat reveals over fifty books on the topic. Scholars have found the subject to be a fruitful springboard from which to study a wide variety of topics, primarily centered around issues of beauty, femininity, culture values, national identity, racism, and feminism.

Beauty pageants serve as symbols that reflect the values of American culture. For example, pageant winners have symbolized the advances made by formerly disenfranchised groups. Vanessa Williams, the first African American to win the Miss America crown (1983), rewrote the definition of beauty in America, and Heather Whitestone, the first deaf Miss America (1995), proved that physical handicaps need not hold anyone back from their dreams. Pageants can provide a focus for the re-examination of our society and culture. The tragic murder of six-year-old Jonbenet Ramsey in 1996 provided a window into what author Susan Anderson calls "the extravagant world of child beauty pageants," that led to public debate about issues of motherhood and adolescence.

In addition, beauty pageants can be viewed in advertising terms: they are the ultimate expression of the tried and true adage that sex sells. All pageants have sponsors and all sponsors want their products to be seen in a positive light. Some sponsors are content to contribute goods and services to the contestants --a new car, a trip to the Caribbean, a fur coat, etc. --so that their generosity can be noted in the publicity surrounding the contest. Others prefer to sponsor the entire program. The Miss Universe contest, for example, was created in 1952 by the Jantzen Company specifically to enable the company to showcase pretty girls wearing its swimsuits. Jantzen abruptly withdrew its previous support of the Miss America pageant when Yolande Betbeze refused to wear a bathing suit during her reign as Miss America 1951. The Maid of Cotton pageant is a highly organized, year-long, very visible public relations program that allows the National Cotton Council to showcase the wonders of cotton through the wonders of young beauty queens. Attractive young women are the perfect vehicle for promoting fashionable fabrics made from cotton.

Cotton --the product at the heart of the Maid of Cotton program --has been central to American economic and political history. NMAH's collecting and research interests reflect this. The Division of Work & Industry contains numerous cotton-related objects and much documentation on the subject. The Archives Center holds several cotton-related collections, including the Peter Paul Haring Papers, 1897-1935, documenting Haring's development of cotton picking machinery; the Lockwood Greene collection of thousands of engineering drawings, many of which were for textile mills; the Robert L. Shurr Script and Scrapbook for a 1939 biographical motion picture on Dr. George Washington Carver; and the Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records, 1985-1992, which documents modern cotton farming through photography and oral history interviews. In addition, all aspects of cotton production, from farm to factory to finished goods, are documented in several hundred photos in the Underwood & Underwood Agricultural Photonegative Collection, the Underwood & Underwood Glass Stereograph Collection, the Division of Work & Industry Lantern Slide Collection, and the Donald Sultner-Welles Photograph Collection. Cultural aspects of cotton can be discovered in both the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana and in the DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music." (Orr, Craig. "NMAH Collections Committee", memorandum, 2009)

Series 1, Organizational and Pageant Files, 1939-1993, undated., is arranged chronologically by year. Files may contain correspondence, photographs, news clippings, radio commercial scripts, tear sheets, itineraries, trip reports, sheet music, legal documents, waivers, and permissions, and other material related to the Maid of Cotton pageant for that year. Files may also contain subsequent personal information on the Maid of Cotton for that year, for example change of address, news clippings, and the like. This series contains finalist files, trip files and tour report files.

Series 2, Photographs, Slides, and Transparencies, 1939-1994, undated., is arranged chronologically by year. This series contains photographs, slides, and transparencies related to the Maid of Cotton and her travels throughout the United States and overseas. It also contains photographs of the fashions worn by each Maid.

Series 3, Scrapbooks, 1951-1988, contains the scrapbooks created by the National Cotton Council office as well as scrapbooks created by the Maids themselves or others for her. Scrapbooks most often contain news clippings, ephemera, and sometimes correspondence.

Series 4, Audio-Visual, 1991-1993. This series contains video and audio related to the Maid of Cotton. It is currently unprocessed.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Organizational and Pageant Files, 1939-1993, undated

Subseries 1.1: Maid of Cotton files, 1939-1993

Subseries 1.2: Little Miss Cotton, 1956-1963, undated

Series 2: Photographs, Slides, and Transparencies, 1939-1994, undated

Subseries 2.1: Photographic Negatives and Transparencies, 1939-1993, undated

Subseries 2.2: Slides, 1939-1993, undated

Series 3: Scrapbooks, 1951-1988

Series 4: Audio-Visual, 1991-1993, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Maid of Cotton pageant began in 1939. The annual pageant was sponsored by the National Cotton Council (NCC), Memphis Cotton Carnival, and the Cotton Exchanges of Memphis, New York, and New Orleans. The pageant was held in Memphis, Tennessee, in conjunction with the Carnival until the 1980s.

In mid-December every year the NCC released a list of contestants. Contestants were required to have been born in one of the cotton-producing states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia. They might have also been born in the cotton-producing counties of Alexander, Jefferson, Massac, Pulaski, Williamson or Madison, Illinois or in Clark or Nye counties of Nevada. There were usually twenty contestants each year.

Contestants were judged on personality, good manners, intelligence, and family background as well as beauty and an ability to model. A Top Ten were chosen and then a Top Five, and finally second and first runners up and a winner. Winners served as goodwill and fashion ambassadors of the cotton industry in a five-month, all-expense tour of American cities. In the mid-1950s the tour expanded globally. In the late 1950s a Little Miss Cotton pageant was begun but lasted only until 1963 before being discontinued. In the mid-1980s Dallas,Texas took over the pageant, in conjunction with the NCC and its overseas division, Cotton Council International. In 1986, to bolster interest and participation, the NCC eliminated the rule requiring contestants to be born in a cotton-producing state. The pageant was discontinued in 1993, one of the reasons being that Cotton Inc. stopped contributing scholarship money as well as waning public interest and changing marketing strategies. (pageantopolis.com website accessed April 2012.)

"The National Cotton Council is the official trade association of the cotton industry. The NCC was founded in 1939 to promote the interests of cotton farmers, ginners, brokers, and manufacturers from the Southern, cotton-growing states. Its mission evolved over the years as new uses for cotton and its byproducts have been found; as competition from synthetic fibers developed; as fashion tastes changed; as government regulation increased; and in response to foreign competition in both farming and manufacturing . The NCC website states that its modern-day mission is "to ensure the ability of all U.S. cotton industry segments to compete effectively and profitably in the raw cotton, oilseed and U.S.-manufactured product markets at home and abroad." Throughout its existence, the NCC has been the contact point for issues affecting its members, legislators in Congress, allied agribusiness, and consumers.

One of the first NCC programs undertaken by to promote the versatility and value of cotton to consumers was the Maid of Cotton program, begun in 1939. This consisted of a beauty pageant open to young women born in one of the seventeen southern cotton growing states. The contestants were evaluated on the basis of beauty, personality, poise, good manners, and intelligence; a family background in cotton production was especially helpful. The girls had to apply for selection to compete in the program. At first this was done directly to the Memphis-based program but eventually a system of state Maid of Cotton programs were established, whose winners went on to compete in the national Maid of Cotton contest. The Maid of Cotton received numerous prizes, whose value and variety tended to increase over the years. In the late 1940s, the program added a scholarship prize, probably in emulation of the Miss America contest. The Maid of Cotton pageant was held each December in Memphis as part of that city's Cotton Carnival festivities. The winner was featured prominently on her own float in the Cotton Carnival parade, was feted at prestigious Carnival events, and was treated as royalty wherever she went. Selection as the Maid of Cotton carried a high degree of status and mature ladies in the South to this day proudly identify themselves as such.

The Maid of Cotton's main function, once crowned, was to serve as a goodwill and fashion ambassador for cotton; any publicity she gained was automatically positive publicity for the cotton industry. Accompanied by an NCC-appointed manager, the Maids embarked on an all-expenses-paid tour. The Maids appeared in full regalia at public events such as county fairs, parades, and holiday events; starred in fashion shows featuring all-cotton outfits; gave speeches to local chambers of commerce and other groups; and in general were the attractive personification of the cotton industry wherever they went. At first, the tours concentrated on the cotton states but they were later extended to major cities outside the cotton belt and came to include visits to legislators on Capitol Hill. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the Maids began touring internationally and in the 1970s and 1980s they frequently headed up fashion shows in Asia.

Over time, however, the publicity value of an industry-anointed beauty queen lost its attraction both to the public and --more importantly --to the press. In addition, the role of cotton in the South, particularly in Memphis, declined. In 1986 the contest was moved from Memphis to Dallas. Eventually the cotton industry withdrew its support for the program's scholarships; the 1993 Maid of Cotton was the last to be crowned." (Orr, Craig. "NMAH Collections Committee", memorandum, 2009)
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center

National Cotton Council Records, circa 1960s-1980s (AC1177)

Southern Agriculture Oral History Project Records, 1986-1991 (AC0773)
Provenance:
This collection was donated by the Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange on October 14, 2009.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the negatives are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Beauty contestants  Search this
Cotton textile industry  Search this
Cotton industry  Search this
Beauty contests -- United States  Search this
Genre/Form:
Videocassettes
Slides (photographs)
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Reports
Programs -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Photograph albums -- 20th century
Audiotapes
Citation:
Maid of Cotton Records, 1939-1993, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1176
See more items in:
Maid of Cotton Records
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f53d73b9-ea20-46d7-a006-fb4122e3ad71
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1176
Online Media:

Letterpress book. Volume 30, 1910 March 22 - April 16

Collection Creator:
Freer, Charles Lang, 1856-1919  Search this
Container:
Box 52, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Collection Citation:
Charles Lang Freer Papers. FSA A.01. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of the estate of Charles Lang Freer.
See more items in:
Charles Lang Freer Papers
Charles Lang Freer Papers / Series 2: Correspondence / 2.2: Charles Lang Freer Letterpress Books, 1892-1910
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc3e35428e8-236d-44ac-be84-3a942db7c00e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a-01-ref670
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  • View Letterpress book. Volume 30, 1910 March 22 - April 16 digital asset number 1

Douglass' Monthly, Vol. III, No. X

Container:
Box 1, Folder 7
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1861-03
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Collection of Frederick Douglass materials, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials / Series 1: Douglass' Monthly Newspapers
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa72e51c41f-1309-4a99-a200-1e07a6f4d94b
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-06-112-ref14
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Douglass' Monthly, Vol. IV, No. IX

Container:
Box 1, Folder 19
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1862-03
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Collection of Frederick Douglass materials, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials / Series 1: Douglass' Monthly Newspapers
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa733b51e74-3897-4c3b-ac9b-8b8c2719bcce
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-06-112-ref26
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Douglass' Monthly, Vol. V. No. II

Container:
Box 1, Folder 21
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1862-07
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Collection of Frederick Douglass materials, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials / Series 1: Douglass' Monthly Newspapers
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa72fac27fd-d75e-4467-9050-aff5eae70cfd
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-06-112-ref28
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Douglass' Monthly, Vol. V. No. VI

Container:
Box 1, Folder 24
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1863-01
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Collection of Frederick Douglass materials, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials / Series 1: Douglass' Monthly Newspapers
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7f6510456-8b41-4724-9e88-9e3261b89fbc
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-06-112-ref31
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Douglass' Monthly, Vol. III, No. VII

Container:
Box 1, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1860-12
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Collection of Frederick Douglass materials, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials
Collection of Frederick Douglass' Monthly's, booklets, and other materials / Series 1: Douglass' Monthly Newspapers
Archival Repository:
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa753d35450-f7f0-447d-a592-9b91506a241e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-acma-06-112-ref6
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Volume 1 (4)

Type:
Archival materials
Date:
Sept. 1865–Mar. 1867
Collection Restrictions:
Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection, 1865–1872, is a product of and owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright for digital images is retained by the donor, FamilySearch International; permission for commercial use of the digital images may be requested from FamilySearch International, Intellectual Property Office, at: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org.
Collection Citation:
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, FamilySearch International, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Identifier:
NMAAHC.FB.M821, Subseries 1.1
See more items in:
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869 / Series 1: Letters Sent
Archival Repository:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io32fbe9e7e-fd39-449d-b1c5-6b59bbc67d6d
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmaahc-fb-m821-ref2
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M – R

Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1866–67
Collection Restrictions:
Freedmen's Bureau Digital Collection, 1865–1872, is a product of and owned by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Copyright for digital images is retained by the donor, FamilySearch International; permission for commercial use of the digital images may be requested from FamilySearch International, Intellectual Property Office, at: cor-intellectualproperty@ldschurch.org.
Collection Citation:
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration, FamilySearch International, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Identifier:
NMAAHC.FB.M821, Item 4.1.1.4
See more items in:
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869
Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of Texas Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865–1869 / Series 4: Letters Received / 4.1: Registered Letters Received / 4.1.1: Entered in Register 1
Archival Repository:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/io3ac4443d7-f878-4301-a948-af58930bb314
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmaahc-fb-m821-ref42
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