Records from Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company, manufacturers of chocolate and cocoa products, including well-known candies such as Snocaps, Raisinets, and Goobers. They were located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company was sold to Ward Foods Incorporated in 1969. This collection also includes material collected by and about the Blumenthal family and from M.L. Blumenthal, noted illustrator of the early 20th century.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company (B*B) business from its founding in 1900. The collection also documents Blumenthal family history and contains material collected by them pertaining to the Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company. Family papers also include land indenture and real estate documents; photographs; letters, writings and ephemera relating to various family members, including papers relating to M.L. Blumenthal's (Moses Lawrence Blumenthal) career as an illustrator during the early 20th century.
The collection is organized in two series.
Series 1: Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company Records, 1856-2009, undated. This series contains historical writings about the company; advertising; photographs of employees, packaging, machinery, and display of the products and the production process. There are also photographs of the company's buildings. This series also includes business papers such as correspondence, contracts, legal and financial documents; reports and papers relating to production; annual reports; account books, bound volumes of the company's newsletter, "Chocolate Chat"; news clippings, and deeds. There are also annual reports for Ward Foods Incorporated, the successor to Blumenthal Brothers after its purchase of the company in 1969. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series 2: Blumenthal Family Papers, 1902-2010, undated. This series includes material collected by various family members pertaining to Blumenthal Brothers as well as family history. These items include correspondence, photographs, advertising, e-mails, and family information in many forms. This series includes copies of formal histories compiled by Mike Blumenthal. This series also includes material relating to the career of Moses Lawrence (M.L.) Blumenthal as an illustrator, including correspondence with major publications of the early 20th century, travel writings, personal correspondence, and a letter from James Montgomery Flagg, creator of one of the iconic depictions of "Uncle Sam". The series is arranged chronologically.
Arrangement:
The collection is organized in two series.
Series 1: Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company, 1856-2007, undated
Series 2: Blumenthal Family Papers, 1902-2010, undated
Biographical / Historical:
According to family research, Samuel Blumenthal entered the United States from Bavaria, Germany in 1849 and his future wife, Henrietta Sternberger, entered the United States in 1859. They married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1864 and settled in Wilmington, North Carolina where they began a family. They moved to Philadelphia in 1887.
Samuel and Henrietta's son, Joseph, founded the Peerless Extract Company in 1895, and by 1900 the business has become Blumenthal Brothers Extract Company. Brothers Joseph, Abraham, Aaron, Jacob, and Moses signed a partnership agreement in 1905. By 1909 they began cocoa cake and powder production. In 1910 they purchased land in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia for a new factory and by 1911 the building was in use. This site was expanded over the years and was the main office and plant for the company.
Over the course of the next fifty years, the company developed and introduced well-known chocolate candies such as Goobers (1925), Raisinets (1926) and later Snocaps and Buddy Bars. Blumenthal Brothers products and their logo B*B became familiar to the chocolate-buying public. The brothers ran the company collectively with Joseph Sr. as president and material buyer, Aaron as factory manager, Jacob as coating department sales manager, Meyer as the New York City sales manager, Abraham as the southern states salesman, and Moses as a part-time employee. Moses' primary career was as the illustrator, M.L. Blumenthal, doing work for such publications as The Saturday Evening Post, The National Magazine, Collier's, the Associated Press, and others.
Blumenthal Brothers candies took advantage of the burgeoning motion picture business. One of their early molded chocolates was in the shape of Jackie Coogan who had become famous playing "the Kid". The B*B candies were boxed and portioned perfectly for the sale to and enjoyment of the movie going public. They also produced cocoa and coating products for the industrial and home markets.
In the late 1930s and 1940s the second generation of Blumenthals joined the company, sons of the founding brothers. These were Bernhard "Bud", Samuel, Joseph Jr., Lawrence, Mike, J. Robert, and Jack. Joseph Jr., Bud, and Larry joined the armed forces during World War II. Additional real estate was purchased in 1948 as the company expanded and sales grew. By 1950, the company's Golden Jubilee, sales topped $10,000,000. They began producing holiday specific candies in 1951 and issued public bonds for investors beginning in 1958.
The 1960s saw the company employing television advertisements beginning in 1961 on the National Broadcasting Network (NBC). In 1968 papers for a merger with Ward Foods Incorporated were signed and as of January 30, 1969 the sale was finalized. By May 1969 the company name was changed to Ward Chocolate Company and was out of Blumenthal family control.
Separated Materials:
Materials at the National Museum of American History
The Division of Work and Industry holds the following objects: one metal tin stamped "Sweet Milk Chocolate Raisinets"; one small pasteboard box marked, "Raisinets", circa 1960; and one metal tin stamped, "Sunny South Sweet Milk Chocoate Peanuts", circa 1930. See accession 2015.0112.
Provenance:
Donated to the Archives Center in 2015, by Joseph and Barbara B. Blumenthal.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Caterpillar Tractor Co. (Peoria, Ill.). Search this
Extent:
11 Items
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Aerial photographs
Place:
Texas -- 1940-50
Illinois -- photographs -- 1948-1949
Georgia -- 1940-1950
California -- 1940-1950
Date:
1948-1949.
Scope and Contents note:
11 photoprints of Caterpillar Tractor Co. buildings and products: three photographs of company buildings, including two aerial views, and eight photographs of tractors, including views of machines at work in various locations. Tractors with various models of scrapers are shown in San Antonio, Texas; Whittier, California; and Colquitt County, Georgia. Locations of five tractor views unidentified: one shows two stationary tractors, the others show machines at work in roadbuilding and cemetery construction.
Biographical/Historical note:
Photographs probably commissioned by Caterpillar for public relations or advertising use.
Provenance:
Source unknown, but possibly originally in Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.
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:
Road construction -- Photographs -- 1940-1950 Search this
Labor and laboring classes -- Photographs Search this
11.7 Cubic feet (8 boxes including photographs and negatives)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Annual reports
Advertising
Blueprints
Price lists
Account books
Photographs
Business records
Date:
1931-1954
undated
Summary:
Photographic prints and negatives documenting the interior operations of the Hamilton Watch Company primarily in the 1930s and 1940s.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of approximately 760 photographs and negatives created by the Hamilton Watch Company and documenting its employees, equipment, materials, and factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Many photographs depict the company's research and development efforts. There are also images of the Hamilton Watch Company's work in fuse assembly for bombs during WWII. The photographs are mainly organized by factory department or location. A number of these photographs were created by the advertising department and include identification numbers, location of the image, name of the photographer, and the identification of people in the photograph, as well as release forms for those pictured. If not located with the photographs, these items, as well as additional information, can be found in the corresponding folders. Negatives in poor condition were scanned. There are also five glass plate negatives.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in one series.
Series 1, Photographic Prints and Negatives, 1931-1954, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Hamilton Watch Company, established in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, was known for its manufacture of high quality wrist and pocket watches. Broadway Limited, its first series of pocket watches, was nicknamed "the watch of railroad accuracy," and Hamilton soon became associated with the railroad industry. The company also supplied wristwatches to the United States Armed Forces in the 1910s Hamilton continued its association with the military during World War II when it stopped production of watches for consumers in order to provide the armed forces with one million timepieces. The company was responsible for the Ventura, the world's first electric (battery-powered) watch, and in 1970, the world's first digital watch.
In 1969, Hamilton closed its factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, signaling the end of its American manufacturing operations. All production moved to the facilities of the Buren Watch Company in Switzerland, a company that Hamilton had acquired three years before. The Hamilton brand is currently owned by the Swatch Group and carries two product lines, American Classic and Khaki.
Related Materials:
Materials in the Archives Center
E. Howard Clock Company Records (AC0776)
Seth Thomas Clock Company Records (AC0627)
James Arthur Clock and Watch Collection (AC0130)
National Company (NATCO) Atomic Clocks Records (AC0547)
Harold Lyons Atomic Clocks Collection (AC0701)
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (AC0060)
Provenance:
This collection was donated by Jon Hanson in 2008.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
American magazines and magazine covers dating from 1941 through 1943 with illustrations of the American flag collected and donated by Pete Claussen.
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains American periodicals and periodical covers dating from 1941 through 1943 that depict the American flag. There is one cover dating from 1941. Series one consists of the periodicals and periodical covers. Oversized materials are located at the end of the collection but are alphabetized in the container list. Series two is composed of period ephemera related to the flag.
The artwork on the covers illustrates the flag in a variety of styles, from a small inset on an unrelated image to a color spread encompassing nearly the entire cover. In some instances, the flag appears in patriotic scenes of American life on the home front while in others it appears in battle or in close proximity to specific factories or consumer products.
Beyond their covers, the periodicals contain a snapshot of American life during the middle years of the Second World War. They include an extremely broad range of interests and topics ranging from embalming practices to railroad employee journals. War-related themes are conveyed in the form of patriotic articles, practical advice and knowledge, jokes, and caricatures of enemies. Photographs provide a visual depiction of day-to-day life during the period. Periodicals in the collection include magazines, comic books, community newspapers, and story collections. Most are imprinted with a date of publication or copyright and many include the "United We Stand" slogan. Non-periodical materials in the collection include a "United We Stand" postcard, an Indiana public schools syllabus entitled "Character Education," and a booklet entitled "Make and Mend for Victory" with instructions for making clothing wear longer. A reprint of a letter of appreciation for high achievement in the production of war equipment sent to the White Motor Company by the Under Secretary of War is included, along with a similar letter to the Hoover Company. Also part of this series is a 1942 magazine which captures the patriotic spirit of the time but does not depict the American flag.
This collection represents a contribution to the understanding of American patriotism and patriotic symbolism in American life, as well as mutually beneficial collaboration between the United States government and private industry.
In July 2002, Mr. Pete Claussen, a member of the Museum's National Board, viewed the exhibit July 1942: United We Stand (http://www.americanhistory.si.edu). The exhibition featured American flag cover art. Most of the covers in the exhibition were loaned to the Museum. Mr. Claussen became so interested in the covers that he began collecting them and donating them to the Museum.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series.
Series 1, Magazine Flag Covers, 1941-1943
Series 2, Ephemera, 1942-1943
Biographical / Historical:
The National Publishers Association coordinated a campaign with the United States Department of the Treasury in the summer of 1942 to feature the American flag on magazine covers. Paul MacNamara, a publicist with the Hearst Corporation in New York, conceived of the campaign. The magazine industry could demonstrate its patriotism and the importance of magazines to American morale and at the same time justify its use of paper and other resources in the face of rationing. The Treasury Department endorsed the program and assisted magazine publishers by organizing store displays designed to show off the covers to the public. The federal government benefited from the campaign as many magazines, at the request of the Treasury Department, ran advertisements for war bonds. About five hundred magazines participated in this campaign.
The campaign rules required that the flag was not to have any overprinting, was to be displayed according to flag protocol, and was to appear with the motto "United We Stand." The motto, long a part of American history, came from the 1768 ballad The Liberty Song by John Dickenson. The United States Flag Association, in support of the "United We Stand" campaign, selected winning cover designs and awarded its Patriotic Service Cross to eight magazines and the Cross of Honor to the grand prize winner. Harper's Bazzar, House and Garden, Infantry Journal, The Merck Report, Modern Industry, NYLIC Review, This Week and Time earned the Patriotic Service Cross. The House and Garden cover, as the grand prizewinner, also was awarded the Cross of Honor.
The Treasury Department attempted to reprise the campaign again in 1943, but participation was scattered and not on the same level as the original 1942 campaign.
Jes Wilhelm Schlaikjer Poster Collection, 1942-1952 (AC0546)
Some of the magazines in this collection are in bound editions in the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
Provenance:
Donated by Pete Claussen in May 2004 and January 2007.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.
Rights:
Copyright held by the Smithsonian Institution. Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.
This collection consists of the corporate records of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Included in the collection are technical and engineering reports of Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division's operations in St. Louis (Robertson), MO (1935-1945) and Buffalo, NY, (1932-1945), as well as AAS Material Division and AAF Air Technical Services Command memorandum reports collected by Curtiss-Wright's St. Louis and Buffalo technical reference libraries. The collection also contains the files of Curtiss-Wright's Patent Department, which hold records of patents filed by Curtiss-Wright and patent-infringement cases involving Curtiss-Wright. Also included in the collection are specifications issued by and photos commissioned by the Keystone Aircraft Corporation (Huff-Daland Airplanes, Inc. until March 1927), which had been acquired by Wright in 1928 along with Loening Aeronautical Engineering Corp., and formed the Keystone Division of Curtiss-Wright until 1932 when Keystone's Bristol, PA factory closed its doors. The collection also contains financial records of the Curtiss-Wright Airports Corporation, which was liquidated in 1936, as well as an extensive negative collection featuring Curtiss-Wright aircraft from the 1930s and 1940s, concentrated especially on the war years.
Scope and Contents:
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation Records collection contains approximately 146 cubic feet of material. The collection contains the following material:
Army Air Service Material Division & Army Air Force Technical Services Command Memo
Reports & Technical Reports which include testing of various Curtiss-Wright models of aircraft and/or various parts of aircraft
Technical & Engineering Reports from the St. Louis, MO plant [Robertson] & Buffalo, NY plant
Patents, Patent Dockets, Patent Serial numbers, Suits, License Agreements, Patents filed by Curtiss-Wright & Patent Infringement Cases [1800s to 1940s]
Miscellaneous Research Files
Corporate & Financial Records [1923 to 1972]
Correspondence
Blueprint Drawings
Advertisements from Newspapers & Magazines in Scrapbooks
Engine Decals
Photographs
Negatives & Glass Plates
Arrangement:
This collection was arranged into Series and Subseries:
Subseries I: Air Corps Materiel Division, Reports [ACMR]
Subseries II: Buffalo Reports
Subseries III: St. Louis
Series III: Glass Plates [this part of the collection has not been processed]
Series IV: 1969 Accretion - Listing of Archival Material
Series V: Master Print Books [this part of the collection has not been processed]
Historical note:
An historic event in aviation occurred on June 26, 1929 when two major aircraft companies: the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company merged with the Wright Aeronautical Corporation to form the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. After this merger, the former Wright organization took over all of the engine and propeller manufacture while Curtiss concentrated on airplanes. This merger was completed by organizing two major divisions under their original names, but under the direction of a corporate headquarters located in New York City. However, there was a recognized separation of spirit as well as specialized facilities that was never completely resolved in succeeding years. The election of former Wright personnel to key corporate positions soon led to Wright becoming the dominant division. At the height of the Lindbergh Boom during the 1920s and 1930s, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation was made up of the following identified organizations: The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Company; The Curtiss-Caproni Corporation; The Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Company; The Keystone Aircraft Corporation; The Moth Aircraft Corporation; The Travel Air Manufacturing Company; The Wright Aeronautical Corporation; Curtiss-Wright Flying Service; The Curtiss-Wright Sales
Corporation; The Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation. Curtiss-Wright was quickly becoming the 'General Motors of the Air' until the great depression in October 1929. Sales dropped and Curtiss-Wright was forced to close certain satellite plants and transfer some of their product lines to the St. Louis facility. It looked like even the Buffalo plants would also have to close when Curtiss-Wright received an order from Colombia, South America for Hawks and Falcons. This was the largest military order to Curtiss since the war. The Colombia sale saved the Curtiss-Wright organization at this low point in its history. This order kept the production lines going until new military and civil markets began to open up as the depression waned and the build-up for World War II began. During the U.S. military build-up prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, all existing Curtiss-Wright plants were expanded and new aircraft factories were built at Columbus, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. The dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan resulted in an unexpected early end to World War II. All of the major U.S. airplane builders including Curtiss-Wright were hit by massive contract cancellations because of the Japanese surrender. In 1946 Curtiss-Wright had only two experimental military models at hand for postwar delivery and no assurance of production orders. Curtiss-Wright was forced to shut down all airplane plants and transfer all units of the Aeroplane Division to their Columbus Plant. The eventual sale of the Airplane Division to North American included design rights to the former Curtiss-Wright airplanes. The Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division, which manufactured airframes, finally closed down in 1951.
Provenance:
Curtiss-Wright Corporation, gift, XXXX, 1969
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Unrestricted research usr by appointment. Photographs must be handled with cotton gloves unless protected by sleeves.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Records of the War Production Board concerning watches (including clocks and timers) so that both the civilian population and the military would be supplied with adequate and reliable timepieces.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of records of the War Production Board concerning watches (including clocks and timers) so that both the civilian and the military would be supplied with adequate and reliable time mechanisms as well as timers for military purposes. The activities ranged from control over
aspects of production to allocation of material used in manufacturing along with references to foreign importation of watches and a technical survey of clock and watch factories in Europe.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: Watches by Type
Series 2: Correspondence: Manufacturers
Series 3: Reports for Watch Industry
Series 4: War Production Board Records/Reports
Series 5: War production Board Requirements
Biographical / Historical:
The War Production Board (WPB) was established in the Office for Emergency Management by an Executive order of January 16, 1942, which transferred to it the functions of the Supply Priorities and Allocations Board and the Office of Production Management (both established in 1941).
The function of the WPB was to exercise general direction over the war procurement and production programs of all federal departments and agencies. The WPB was terminated November 3, 1945.
The Consumers Durable Goods Division of the War Production Board was concerned with the regulation, production, and allocation of timepieces during
World War II.
Source
Guide to the National Archives and Record Services, General Service Administration, Washington: 1974, PP. 687 689).
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
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.
Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, Leningrad, USSR, founded 1744 Search this
Medium:
Porcelain, enamel, gilding
Type:
ceramics
Decorative Arts
Figure
Object Name:
Figure
Made in:
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Date:
1945–55
Credit Line:
The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase through the Decorative Arts Association Acquisition and Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program Funds
Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, Leningrad, USSR, founded 1744 Search this
Medium:
Porcelain (bisque)
Type:
ceramics
Decorative Arts
Figure
Object Name:
Figure
Made in:
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Date:
1940–50
Credit Line:
The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase through the Decorative Arts Association Acquisition and Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program Funds
Dmitrov Porcelain Factory, founded 1918 Search this
Medium:
Porcelain, enamel, gilding
Type:
ceramics
Decorative Arts
Figure
Object Name:
Figure
Made in:
Verbilki, Soviet Union
Date:
1945–55
Credit Line:
The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase through the Decorative Arts Association Acquisition and Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program Funds
The collection is open for research use. Only reference copies of audiovisual materials may be used for research.
Collection 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.
The donor has imposed restrictions on reproduction, broadcast or use of the collection for commercial purposes of any kind by third parties. Reproduction, broadcast or other use of the collection for commercial purposes of any kind by third parties is subject to prior written consent. These permissions will be required until July 2047. Please see the repository for further details.
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Collection is open for research, but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
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:
Sterling Drug, Inc. Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
