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Creator:

Johnson, Victor S., Sr., 1882-1943  Search this

Johnson, Victor, Jr., 1906-  Search this

Aladdin Industries, Inc. (Nashville, Tenn.).  Search this

Names:

Allen, Steve  Search this

Reagan, Ronald  Search this

Extent:

50 Cubic feet (120 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Newsletters

Commercial art

Picture postcards

Laboratory notebooks

Patents

Design drawings

Business records

Advertisements

Scrapbooks

Date:

1889-2003

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of approximately 50 cubic feet of material documenting Aladdin Industries Inc., manufacturers of vacuum ware and lunch boxes. The majority of the material dates from 1947 to the 1970s. The strength of the collection is with the lunch box documentation and product development, marketing, and sales records. There is some interesting labor history—specifically United Steel Workers agreement. The files of Victor S. Johnson, Sr. and Victor S. Johnson, Jr. form the core of the collection and provide rich documentation on the company's activities.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into seventeen series.

Series 1: Historical and Background Materials, 1919-1997

Series 2: Victor S. Johnson Sr. Files, 1916-1945

Series 3: Victor S. Johnson Jr. Files, 1906-1983

Series 4: Employee and Personnel Records, 1910-2001

Series 5: Research and Development Records, 1910-1976

Series 6: Patent Records, 1889-1973

Series 7: Sales Records, 1939-2000

Series 8: Advertising and Marketing Records, 1931-2001

Series 9: School Lunch Kits, 1952-1989

Series 10: Lamps and Kerosene Heaters, 1911-2000

Series 11: Temp-Rite, 1972-2000

Series 12: Competitors, 1963-2001

Series 13: Style Guides, 1966-1998

Series 14: Newsletters, 1943-1998

Series 15: Photographs, 1923-1986

Series 16: Scrapbooks, 1908-1962

Series 17: Audiovisual Materials, 1993-1996

Biographical / Historical:

Victor Samuel Johnson Sr., (1882-1943) was born in Nebraska. As a soap salesman for the Iowa Soap Company, he became interested in kerosene mantle burners. Dissatisfied with the available kerosene lamps, he began selling and dealing U.S. made mantles and incorporated the Mantle Lamp Company of America in Chicago in 1908. Johnson selected the name "Aladdin" from the famous story, "Aladdin; or The Wonderful Lamp." Johnson began research and development of a mantle lamp that gave off a steady white light and did not smoke. The Mantle Lamp Company began manufacturing lamps in 1912, with Plume & Atwood Manufacturing Company burners, and marketed them as "Aladdin Lamps." The company diversified in 1917 and began producing insulated cooking dishes, known as Aladdin Thermalware jars, for the U.S. military. These jars had an aluminum or steel jacket wrapped around a heavy glass receptacle. The space between was filled with cork. The introduction of the thermalware began the company's venture into heat and cold retaining receptacles.

In 1919, Johnson organized a subsidiary of the Mantle Lamp Company of America, Aladdin Industries, Inc., to market and sell the Aladdin thermalware jars and vacuum ware. At the same time, Mantle lamp Company of America formed Aladdin Limited in Canada and England to sell thermalware as well as Pathfinder Radio Corporation, Cadillac Photograph Corporation, Aladdin Chemical Corporation, Aladdin Phonograph Corporation, Johnson Laboratories, Inc. (radio components), and Aladdin Radio Industries (magnetic and radio research). Pathfinder, Cadillac, Aladdin Chemical and Aladdin Phonograph all failed. In 1926, the Mantle Lamp Company acquired Lippincott Glass Company of Alexandria, Indiana, where it manufactured and fabricated glass chimneys, shades and lamp bases, mantles, wicks, and metal lamp bases. The Alexandria plant closed in 1952 and eventually moved to Nashville.

In 1943, Victor S. Johnson Sr. died and his son, Victor S. Johnson Jr. (1906-), succeeded him as president of Aladdin Industries Inc. Johnson Jr. moved Aladdin from Chicago to Nashville, Tennessee in 1949 to place the company strategically in mid-America to distribute its products. Aladdin's general offices, vacuum bottle production, and electric lamps and kerosene completed the move by 1952.

In 1950, Aladdin began illustrating flat metal school lunch kits (lunch boxes with liquid containers) with images of popular radio, movie and television figures. Hopalong Cassidy was the first character kit. This innovative marketing decision produced an explosive growth in the lunch kit market and made Aladdin a pioneer in image licensing. Character lunch boxes became a large part of the childhood experience and are collector's items today. Over the years, Aladdin extended the range of characters depicted and began manufacturing plastic and soft, vinyl lunch kits with printed themes. It also introduced "3D" embossing on the flat metal kits. Embossed metal lunch kits were completely phased out in 1986 due to high production costs. In addition to the school lunch kits, Aladdin also introduced wide mouth vacuum bottles (pint and quart size) in 1953. The wide mouth bottles also carried "adult" themes such as the "Angler" fisherman's bottle. The thermosware line eventually moved from metal to plastic jackets and from a glass insulated filler to foam.

In 1965, Aladdin purchased the Stanley steel bottle operation from Landers, Frary and Clark in New Britain, Connecticut. Aladdin's diversification strategy led to the introduction in 1968 of the Temp-Rite® meal distribution plan, an insulated thermal tray service for hospitals, the airline industry, and prisons. The Temp-Rite® system gave rise to a full line of products and services and Aladdin formed a subsidiary, known as Aladdin Synergetics, Inc., to handle its health care and food service operations. Aladdin Synergetics was sold to Welbilt Corporation in 1998; the new operation was named Aladdin Temp-Rite. Other products added over the years included electric lamps, shades, kerosene stoves, and an electronics division in 1956. This division was established from a small technical research group whose function was patent licensing. As a subsidiary of Aladdin Industries, it produced transformers and radio and telephone filters. The subsidiary was sold to Vernitron in October, 1979.

At various times, Aladdin established offices in Alexandria, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland Oregon, Canada; Hungry; France; Australia, New Zealand; England; Iraq, Iran, Brazil, Japan, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay, France, Germany, Iceland, Sweden, and South Africa to market and sell its products.

Aladdin was financially mismanaged in the 1990s and rapidly declined. Aladdin Industries Inc. reorganized in 1999 and became known as Aladdin Industries LLC. High labor costs and unsuccessful efforts to develop new products led to further decline. By January, 2002, Aladdin had sold its remaining product lines and closed its Nashville plant. Aladdin lamps are still sold today by the Aladdin Mantle Lamp Company of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds 30 lunch boxes and 28 thermos bottles from Aladdin Industries, Nashville, Tennessee. Additionally, there is a pair of lamps. See Accession 2003.0255. Although the children's steel lunch boxes predominate, the collection represents the full spectrum of Aladdin box designs including vinyl, hard plastic, and fabric.

Provenance:

Donated to the Archives Center by Aladdin Industries in 2003.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the oversize map folders 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:

Lunchboxes  Search this

Character merchandising  Search this

Celebrities  Search this

Food containers  Search this

Food container industry  Search this

Thermos bottles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- 20th century

Newsletters -- 20th century

Commercial art

Picture postcards -- 20th century -- United States

Laboratory notebooks

Patents -- 20th century

Design drawings -- 1950-2000

Business records -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Citation:

Aladdin Industries, Inc. Records, 1889-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0844

See more items in:

Aladdin Industries, Inc. Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fd6fbc8e-2f6e-4e4c-9521-d11b05b2e4de

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0844

Creator:

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2023-03-29T14:00:12.000Z

YouTube Category:

Science & Technology  Search this

Topic:

Astronomy  Search this

See more by:

cxcpub

Data Source:

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

YouTube Channel:

cxcpub

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_LBEgcTL7QkM

Creator:

Smithsonian Channel  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2019-05-08T15:30:00.000Z

YouTube Category:

Entertainment  Search this

See more by:

smithsonianchannel

Data Source:

Smithsonian Channel

YouTube Channel:

smithsonianchannel

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_SWaHOeerANg

Creator:

Smithsonian Channel  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-01-30T16:30:04.000Z

YouTube Category:

Entertainment  Search this

See more by:

smithsonianchannel

Data Source:

Smithsonian Channel

YouTube Channel:

smithsonianchannel

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_ciTAGz0zu4Y

Creator:

Smithsonian Channel  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2019-11-09T16:30:02.000Z

YouTube Category:

Entertainment  Search this

See more by:

smithsonianchannel

Data Source:

Smithsonian Channel

YouTube Channel:

smithsonianchannel

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_iL4Q1BDQ3ms

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

J. Gröntved  Search this

Place:

Iceland, Hafnarfjordur: at Astjorn., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

24 Jul 1951

Taxonomy:

Plantae Pteridophyte Polypodiales Thelypteridaceae

Published Name:

Phegopteris connectilis (Michx.) Watt

Barcode:

01536524

USNM Number:

2255707

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c2bf0786-e3b3-43b4-8715-04d5507b0f4e

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_12452664

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

E. Taylor  Search this

Place:

Near Akureyri, N. Iceland. [Iceland]., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

20 Jul 1895

Taxonomy:

Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Poaceae Pooideae

Published Name:

Koeleria spicata (L.) Barberá et al.

Barcode:

04010011

USNM Number:

371091

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/313d52305-20d1-4119-bc75-8e3583df9401

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_15790046

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

Collector unknown  Search this

Place:

Jokulsa at Hvanna, Iceland, Europe

Taxonomy:

Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Cyperaceae Cyperoideae

Published Name:

Carex chordorrhiza L. f.

Barcode:

02142831

USNM Number:

2314385

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3b65b46dd-093e-4d19-9ed3-4bea8c167387

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_13736564

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

Museo Botanico Hauniense  Search this

Place:

Mark. (og mellem Sten) Heganes., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

17 Jul 1937

Taxonomy:

Plantae Monocotyledonae Poales Poaceae Pooideae

Published Name:

Koeleria spicata (L.) Barberá et al.

Barcode:

04101907

USNM Number:

2152562

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/313143b7f-0d29-4126-b096-6ec7eff29061

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_16339805

Architect:

Graham, Rod  Search this

Landscape architect:

Kiest, Craig  Search this

Provenance:

The Portland Garden Club  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Josselyn Garden (Portland, Oregon)

United States of America -- Oregon -- Multnomah County -- Portland

Scope and Contents:

The folder includes worksheets.

General:

A 1922 Tudor-style house with three acres, listed on the National Historic Register, required extensive renovation by the current owners to preserve the original craftsmanship. The grounds were in need of reconditioning as well, including an original Japanese garden whose pond had to be re-dug, rocks repositioned, and plantings restored with more than 40 different Japanese maple trees. Landscape architect Craig Kiest's (ASLA) plan includes garden rooms, paths and hardscape, described by the owner as a classic design that features their plant collections. A circular driveway in front of the house surrounds a boxwood knot garden punctuated with container plantings. The uphill walk to the garden runs along a wall with espaliered camellias and is overlooked by a balcony for viewing the knot garden that has a wrought iron railing assembled from old gates found on the property. A serpentine rose border with more than one hundred plants is a colorful connector along the back driveway between the house and garage. An orchard, perennial bed, soccer field and upper lawn are arrayed between the house and the streets that border this corner lot.

Several bluestone terraces with stone steps and balustrades accommodate the terrain behind the house and lead to a formal garden that is on an axis with the dining room. A pergola planted with wisteria japonica crosses the entrance to the formal garden. In this garden surrounded by a hedge of holly there are boxwood parterres centered by a circular patch of lawn with an enormous restored stone planter with white Iceland roses and white alyssum in the summer. Large cast iron planters on bluestone platforms contain Japanese maples. The formal garden terminates in a seating area backed by a semi-circle of four columns and an old planting of English holly. Other features include a grotto with granite semi-circular steps and a grindstone, a wall fountain with a bronze frog, and an Italianate cobblestone patio with beds of hydrangea. Frogs and dragonflies are recurring motifs in the iron hardware on the buildings and in garden ornaments. Flowering vines and container gardens, climbing roses, and a rose and wild geranium parterre add color to the vigorous greenery that grows in this favorable climate.

The Japanese garden features the colorful Japanese maple tree collection and a pond stocked with koi. Additional trees from the earlier garden include copper beech, gingko, and Japanese umbrella pine. There is a raised vegetable garden for berries, grapes, pumpkins and artichokes with a custom made wooden fence, and wooded areas underplanted with hosta and other shade-tolerant perennials. A large lawn bisecting these forests leads to a rectangular reflecting pool with a colonnade that was found buried in an old laurel hedge on the property and restored.

Persons associated with the garden include Percy Smith family (former owners, 1922-1994); Craig Kiest, ASLA (landscape architect, 1997-1999); Dave Sexton (gardener, 1999-present)

Related Materials:

Josselyn Garden related holdings consist of 1 folder (26 digital images)

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:

Gardens -- Oregon -- Portland  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Sponsor:

A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File OR050

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Oregon

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb66099b348-e089-478c-bb8b-7203eaa24392

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref10146

Creator:

Smithsonian Channel  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2020-01-20T16:30:01.000Z

YouTube Category:

Entertainment  Search this

See more by:

smithsonianchannel

Data Source:

Smithsonian Channel

YouTube Channel:

smithsonianchannel

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_AeaIOV1DXMQ

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

H. Jónsson  Search this

Place:

S.W. Iceland, Húsafell, Borg., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

19 Jul 1910

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Asterales Campanulaceae Campanuloideae

Published Name:

Campanula rotundifolia L.

Barcode:

00492424

USNM Number:

2036879

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/37840c62b-0d1c-490d-b49a-583423b83679

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_2028837

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

Gerda Kjellberg  Search this

Max. Elevation:

50  Search this

Place:

Leydisfjord, Ost-Island, Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

13 Aug 1915

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Asterales Campanulaceae Campanuloideae

Published Name:

Campanula rotundifolia L.

Barcode:

00492405

USNM Number:

1281254

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3d1d46664-34a3-4e18-a392-702d7077ec24

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_2039116

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

G. Thorlaksson  Search this

Place:

Ostlandet, Nordfjord, Mark, Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

27 Aug 1937

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Asterales Campanulaceae Campanuloideae

Published Name:

Campanula rotundifolia L.

Barcode:

00492423

USNM Number:

2127130

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/316c37b1e-f0e2-4a5b-938f-2773b011c2ad

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_2046443

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

Helgi Jónsson  Search this

Place:

Botn, X, NW Iceland - Slope., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

26 Jul 1915

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Myrtales Onagraceae Onagroideae

Published Name:

Epilobium lactiflorum Hausskn.

Barcode:

01366887

USNM Number:

2036890

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/32fea4fb8-85f3-429e-ab6f-fd4afb527c8d

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_12153773

Creator:

Office of Public Affairs  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2010-04-28T19:39:09.000Z

YouTube Category:

Science & Technology  Search this

Topic:

Science  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianScience

Data Source:

Office of Public Affairs

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianScience

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_5Y5hcpaWRZM

Collector:

Collector Unknown  Search this

Ocean/Sea/Gulf:

North Atlantic Ocean  Search this

Preparation:

Skin: Whole

Sex:

Male

Place:

Iceland, North Atlantic Ocean

Collection Date:

29 Mar 1936

Taxonomy:

Animalia, Chordata, Vertebrata, Aves, Anseriformes, Anatidae, Anatinae

Published Name:

Anas platyrhynchos

USNM Number:

351744

See more items in:

Vertebrate Zoology

Birds

Data Source:

NMNH - Vertebrate Zoology - Birds Division

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3a68eec5a-9c90-4e4d-9541-ddbef8d9fdbf

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhvz_4075663

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

Helgi Jónsson  Search this

Place:

Hamrahlío, Kjós. SW-Iceland., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

19 Aug 1912

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Lamiales Lamiaceae Nepetoideae

Published Name:

Prunella vulgaris L.

Barcode:

02773449

USNM Number:

2036906

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c52f1a75-790c-4068-b533-ea97832c549f

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_13908390

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

E. Taylor  Search this

Place:

Reykjahlíð. Myvatn. N. Taland., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

20 Jul 1895

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Lamiales Lamiaceae Nepetoideae

Published Name:

Prunella vulgaris L.

Barcode:

02773465

USNM Number:

371064

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/32ab176b1-a9e2-4a77-b447-20362080b719

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_13910025

Biogeographical Region:

10 - Northern Europe  Search this

Collector:

J. Gröntved  Search this

Place:

Mulakat i Fljótshlid., Iceland, Europe

Collection Date:

11 Aug 1951

Taxonomy:

Plantae Dicotyledonae Lamiales Lamiaceae Nepetoideae

Published Name:

Prunella vulgaris L.

Barcode:

02773446

USNM Number:

2314497

See more items in:

Botany

Flowering plants and ferns

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3c9516eeb-6bcf-47fa-b345-5dba8e010596

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_13911042