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Episode 224

Collection Producer:
Lodge, Arthur  Search this
Arthur Lodge Productions.  Search this
Collection Creator:
National Association of Manufacturers  Search this
Extent:
1 Motion picture film
Container:
Reel AC0507-OF0224
Box 5, Tape AC0507-MV0224
Box 10, Tape RV0507.224
Type:
Archival materials
Moving Images
Motion picture films
Date:
1955 January 29
Scope and Contents:
California Supplying pure water through private industry. San Jose Water Works Co., San Jose, CA.

Missouri Manufacturing safety equipment for power companies. A.B. Chance Co., Centralia, MO.

Ohio Laminating plastic and Formica for do-it-yourselfers. Formica Co., Cincinnati, OH.

New York Home baked beans processed in New York; food industry. Grandma Brown's Baked Beans, Mexico, NY.

Reference video, Box 10
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made directly with the Archives Center staff to view episodes for which no reference copy exists. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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 will be charged for reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Industry on Parade Film Collection, 1950-1959, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
See more items in:
Industry on Parade Film Collection
Industry on Parade Film Collection / Series 1: Motion Picture Films
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b85bd40d-3ecc-4d11-8944-25f16caad58a
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0507-ref430

Emmy Lou Packard Papers

Creator:
Packard, Emmy Lou, 1914-1998  Search this
Names:
American Civil Liberties Union  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
Covarrubias, Miguel, 1904-1957  Search this
Edmunds, John, 1913-  Search this
Kahlo, Frida  Search this
Lange, Dorothea  Search this
O'Gorman, Juan, 1905-  Search this
O'Higgins, Pablo, 1904-  Search this
Refregier, Anton, 1905-  Search this
Reynolds, Malvina  Search this
Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957  Search this
Extent:
9.5 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Photographs
Interviews
Diaries
Date:
1900-1990
Summary:
The Emmy Lou Packard papers measure 9.5 linear feet and date from 1900 to 1990, and focus on the career of painter, printmaker, muralist, and sculptor Emmy Lou Packard. Also found are extensive materials relating to Packard's personal and professional relationship with muralist Diego Rivera and painter Frida Kahlo, with whom Packard lived for one year in Mexico. Papers include correspondence, financial records, notes, writings, exhibition files, photographs, and printed material. Also found is a motion picture film documenting a mural/mosaic project that Packard did with the children at Hillcrest Elementary School in San Francisco, 1956.
Scope and Contents note:
The Emmy Lou Packard papers measure 9.5 linear feet and date from 1900 to 1990, and focus on the career of painter, printmaker, muralist, and sculptor Emmy Lou Packard. Also found are extensive materials relating to Packard's personal and professional relationship with muralist Diego Rivera and painter Frida Kahlo, with whom Packard lived for one year in Mexico. Papers include correspondence, financial records, notes, writings, exhibition files, photographs, and printed material.

Biographical materials include resumes, personal forms, and certificates. Correspondence is with family, friends, and colleagues, including muralist Anton Refregier, songwriter Malvina Reynolds, and composer John Edmunds. There is one letter from Dorothea Lange. Also found is correspondence with various political and arts organizations, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Russian magazine Soviet Woman. Much of the correspondence discusses personal relationships and political and art-related activities. Additional correspondence with and concerning Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo is arranged in Series 6.

Personal business records found within the papers include studio real estate and rent records, insurance records, price lists for artwork, consignment records, and miscellaneous receipts. There is one interview transcript of an interview with Packard for the Radical Elders Oral History Project. The papers include a series of notebooks/diaries, address lists, and other notes.

Packard's reference files and personal papers documenting her professional and close personal relationship with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo are arranged into a separate series. They include her research files for a planned book on the two artists, personal letters between Packard and the couple, as well as several interesting photographs. Also found in this series are notes, writings, and printed materials relating to Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and other Mexican artists, such as Covarrubius, Juan O'Gorman, and Pablo O'Higgins.

The collection also includes typescripts and additional writings by Packard and others. Artwork consists of orginal drawings and prints by Packard and others not directly associated with projects. Exhibition and project files for many of Packard's commissioned projects are also found within the collection, including her files for the restoration of Anton Refregier's Rincon Annex Post Office mural in San Francisco and the Coit Tower murals in San Francisco. Many of the project files contain correspondence, reports, contracts, printed material, photographs, and artwork. Also found is a motion picture film documenting a mural/mosaic project that Packard did with the children at Hillcrest Elementary School in San Francisco, 1956.

The papers also include photographs of Packard, her family, residences, artwork, friends, and colleagues, including Cesar Chavez, Juan O'Gorman, Malvina Reynolds, Charles Safford, Ralph Stackpole, and Tennessee Williams. Two scrapbooks are found, as well as additional printed materials such as clippings and exhibition announcements and catalogs. There are also two artifact items, a vinyl record of Malvina Reynolds and a political campaign button.
Arrangement note:
The collection is arranged into 15 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1942-1985 (Box 1; 1 folder)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1919-1990 (Box 1-3; 2.6 linear feet)

Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1945-1985 (Box 3; 21 folders)

Series 4: Interview Transcript, 1979 (Box 3; 1 folder)

Series 5: Notes, 1900-1985 (Box 3-4, 10; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 6: Reference Files on Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, 1929-1986 (Box 5, 10, OV 11; 0.9 linear feet)

Series 7: Writings by Packard, 1953-1984 (Box 6; 17 folders)

Series 8: Writings by Others, 1955-1984 (Box 6; 19 folders)

Series 9: Artwork, 1921-1976 (Box 6; 10 folders)

Series 10: Exhibition Files, 1950-1964 (Box 6, OV 11; 5 folders)

Series 11: Project Files, 1953-1985 (Box 6-7, 10, OV 11; 1.8 linear feet)

Series 12: Photographs, 1914-1982 (Box 8, 10; 0.8 linear feet)

Series 13: Scrapbooks, 1947-1950 (Box 8, 10; 0.2 linear feet)

Series 14: Printed Material, 1936-1988 (Box 8-9, 10; 1.0 linear foot)

Series 15: Artifacts, 1984 (Box 9-10, OV 11; 2 folders)
Biographical/Historical note:
Emmy Lou Packard was born in Imperial Valley, California on April 15, 1914, to Walter and Emma Leonard Packard. In the late 1920s she lived with her family in Mexico City where she became acquainted with Diego Rivera, from whom she received regular art criticism and encouragement. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and completed courses in fresco and sculpture at the California School of Fine Arts in 1940. That year and the next, Packard worked as a full-time painting assistant to Rivera on his 1,650 square-foot fresco at the World's Fair in San Francisco. During this project, Packard became very close to Rivera and Frida Kahlo and returned to Mexico with them and spent a year living with the couple.

From then on, except for in 1944-1945 working for a defense plant, Packard worked and grew in various aspects of her art. In addition to her work in fresco, Packard is known for her work in watercolor, oil, mosaic, laminated plastic, concrete, and printmaking, both in linocuts and woodblocks. She received numerous commissions that included installations for ships, hotels, and private homes for which she executed large woodcuts and mural panels. During the 1950s and 1960s, Packard was hired to restore several historic murals, most notably the Rincon Annex Post Office mural by Anton Refregier and the Coit Tower murals in San Francisco.

Between 1966 and 1967 she was commissioned by architects to design and execute a number of concrete and mosaic pieces, one of which went to the Mirabeau Restaurant in Kaiser Center, Oakland. She also designed and executed a mural for the Fresno Convention Center Theater during that same period. In 1973-1974, she designed and supervised a glazed brick mural for a public library in Pinole, California.

Packard had one-woman shows at the San Francisco Museum of Art, Raymond and Raymond Gallery (San Francisco), Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, Mass.), Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, Pushkin Museum (Moscow), and March Gallery (Chicago). Emmy Lou Packard died in 1998.
Related Archival Materials note:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Emmy Lou Packard conducted by Mary Fuller McChesney in 1964.
Provenance:
Emmy Lou Packard donated her papers to the Archives of American Art from 1984-1988. An additional 16mm reel of motion picture film donated in 2023 by Donald Cairns, Packard's son.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Painters -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Muralists -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Topic:
Printmakers -- California -- San Francisco  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, American  Search this
Mural painting and decoration, Mexican  Search this
Latino and Latin American artists  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Sketches
Photographs
Interviews
Diaries
Citation:
Emmy Lou Packard papers, 1900-1990. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.packemmy
See more items in:
Emmy Lou Packard Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9db9feb7f-b0e9-4a2b-9d8c-9940b1d933d2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-packemmy
Online Media:

The Golden Book Picture Atlas of the World, Book 5, Africa

Written by:
Norman Lobsenz, American, 1919 - 2012  Search this
Edited by:
Phillip Bacon  Search this
Illustrated by:
Ray Pioch  Search this
Designed by:
Frances Giannoni  Search this
Published by:
Golden Press, Inc., American, founded 1958  Search this
Printed by:
Western Printing and Lithographing Company, American, 1907 - 2001  Search this
Subject of:
Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976  Search this
Owned by:
Clayton Sinclair, American  Search this
Hazel Sinclair, American  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper (fiber product) with laminated plastic on cardboard
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 10 3/8 × 7 1/2 × 11/16 in. (26.4 × 19 × 1.8 cm)
Type:
hardcover books
Place collected:
Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Place printed:
Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1960
Topic:
African American  Search this
Africa  Search this
Black Enterprise  Search this
Black interiors  Search this
Children  Search this
Education  Search this
Segregation  Search this
Travel  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
Object number:
2011.12.52.15
Restrictions & Rights:
© Western Publishing Company, Inc
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title:
The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c0d16fd1-f7c5-4496-8363-06e648494c7b
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2011.12.52.15

Heart Full of Grace, A Thousand Years of Black Wisdom

Edited by:
Venice Johnson, American  Search this
Designed by:
Robin Locke Monda, American  Search this
Published by:
Simon & Schuster, Inc., founded 1924  Search this
Subject of:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968  Search this
Mahalia Jackson, American, 1911 - 1972  Search this
Countee Cullen, American, 1903 - 1946  Search this
Malcolm X, American, 1925 - 1965  Search this
Langston Hughes, American, 1902 - 1967  Search this
Nikki Giovanni, American, born 1943  Search this
Maya Angelou, American, 1928 - 2014  Search this
Ralph Ellison, American, 1913 - 1994  Search this
Louis Armstrong, American, 1901 - 1971  Search this
Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976  Search this
Owned by:
Clayton Sinclair, American  Search this
Hazel Sinclair, American  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper (fiber product) with laminated plastic
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 7 × 5 × 11/16 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 1.7 cm)
Type:
paperbacks
Place collected:
Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Place printed:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1997
Topic:
African American  Search this
Africa  Search this
Black Enterprise  Search this
Black interiors  Search this
Freedom  Search this
Identity  Search this
Literature  Search this
Race discrimination  Search this
Segregation  Search this
Travel  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
Object number:
2011.12.52.24
Restrictions & Rights:
© 1995 Elizabeth A. Ryan
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title:
The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5ff9551db-1a1d-4da3-80f0-46ceb6f12abe
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2011.12.52.24

The Samuel Goldwyn Motion Picture Production of Porgy and Bess

Published by:
Random House, Inc., American, founded 1925  Search this
Produced by:
Ray Freiman  Search this
Subject of:
Dorothy Dandridge, American, 1922 - 1965  Search this
Sidney Poitier, Bahamian American, 1927 - 2022  Search this
Sammy Davis Jr., American, 1925 - 1990  Search this
Pearl Bailey, American, 1918 - 1990  Search this
Diahann Carroll, American, 1935 - 2019  Search this
Brock Peters, American, 1927 - 2005  Search this
Samuel Goldwyn, Inc, American, founded 1923  Search this
Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976  Search this
Owned by:
Clayton Sinclair, American  Search this
Hazel Sinclair, American  Search this
Medium:
ink on paper (fiber product) with laminated plastic on paperboard
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 12 1/4 × 8 9/16 × 3/8 in. (31.1 × 21.7 × 0.9 cm)
Type:
hardcover books
Place collected:
Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Place printed:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1959
Topic:
African American  Search this
Actors  Search this
American South  Search this
Black Enterprise  Search this
Black interiors  Search this
Film  Search this
Hollywood (Film)  Search this
Segregation  Search this
Travel  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
Object number:
2011.12.52.3
Restrictions & Rights:
© George Gershwin Estate
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title:
The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
Classification:
Documents and Published Materials-Published Works
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d65958e5-16de-4ee4-bc24-5127715e7a14
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2011.12.52.3

Satellite, Pioneer I, Reconstructed Replica

Title:
Satellite, Pioneer I, Reconstructed Replica
Manufacturer:
TRW Space & Technology Group  Search this
Materials:
Shell - laminated plastic
Aluminum
Paint
Adhesive Tape
Plastic
Copper Alloy
Adhesive Sticker
Dimensions:
Overall: 2 ft. 5 in. wide x 2 ft. 6 in. deep, 24 lb. (73.7 x 76.2cm, 10.9kg)
Type:
SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Credit Line:
Gift of TRW Space Technology Laboratories
Inventory Number:
A19640665000
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location:
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Exhibition:
Destination Moon
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv914fb1f96-d409-41f5-bf3b-61b431f87ef7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A19640665000

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Designer:
Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson  Search this
Manufacturer:
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation  Search this
Materials:
Titanium
Dimensions:
Overall: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 55ft 7in. x 107ft 5in., 169998.5lb. (5.638m x 16.942m x 32.741m, 77110.8kg)
Other: 18ft 5 15/16in. x 107ft 5in. x 55ft 7in. (5.638m x 32.741m x 16.942m)
Type:
CRAFT-Aircraft
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Date:
1964
Credit Line:
Transferred from the United States Air Force.
Inventory Number:
A19920072000
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location:
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA
Hangar:
Boeing Aviation Hangar
Data Source:
National Air and Space Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9afd733c1-f6b5-45f1-ab28-2d19c801b502
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nasm_A19920072000

Seascape (from "New York Ten" portfolio)

Artist:
Roy Lichtenstein, American, b. New York City, 1923–1997  Search this
Medium:
Serigraph on laminated plastic
Dimensions:
17 x 21 15/16 in. (43 x 55.6 cm)
Type:
Print/portfolio
Date:
(n.d.)
Credit Line:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, The Joseph H. Hirshhorn Bequest, 1981
Accession Number:
86.5244.6
See more items in:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Collection
School:
Pop Art (American)
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/py2732f1182-a536-4aba-bd94-575f4483d669
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:hmsg_86.5244.6

Formica Collection

Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Names:
Faber, Herbert A.  Search this
Loewy, Raymond  Search this
O'Conor, Daniel J.  Search this
Stevens, Brooks  Search this
Extent:
18 Cubic feet (59 boxes, 11 oversize folders )
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scripts (documents)
Videotapes
Posters
Samples
Advertisements
Brochures
Blueprints
Photographs
Newsletters
Exhibition catalogs
Catalogs
Correspondence
Date:
1913-2003
Summary:
The Formica Collection consists of textual files, photographs, slides, negatives, drawings, blueprints, posters, advertisements, product brochures, newsletters, and informational pamphlets documenting the history of the Formica Corporation and the use of Formica brand plastic laminate.
Scope and Contents:
The Formica Collection, 1913-2003, consists of textual files, photographs, photo slides, drawings, blueprints, posters, advertisements, product brochures, informational pamphlets, and research notes documenting the history of the Formica Corporation and the use of Formica brand plastic laminate.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1: Corporate Records, 1920-1992, 2003

Subseries 1.1: Annual reports, 1949, 1966, 1988

Subseries 1.2: Correspondence and company identity, 1920-1988

Subseries 1.3: Corporation histories and timelines, 1949-1991, undated

Subseries 1.4: Newspaper clippings and articles, 1934-2003

Subseries 1.5: Awards, 1940s-1987

Subseries 1.6: Patent information, 1925-1994

Subseries 1.7: Photographs, 1927-1966

Series 2: Personnel Records, 1943-1992

Series 3: Newsletters, Magazines, and Press Releases, 1942-1990

Subseries 3.1: Newsletters, 1942-1988

Subseries 3.2: Press releases, 1973-1990

Series 4: Product Information, 1948-1994

Series 5: Advertising and sales materials, 1913-2000

Subseries 5.1: Advertising materials, 1913-2000

Subseries 5.2: Sales materials, 1922-1993

Series 6: Subject Files, circa 1945, 1955-1991, 2002

Series 7: Exhibits, 1981-1994

Series 8: Grace Jeffers Research Materials, 1987-1997

Series 9: Audio Visual Materials, 1982-1995, undated

Series 10: Martin A. Jeffers Materials, 1963-1999

Subseries 10.1: Background Materials, 1965-1999

Subseries 10.2: Employee Benefits, 1963-1998

Subseries 10.3: Product Information, [1959?]-1997

Subseries 10.4: Advertising and Sales Records, 1987-1999
Biographical / Historical:
Since its founding in 1913, the history of the Formica Company has been marked by a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. The history begins with the discovery of Formica by two men who envisioned the plastic laminate as breakthrough insulation for motors. Later, Formica became a ubiquitous surfacing material used by artists and architects of post-modern design. The various applications of the plastic laminate during the twentieth century give it a prominent role in the history of plastics, American consumerism, and American popular culture.

The Formica Company was the brainchild of Herbert A. Faber and Daniel J. O'Conor, who met in 1907 while both were working at Westinghouse in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. O'Conor, head of the process section in the Research Engineering Department, had been experimenting with resins, cloth, paper, and a wide array of solvents in an effort to perfect a process for making rigid laminate sheets from Kraft paper and liquid Bakelite. O'Conor produced the first laminate sheet at Westinghouse by winding and coating paper on a mandrel, slitting the resulting tube, and flattening it on a press. The finished product was a laminated sheet with the chemical and electrical properties of Bakelite that were cut into various shapes and sizes. O'Conor applied for a patent on February 1, 1913, but it was not issued until November 12, 1918 (US Patent 1,284,432). Since the research was done on behalf of Westinghouse, the company was assigned the patent, and O'Conor was given one dollar, the customary amount that Westinghouse paid for the rights to employees' inventions.

Herbert Faber, Technical Sales Manager of insulating materials, was excited about O'Conor's discovery. Faber saw limitless possibilities for the new material. However, he quickly became frustrated by Westinghouse's policy limiting the sale of the laminate to its licensed distributors. After failing to persuade Westinghouse to form a division to manufacture and market the new material, Faber and O'Conor created their own company. On May 2, 1913, the first Formica plant opened in Cincinnati, Ohio. On October 15, 1913, the business incorporated as the Formica Insulation Company with Faber as president and treasurer and O'Conor as vice-president and secretary. The company began producing insulation parts used in place of or "for mica," the costly mineral that had been used in electrical insulation.

Like most new companies, Formica had modest beginnings. Faber and O'Conor faced the challenge of looking for investors who would let them maintain control over the company. Finally, they met J. G. Tomluin, a lawyer and banker from Walton, Kentucky, who invested $7,500 for a one-third share in the Formica Company. Renting a small space in downtown Cincinnati, Faber and O'Conor began work. The company's equipment list consisted of a 35-horsepower boiler, a small gas stove, and a variety of homemade hand screw presses. By September 1913, Tomluin had brought in two more partners, David Wallace and John L. Vest. With the added capital, O'Conor, Faber, and Formica's eighteen employees began producing automobile insulation parts for Bell Electric Motor, Allis Chalmers, and Northwest Electric.

Initially, the Formica Company only made insulation rings and tubes for motors. However, by July 4, 1914, the company obtained its first press and began to produce flat laminate sheets made from Redmenol resin. Business gradually grew, and by 1917 sales totaled $75,000. Fueled by World War I, Formica's business expanded to making radio parts, aircraft pulleys, and timing gears for the burgeoning motor industry. In the years that followed, Formica products were in high demand as laminate plastics replaced older materials in washers, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators. By 1919, the Formica Company required larger facilities and purchased a factory in Cincinnati.

During this time, patent battles and legal suits emerged to challenge Formica's success. On June 11, 1919, Westinghouse sued Formica for patent infringement on its laminated gears; Formica won. Later that year, Westinghouse brought two new lawsuits against Formica. The first was for a patent infringement on the production of tubes, rods, and molded parts; the second was over an infringement based on a 1913 patent assigned to Westinghouse through O'Conor. Formica prevailed in both suits.

Legal battles did not deter the company. Having to defend itself against a giant corporation gave Formica a reputation as a scrappy contender. Finally, Faber and O'Conor made a quantum leap in 1927, when the company was granted a U.S. patent for a phenolic laminate utilizing lithographed wood grains of light color, forming an opaque barrier sheet which blocks out the dark interior of the laminate. In 1931, the company received two more patents for the preparation of the first all paper based laminate and for the addition of a layer of aluminum foil between the core and the surface, making the laminate cigarette-proof. These patents would allow Formica to move from a company dealing primarily with industrial material to the highly visible arena of consumer goods.

In 1937, Faber had a severe heart attack which limited his activity within the company. O'Conor continued as president, encouraging new product lines, including Realwood, as a laminate with genuine wood veneer mounted on a paper lamination with a heat-reactive binder. With the introduction of Realwood and its derivatives, manufacturers started using Formica laminate for tabletops, desks, and dinette sets. By the early forties, sales of Formica laminate were over 15 million dollars. The final recipe for decorative laminate was perfected in 1938, when melamine resins were introduced. Melamine was clear, extremely hard, and resistant to stains, heat, light, less expensive than phenolic resins. It also made possible laminates of colored papers and patterns.

Due to World War II, Formica postponed the manufacturing of decorative laminate sheets. Instead, the company made a variety of war-time products ranging from airplane propellers to bomb buster tubes.

The post-World War II building boom fueled the decorative laminate market and ushered in what would come to be known as the golden age for Formica. The company, anticipating the demand for laminate, acquired a giant press capable of producing sheets measuring thirty by ninety-six inches for kitchen countertops. Between 1947 and 1950, more than 2 million new homes were designed with Formica brand laminate for kitchens and bathrooms.

Formica's advertising campaigns, initially aimed at industry, were transformed to speak to the new decorative needs of consumer society, in particular the American housewife. Formica hired design consultants, Brooks Stevens, and, later, Raymond Loewy who launched extensive advertising campaigns. Advertising themes of durability, cleanliness, efficiency, and beauty abound in promotional material of this time. Advertisers promised that the plastic laminate, known as "the wipe clean wonder," was resistant to dirt, juices, jams, alcohol stains, and cigarette burns. Atomic patterns and space-age colors, including Moonglo, Skylark, and Sequina, were introduced in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, diners, and restaurants across America.

The post-war period was also marked by expansion, specifically with the establishment of Formica's first international markets. In 1947, Formica signed a licensing agreement with the British firm the De La Rue Company of London for the exclusive manufacture and marketing of decorative laminates outside North America, and in South America and the Pacific Basin. In 1948, Formica changed its name from the Formica Insulation Company to the Formica Company. In 1951, Formica responded to growing consumer demand by opening a million square foot plant in Evendale, Ohio, devoted to the exclusive production of decorative sheet material. In 1956, the Formica Company became the Formica Corporation, a subsidiary of American Cyanamid Company. A year later, the international subsidiaries that Formica formed with De La Rue Company of London were replaced by a joint company called Formica International Limited.

The plastic laminate was not merely confined to tabletops and dinette sets. Formica laminate was used for skis, globes, and murals. Moreover, well-known artists and architects used the decorative laminate for modernist furniture and Art Deco interiors. In 1960, Formica's Research and Development Design Center was established, adjacent to the Evendale plant, to develop uses for existing laminate products. In 1966, the company opened the Sierra Plant near Sacramento, California. Such corporate expansion enabled Formica to market its laminates beyond the traditional role as a countertop surface material.

In 1974, Formica established its Design Advisory Board (DAB), a group of leading designers and architects. DAB introduced new colors and patterns of laminate that gained popularity among artists and interior designers in the 1980s. In 1981, DAB introduced the Color Grid, a systematic organization of Formica laminate arranged by neutrals and chromatics. The Color Grid was described as the first and only logically arranged collection of color in the laminate industry. DAB also developed the Design Concepts Collection of premium solid and patterned laminates to serve the needs of contemporary interior designers.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the corporation continued to produce laminates for interior designers, artists, and architects. In 1982, Formica introduced COLORCORE, the first solid-color laminate. Due to its relatively seamless appearance, COLORCORE was adopted by artists for use in furniture, jewelry, and interior design. The introduction of COLORCORE also marked the emergence of a wide variety of design exhibitions and competitions sponsored by the Formica Corporation. In 1985, Formica Corporation became independent and privately held. Formica continues to be one of the leading laminate producers in the world with factories in the United States, England, France, Spain, Canada, and Taiwan.

For additional information on the history of the Formica Corporation, see:

DiNoto, Andrea. Art Plastic: Designed for Living. New York: Abbeville Press, 1985.

Fenichell, Stephen. Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century. New York: Harper/Collins, 1996.

Jeffers Grace. 1998. Machine Made Natural: The Decorative Products of the Formica Corporation, 1947-1962. Master's thesis. Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts.

Lewin, Susan Grant, ed. Formica & Design: From Counter Top to High Art. New York: Rizzoli, 1991.
Related Materials:
Materials at the Archives Center

Leo Baekeland Papers, 1881-1968 (NMAH.AC.0005)

DuPont Nylon Collection, 1939-1977 (NMAH.AC.0007)

J. Harry DuBois Collection on the History of Plastics, circa 1900-1975 (NMAH.AC.0008)

Earl Tupper Papers, circa 1914-1982 (NMAH.AC.0470)

The Division of Medicine and Science holds artifacts related to this collection. See accession # 1997.0319 and #1997.3133.
Provenance:
This collection was assembled by Grace Jeffers, historian of material culture, primarily from materials given to her by Susan Lewin, Head of Formica's New York design and publicity office when the office closed in 1995. The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Grace Jeffers in September 1996.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. 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:
Plastics industry and trade  Search this
Plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this
Plastics as art material -- 1920-2000  Search this
Plastics in interior design -- 1920-2000  Search this
advertising -- plastic industry -- 1920-2000  Search this
Plastic jewelry -- 1920-2000  Search this
Laminated plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this
Exhibitions -- 20th century -- United States  Search this
House furnishings -- 1920-2000 -- United States  Search this
Housewives as consumers -- 1920-2000  Search this
Electronic insulators and insulation -- Plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this
Inventions -- 1920-2000 -- United States  Search this
Women in advertising  Search this
Women in popular culture -- 1920-2000  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scripts (documents)
Videotapes
Posters -- 20th century
Samples -- 1920-2000
Advertisements
Brochures
Blueprints -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Newsletters -- 20th century
Exhibition catalogs
Catalogs
Catalogs -- 1920-2000
Correspondence -- 20th century
Citation:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0565
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8859e644e-2a2b-427b-ae69-3dfadd400aa4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0565
Online Media:

Product Information

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1948-1994
Scope and Contents:
This series includes guides, product books, information manuals, samples, and Formica Facts , a product book containing technical specifications for plastic laminate dated 1988. These technical manuals and fabrication guides provide use and care guidelines, offer tips for handling and storage, and describe techniques for working with plastic laminate.

Catalogs, brochures, and samples provide information on new product lines, patterns, and colors of the surfacing laminate from 1965 to 1994. Formica's product literature documents: atomic patterns and space-age colors of the 1960s, the top-selling laminates of sliced avocado, bittersweet, and harvest yellow of the 1970s, and the pastels and post-modern designs of the 1980s and 1990s. Catalog brochures, 1965-1970, parallel advertising campaigns of the time, featuring titles such as Join the Revolution for Easy Living ; Join the Colour [ sic ] Revolution , and Of Course You Want a Formica Laminated Plastic Color-Kissed Kitchen . The series also includes color systems developed by Formica such as the Color Grid, Color + Color, and Color System/Color Compliment. These systems, developed by the Design Advisory Board in the early 1980s, enabled both distributor and consumer to mix and match samples of COLORCORE more effectively.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0565, Series 4
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86dced5ff-f52e-4fc5-8081-db8d38cd52fd
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref106

Formica Laminated Plastic Colors and Patterns, circa 1960s

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 1
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Formica Collection / Series 4: Product Information
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8508fcff4-f8b5-464f-bfee-510d0d156623
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref112

Formica Laminated Plastic Colors and Patterns, 1965

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Formica Collection / Series 4: Product Information
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep87474d8b7-37ea-4b51-b1f7-d93d803987e9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref113

Formica Laminated Plastic Colors and Patterns, 1966

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 3
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Formica Collection / Series 4: Product Information
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8db9345c8-a1ef-4170-87f7-6156d8cc080e
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref114

Formica Laminated Plastic Special Designs Screened Prints

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Container:
Box 6, Folder 4
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Formica Collection / Series 4: Product Information
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8707fa5da-e959-4211-9efc-7debbbc331e9
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref115

Formica Laminated Plastics, Colors and Patterns, 1962

Collection Creator:
Jeffers, Grace  Search this
Formica Corporation.  Search this
Container:
Box 35, Folder 1-2
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Formica Collection
Formica Collection / Series 4: Product Information
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep866205cdd-dc65-4424-ad44-c1512d089a83
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0565-ref132

Southern Laminated Plastic Plant [Location unknown]

Collection Creator:
Lockwood Greene Engineers, Incorporated  Search this
Lockwood-Greene Company  Search this
Whitman, David  Search this
Greene, Stephen  Search this
Lockwood, Amos  Search this
Container:
Box 207
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
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:
Lockwood Greene Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
See more items in:
Lockwood-Greene Records
Lockwood-Greene Records / Series 2: Photographs and Slides / 2.3: Spartanburg office photographic file
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8f347b2e2-d0d4-4c48-a027-92221b3b40f2
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1113-ref7382

Supernova Study No. 07

Created by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Printed by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Manufactured by:
HangZ, American  Search this
Subject of:
Unidentified Woman or Women  Search this
Medium:
ink, pigment, pastel (material) and laminated plastic on paper (fiber product) with acrylic, metal and Fome-Cor (TM)
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (11.5 × 11.5 × 3.8 cm)
Type:
prints
Place made:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
Date:
2020
Topic:
African American  Search this
African diaspora  Search this
Art  Search this
Black geographies  Search this
Design  Search this
Hair  Search this
Women  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number:
2022.24.3
Restrictions & Rights:
© Tanekeya Word
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Portfolio/Series:
Supernova Study
Classification:
Visual Arts
Documents and Published Materials
Movement:
Afrofuturism
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e1a921fa-2e01-424b-b7d1-5a29d1b9fcd5
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2022.24.3
Online Media:

"Please Do Not Congregate"

Physical Description:
laminated plastic (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 8.5 cm x 29.25 cm x .05 cm; 3 11/32 in x 11 17/32 in x 1/32 in
Object Name:
sign
ID Number:
2022.0038.5
Accession number:
2022.0038
Catalog number:
2022.0038.5
See more items in:
Work and Industry: Food Technology
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng488f2ef49-e388-4715-808d-66bf0a89abd7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_2014085

Supernova Study No. 02

Created by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Printed by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Manufactured by:
HangZ, American  Search this
Subject of:
Unidentified Woman or Women  Search this
Medium:
ink, pigment, pastel and laminated plastic on paper with acrylic, metal and Fome-Cor (TM)
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (11.5 × 11.5 × 3.8 cm)
Type:
prints
Place made:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
Date:
2020
Topic:
African American  Search this
African diaspora  Search this
Art  Search this
Black geographies  Search this
Design  Search this
Hair  Search this
Women  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number:
2022.24.1
Restrictions & Rights:
© Tanekeya Word
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Portfolio/Series:
Supernova Study
Classification:
Visual Arts
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Movement:
Afrofuturism
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd53a733dd1-1b04-465d-8f3a-e11211f2fd57
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2022.24.1
Online Media:

Supernova Study No. 04

Created by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Printed by:
Dr. Tanekeya Word  Search this
Manufactured by:
HangZ, American  Search this
Subject of:
Unidentified Woman or Women  Search this
Medium:
ink, pigment, pastel (material) and laminated plastic on paper (fiber product) with acrylic, metal and Fome-Cor (TM)
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (11.5 × 11.5 × 3.8 cm)
Type:
prints
Place made:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
Date:
2020
Topic:
African American  Search this
African diaspora  Search this
Art  Search this
Black geographies  Search this
Design  Search this
Hair  Search this
Women  Search this
Credit Line:
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number:
2022.24.2
Restrictions & Rights:
© Tanekeya Word
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Portfolio/Series:
Supernova Study
Classification:
Visual Arts
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Movement:
Afrofuturism
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd541fb70ae-7e41-4928-8f69-47bc536fe811
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2022.24.2
Online Media:

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