Search Results

Company Name:

Artco Machine Corp.  Search this

Notes content:

steel fabricator ; combination punch and shear with built-in notcher or coper ; punch, plate shear, angle, bar and tee cutter with built-in notcher or coper

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

New York, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

Topic:

Machine-tools  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_45467

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_45467

Company Name:

David N. Brown Machinery Co.  Search this

Notes content:

OVERSIZE ; circular saw mill

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

Woodworking machinery and wood crafts  Search this

Topic:

Machine-tools  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Wood-carving  Search this

Woodworking industries  Search this

Woodworking machinery  Search this

Woodworking tools  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_45470

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_45470

Variant company name:

Est. 1930s ; Hamburg, NY  Search this

Company Name:

American Autogard Corp.  Search this

Related companies:

GIB Precision ; British Autogard Ltd. (Siddington, Cirencester, United Kingdom) ; Autogard Kupplungen GmbH (Lemgo, Germany) ; Autogard Asia Pacific P/L (Melbourne, Australia) ; Autogard Japan Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) ; Autogard/Dynacorp  Search this

Notes content:

advanced torque limiters ; couplings ; torque sensors ; includes business card

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Rockford, Illinois, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Industrial equipment or mechanical machinery (including supplies and components)  Search this

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

Topic:

Industrial equipment  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Machinery  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_45474

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_45474

Author:

Martin, Stanley John  Search this

Physical description:

[16], 302 p illus 23 cm

Type:

Books

Date:

1970

Topic:

Machine-tools--Numerical control  Search this

Machines-outils--Commande numérique  Search this

Call number:

TJ1189 .M29X

TJ1189.M29X

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_7516

Sponsor:

Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology  Search this

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this

Extent:

99.3 Cubic feet (123 boxes, XX map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Blueprints

Correspondence

Black-and-white photographs

Place:

Pittsburgh (Pa.)

Date:

1881-1950

Scope and Contents:

These records of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, contain photographs of gas engines, steam turbines, machine tools, foundry and manufacturing methods, and automobile engines, 1896-1921; instruction books, bulletins, and catalogs, 1889-1950; engine lists for compound, junior compound, and standard engines, 1881-1913; blueprints, specifications, shop orders, and correspondence; record books for Corliss engines, turbines, pumps, 1900-1910; and drawings of Otto gas engines, 1900-1906, and Westinghouse pumps and engines, 1883-1921.

Arrangement:

The collection is unarranged.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

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:

Steam-engines  Search this

Internal combustion engines  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Steam-turbines  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings -- 19th century

Blueprints

Correspondence -- 1880-1950

Black-and-white photographs

Citation:

Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0977

See more items in:

Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83fd63cb8-d53a-43be-8c3f-41810d82fc42

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0977

Collection Creator:

American Academy in Rome  Search this

Container:

Box 31, Folder 39

Type:

Archival materials

Scope and Contents:

Daguerreotype (housed separately), circa 1856, in machine-tooled leather case with red velvet lining, metal clasp, 7.5 x 6.2 cm; and Album, circa 1869 containing 13 portraits, 11 cartes de visite and 2 tintypes.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Collection Rights:

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

Collection Citation:

American Academy in Rome records, 1855-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

See more items in:

American Academy in Rome records

American Academy in Rome records / Series 3: New York Office / 3.5: Personal Papers, Memorabilia and Ephemera / Charles F. McKim Memorabilia, Photographs, Printed Matter, and Artifacts

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw989eb67ae-4745-42a8-a6f5-abe7ac5310c5

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aaa-ameracar-ref1390

Company Name:

Clark Equipment Co.  Search this

Related companies:

Tructractor Div. (Battle Creek, MI) ; Construction Machinery Div. (Benton Harbor, MI) ; Industrial Truck Div. (Battle Creek, MI) ; Ross Carrier Div. (Benton Harbor, MI) ; Lima Div. (Lima, OH) ; Crane Div. (Lima, OH) ; Transmission Div. (Jackson, MI) ; Powerworker Section (Battle Creek, MI) ; Canadian Clark, Ltd. (Ontario, Canada) ; Clark Tructractor Co. (Battle Creek, MI); Celfor Tool Co. ; Buchanan Electric Steel Co. ; Automotive Div. ; Cortez Sales Div. (Battle Creek, MI) ; Cortez Corp. (Battle Creek, MI) ; Clark Cortez Retail Sales Branch (Woodside, Long Island, NY)  Search this

Notes content:

"Celfor" twist drills, reamers, countersinks, flue cutters, and lathe tools ; fork trucks, fork lift trucks and industrial towing tractors ; tractor dozers ; tractor shovels ; tractor scrapers ; construction and forestry equipment ; powered materials handling equipment ; "Clarktour" people-moving vehicles for shopping malls, airports, amusement parks, etc. ; pallet trucks ; industrial torque converters ; truck transmissions, etc. ; planetary axle ; RVs ; motor homes

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

224 pieces; 3 linear feet; 3 boxes

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Buchanan, Michigan, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Automobiles and automotive equipment (including trucks and buses)  Search this

Camping equipment  Search this

Construction and earth-moving machinery  Search this

Lumber; logging; timber and forestry  Search this

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

Materials handling equipment (includes barrels; bottling and filling; casters; chains; etc.)  Search this

Recreation  Search this

Road building machinery and equipment  Search this

Topic:

Amusements  Search this

Automobiles  Search this

Barrels  Search this

Bottling  Search this

Camping equipment industry  Search this

Construction equipment  Search this

Earthmoving machinery  Search this

Forests and forestry  Search this

Hobbies  Search this

Industrial equipment  Search this

Lumber  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Motor vehicles  Search this

Outdoor recreation  Search this

Recreation industry  Search this

Road machinery  Search this

Roads -- Design and construction  Search this

Timber  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_11537

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_11537

Creator:

Cox & Sons Company  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this

Extent:

.15 Cubic feet (1 box )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1900-1935, undated

Summary:

Collection documents the Cox & Sons Company, builders of pipe-threading machines.

Content Description:

Collection consists mostly of photographs documenting the Cox & Sons Company, builders of pipe-threading machines.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into one series.

Provenance:

Collection purchased from Walter Grossman, 1981.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Unprotected photographs must be handled 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.

Topic:

Machine-tools  Search this

Metalworking  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Citation:

Cox & Sons Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1533

See more items in:

Cox & Sons Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ffa5ab77-21f4-40f3-9c12-1d81805e1398

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1533

Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

4.81 Cubic feet (consisting of 10 boxes, 1 folder, 4 oversize folders, 2 map case folders, 1 flat box (partial), plus digital images of some collection material.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertising fliers

Exhibition catalogs

Sales records

Manuals

Annual reports

Print advertising

Blotters (writing equipment)

Publications

Business records

Business cards

Sales letters

Letterheads

Legal records

Photographs

Catalogs

Commercial catalogs

Catalogues

Printed materials

Receipts

Advertising cards

Mail order catalogs

Illustrations

Technical reports

Trade cards

Legal documents

Printed material

Trade catalogs

Periodicals

Technical manuals

Patents

Commercial correspondence

Invoices

Advertising

Sales catalogs

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Ephemera

Reports

Business ephemera

Trade literature

Manufacturers' catalogs

Business letters

Instructional materials

Printed ephemera

Correspondence

Date:

1834-1965

Summary:

A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Accounting and Bookkeeping forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana

Scope and Contents:

Covers a variety of tools, hand tools, and machinery including cutters, dies, measurement tools, rules, lathes, crimping devices, clamps, drills, and related precision tools.

Materials represent a sampling of merchant and services transactions, but there are no full business records for any single entity. This category has a large volume of catalogues present and a few examples of industry reports and technical documentation.

With the industries and trades represented in this category, there is significant overlap with Hardware, Instruments, and Mensuration.

Arrangement:

Tools is arranged in three subseries.

Business Records and Marketing Material

Genre

Subject

Forms Part Of:

Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.

Series 1: Business Ephemera

Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers

Series 4: Photographic Reference Material

Provenance:

Tools is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Machine-tools  Search this

Manufacturing industries  Search this

Tool makers  Search this

Manufacturing  Search this

Pipe  Search this

Manufacturing processes  Search this

Hardware stores -- 1870-1880  Search this

Machine-tool industry  Search this

Woodworking machinery -- 1830-1960  Search this

Light machinery  Search this

Tools  Search this

Hardware stores -- 1860-1870 -- Pennsylvania  Search this

Machinery  Search this

Machinery industry  Search this

Machine shops  Search this

Consumer goods -- Catalogs  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertising fliers

Exhibition catalogs

Sales records

Manuals

Annual reports

Print advertising

Blotters (writing equipment)

Publications -- Business

Business records

Business cards

Sales letters

Letterheads

Legal records

Photographs

Catalogs

Commercial catalogs

Catalogues

Printed materials

Receipts

Advertising cards

Mail order catalogs

Illustrations

Technical reports

Trade cards

Legal documents

Printed material

Trade catalogs

Periodicals

Technical manuals -- 20th century

Patents

Commercial correspondence

Invoices

Advertising

Sales catalogs

Publications

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Ephemera

Reports

Business ephemera

Trade literature

Manufacturers' catalogs

Business letters

Instructional materials

Printed ephemera

Correspondence

Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Tools, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Tools

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Tools

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fa1598e9-2925-4cc5-a7bc-4af23f3bb786

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-tools

Creator:

Pratt, Charles Richardson, 1860-1935  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of History of Technology  Search this

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this

Names:

Sprague, Frank J.  Search this

Extent:

6 Cubic feet (13 boxes, 8 oversize folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Diaries

Drawings

Trade catalogs

Photographs

Notebooks

Letterpress books

Patents

Place:

Montclair (N.J.)

Date:

1860-1935

bulk 1910-1924

Summary:

The papers document the professional career of mechanical engineer, Charles Richardson Pratt. The papers include correspondence, patents, patent application materials, agreements, photographs, publications, and blueprints for many of Pratt's inventions, especially his work on elevators.

Scope and Contents:

These papers contain personal materials of Charles R. Pratt; letterpress copybooks; engineering notebooks; diaries; material relating to the development of the heavy-duty, high-rise electric elevator; material concerning elevator cable equalizers and safety devices, Morton-Jacobsen and other lathe chucks, lathe drives and the Pratt Driver, the hydraulic transmission of power in trucks, and ship steering gear; and studies reports, drawings, photographs, catalogs, and trade literature concerning mechanical engineering.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into eight series.

Series 1: Personal Materials, 1875-1935

Series 2: Diaries, 1894, 1928-1931

Series 3: Correspondence, 1872-1920

Series 4: Notebooks, 1880, 1889, 1900

Series 5: Inventions, 1860-1927

Series 6: Photographs, 1890-1902

Series 7: Publications, 1895-1929

Series 8: Drawings, 1878-1929

Biographical / Historical:

Charles Richardson Pratt (1860-1935), was born in Massachusetts to John C. and Mary Anne Richardson. He graduated from the Hopkins School of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1879. Pratt worked at Whittier Machine Company of Boston (1882-1890) where he designed and built the first electric elevator in 1888. The elevator was installed in the Tremont House, Boston. Pratt also worked as an agent and later as a consulting engineer for the Otis Elevator Company, the inventors of the hydraulic elevator.

Pratt was best known for his development of the first electrically powered elevator. In 1892, inventor Frank Sprague (1857-1934) founded the Sprague Electric Elevator Company, and with Charles R. Pratt developed the Sprague-Pratt Electric Elevator. They demonstrated that electrically powered elevators were capable of competing with hydraulic elevators. Pratt held several engineering positions and worked for the Marine Engine Company of Newark, New Jersey (1902-1905) developing elevator systems; consulting engineer to the Universal Speed Control Company of New York City (1906-1919); consultant to the American Engineering Company of Philadelphia (1912); mechanical superintendent at the Crocker Wheel Company of Ampere, New Jersey (1919); engineer for the E. Horton and Sons Company of Connecticut (1920-1923); the General Tractors Corporation (1924-1927); and was associated with the Watson Elevator Company of New York City (1928-1930). Pratt patented many of his ideas, earning over thirty-five patents related mostly to elevators,

Pratt was a member of the Masons, the Sons of the American Revolution, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the MIT Club of New Jersey, and the Motor Club of London. He married Mary Byron Ladd and they had two children, Gertrude Ladd Pratt and Donald Richardson Pratt.

Provenance:

This collection was purchased from Charles R. Pratt's daughter, Gertrude Pratt Vance, in 1973.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

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:

Mechanical engineering and engineers  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Elevators  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Patents -- 1890-1900  Search this

Power transmission  Search this

Genre/Form:

Diaries

Drawings

Trade catalogs

Photographs -- 19th century

Notebooks

Letterpress books

Patents -- 1870-1880

Citation:

Charles Richardson Pratt Papers, 1860-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0958

See more items in:

Charles Richardson Pratt Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82afc1e29-876b-4494-9c92-64a14390613e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0958

Creator:

Jacques Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Subject:

Hauke, Cesar M. de (Cesar Mange)  Search this

Glaenzer, Eugene  Search this

Haardt, Georges  Search this

Seligman, Germain  Search this

Seligmann, Arnold  Search this

Parker, Theresa D.  Search this

Waegen, Rolf Hans  Search this

Trevor, Clyfford  Search this

Seligmann, René  Search this

Seligmann, Jacques  Search this

De Hauke & Co., Inc.  Search this

Jacques Seligmann & Co  Search this

Eugene Glaenzer & Co.  Search this

Germain Seligmann & Co.  Search this

Gersel  Search this

Type:

Gallery records

Citation:

Jacques Seligmann & Co. records, 1904-1978, bulk 1913-1974. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Topic:

Mackay, Clarence Hungerford, 1874-1938 -- Art collections  Search this

Schiff, Mortimer L. -- Art collections  Search this

Arenberg, duc d' -- Art collections  Search this

Liechtenstein, House of -- Art collections  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting -- France -- Paris  Search this

Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Art and the war  Search this

La Fresnaye, Roger de, 1885-1925  Search this

Art, Renaissance  Search this

Decorative arts  Search this

Art treasures in war  Search this

Art, European  Search this

Theme:

Art Gallery Records  Search this

Art Market  Search this

Record number:

(DSI-AAA_CollID)9936

(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)212486

AAA_collcode_jacqself

Theme:

Art Gallery Records

Art Market

Data Source:

Archives of American Art

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_212486

Designer:

Henry Dreyfuss , American, 1904–1972  Search this

Medium:

B&W Printed Material

Type:

archive

Archive folder

Object Name:

Archive folder

Date:

1969-1971

Credit Line:

Henry Dreyfuss Archive, gift of Various Donors

Accession Number:

Dreyfuss Symbol Sourcebook Working Papers Folder 033

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection

Archives Department

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq45b287d0d-1b03-4c0a-ba50-c1f3c351e310

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:chndm_Dreyfuss_Symbol_Sourcebook_Working_Papers_Folder_033

Designer:

Henry Dreyfuss , American, 1904–1972  Search this

Medium:

B&W Printed Material, Graphics

Type:

archive

Archive folder

Object Name:

Archive folder

Date:

1967-1970

Credit Line:

Henry Dreyfuss Archive, gift of Various Donors

Accession Number:

Dreyfuss Symbol Sourcebook Working Papers Folder 155

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection

Archives Department

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq4a55ff87e-ba4d-42e9-97f1-b3f992dac398

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:chndm_Dreyfuss_Symbol_Sourcebook_Working_Papers_Folder_155

Designer:

Henry Dreyfuss , American, 1904–1972  Search this

Medium:

B&W Printed Material

Type:

archive

Archive folder

Object Name:

Archive folder

Date:

1971-1972

Credit Line:

Henry Dreyfuss Archive, gift of Various Donors

Accession Number:

Dreyfuss Symbol Sourcebook Working Papers Folder 210

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection

Archives Department

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq4d0e63dc4-dde1-416e-8149-c916165238de

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:chndm_Dreyfuss_Symbol_Sourcebook_Working_Papers_Folder_210

Designer:

Henry Dreyfuss , American, 1904–1972  Search this

Medium:

B&W Printed Material, Photograph

Type:

archive

Archive folder

Object Name:

Archive folder

Date:

1958, 1960-1970

Credit Line:

Henry Dreyfuss Archive, gift of Various Donors

Accession Number:

Dreyfuss Symbol Sourcebook Working Papers Folder 329

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection

Archives Department

Data Source:

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kq4b66f36aa-8cb0-4bdf-9a5e-f0887ed73513

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:chndm_Dreyfuss_Symbol_Sourcebook_Working_Papers_Folder_329

Creator:

Gerber, H. Joseph, 1924-1996  Search this

Gerber Scientific Instrument Company (Hartford, Conn.).  Search this

Extent:

75 Cubic feet (182 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Articles

Marketing records

Photographs

Speeches

Correspondence

Catalogs

Clippings

Patents

Business records

Manuals

Legal documents

Date:

1911 - 1999

Summary:

Records document the Gerber Scientific Instrument Company, Hartford, Connecticut, and its four subsidiaries: Gerber Garment Technology, Inc., Gerber Scientific Products, Inc., Gerber Systems Corp., and Gerber Optical, Inc. Gerber Scientific designs, develops, manufactures, markets and services computer aided design and computer aided CAD/CAM systems. The records include correspondence, memoranda, product literature, trade literature, patent records, instruction manuals, proposals, engineering records, photographs, technical reports, drawings, press releases, and newspaper clippings.

Scope and Contents:

The Gerber Scientific Instrument Company Records document the company's designs, development, manufacture, and marketing of computer-aided design and computer-aided CAD/CAM systems. The records are arranged into twelve series and consist of Personal, Corporate Records, Engineering Department Records, Product Literature, Instruction Manuals/User Guides, Proposals, Photographs, Trade Literature, Press Releases and Newspaper Clippings, Patent Records, Lectra Systèmes Litigation Materials, and Audio Visual Materials.

Series 1, David R. Pearl, 1968-1984, contains three volumes of diaries kept by David R. Pearl, President of Gerber Garment Technology. The diaries were maintained by Pearl from July 21, 1968 to June 6, 1977, to document Pearl's and H. Joseph Gerber's activities concerning the development of the technology and the establishment of a business to market computer-controlled fabric cutting devices. One notebook contains some materials later than 1977. There are diary entries for September 12, 1979, February 1, 1980, and October 29, 1984.

Series 2, Corporate Records, 1968-1999, includes administrative records, an Industrial Projects Eligibility Review, annual reports, shareholders reports, newsletters, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) materials, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) materials, Gerber Museum documents, and empty Gerber Scientific Instrument Company binders. The administrative documents consist of a corporate history, mission statement, organizational chart, company map, time line and biographies of key corporate personnel. There are two organizational charts: one for the Engineering Organization (software, mechanical and electrical divisions) from 1987 and one for the subsidiary Gerber Garment Technology, Inc. (Gerber Garment Technology (GGT)), dated 1985. Additional organizational charts can be found with the 1968 annual report. The Industrial Projects Eligibility Review was submitted to the Connecticut Development Authority by Gerber Scientific Intsrument (GSI) to facilitate financing for future expansion of the company. A copy of the company's articles of incorporation are here. The newsletters included in this series are in-house publications for employees only. The newsletter Communiqué, 1960, is in Series 4, Product Literature. The NYSE materials include press releases, photographs, the listing application to the NYSE and printed material about Gerber Scientific, Inc. joining the NYSE in October 1980. Gerber Scientific is traded on the Stock Exchange as GRB. The Securities and Exchange Commission files contain Form S-3, a registration statement and the Annual Report, and Form 10-K for Gerber Scientific, Inc. The Gerber Museum file includes photographs of artifacts and a 1996 memo and fax discussing the establishment of a museum to honor H. Joseph Gerber.

Series 3, Engineering Department Records, 1966-1990, is the largest series and is arranged alphabetically by the engineer's last name and then alphabetically by subject/topic. The records include the files of: Ed LaGraize, David Logan, Bud Rich, Ron Webster, and Ken Wood. The majority of engineering files belong to David Logan. Logan joined Gerber Scientific Instrument in 1957 as a project engineer. From 1959 to 1961, he was chief engineer and then became Vice President of Engineering from 1961 to 1963. From 1963 to 1980, Logan served as Senior Vice President of Engineering. He holds several patents, primarily in the field of plotting devices and control systems. The engineering files contain technical memoranda, correspondence, drawings, product literature, trade literature, notes, and drawings.

Series 4, Product Literature, 1953-1996, contains informational sheets for a variety of products available from Gerber Scientific, Inc. and its subsidiary companies. Gerber Scientific Instrument (GSI) creates designs, manufactures and promotes data reduction equipment of many types. Data reduction equipment allows complex mathematical problems to be solved quickly and accurately. Both analogue and digital systems are offered. The bulk of the product literature falls into the following categories: instruments, data reader systems, recorders, special scanning tables, oscillogram amplitude tabulators, standard system scanners, and plotters. The series is arranged alphabetically by name of product with a few exceptions.

Series 5, Instruction Manuals/User Guides, 1953-1980, undated, is divided into two subseries, Gerber Scientific Instrument Company manuals and other companies' manuals. This series contains instruction manuals, maintenance manuals, and users' guides for a variety of Gerber Scientific, Inc. products. The Gerber System Model 1434, Ultra Precise Artwork Generator which provides precision photo-plotting on photo-sensitive material is well represented among the manuals. The other companies represented include Bendix Industrial Controls and the KOH-I-NOOR Rapidograph, Inc.

Series 6, Proposals, 1961-1980, consists of bound certified and signed technical and bid proposals completed by Gerber Scientific Instrument Company detailing available and actual estimated costs and pricing data for Gerber products. The proposals were assembled for specific companies such as North American Aviation.

Series 7, Photographs, 1948-1974, undated, is further divided into three subseries: Product and Client Files, 1966-1974, undated; Gerber Scientific Instrument (Gerber Scientific Intsrument (GSI) Corporate, 1948-1970, undated; and Numerical, 1966-1974, undated photographs. The majority of photographs are 8" x 10" black-and-white prints. The product and client file photographs are arranged alphabetically. The Gerber Scientific Instrument (GSI) corporate photographs include photographs of GSI buildings both interior and exterior shots, employees, employee functions such as banquets, annual meetings, tours, stockholder meetings, and trade shows. The numerical photographs are arranged numerically according to the number assigned on the reverse of the photograph. Some of the numerical photographs are identified by product name, but others are labeled unidentified.

Series 8, Trade Literature, 1947-1992, is arranged alphabetically by company name. The trade literature in this series is from competitors or from companies that used Gerber products.

Series 9, Press Releases and Newspaper Clippings, 1943-1996, is divided into two subseries, Press Releases, 1972-1982 and Newspaper Clippings, 1943-1996. The press releases are arranged chronologically. This series contains information on H. Joseph Gerber, his company and its subsidiaries, and the garment and apparel industry. The newspaper clippings are arranged chronologically and include a wide variety of local Connecticut and United States newspapers and industry specific magazines such as Bobbin and Apparel Industry.

Series 10, Patent Records, 1911-1985, contains copies of patents, correspondence with patent attorneys and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, patent search results, and other legal filings associated with the patenting process. The materials are arranged chronologically with the name of the equipment or instruments being patented noted.

Series 11, Lectra Systèmes Litigation Materials, 1968-1990, contains documents that mainly deal with Lectra (France), but there are documents about patent infringement for Lectra (Japan) and Lectra (United Kingdom). The materials consist of depositions by David Pearl, then president of Gerber Garment Technology, and David Siegelman, then Vice President and General Manager for Lectra Systèmes, Inc., in the United States. Confidential progress reports, memoranda, correspondence, competition reports, drawings and sketches, notes, and other documents summarize events in the litigation history.

Lectra Systèmes was formed on November 12, 1973 at Bordeaux-Cestas (France) by two visionary engineers, Jean and Bernard Etcheparre. They developed a computer system, the LECteur-TRAceur 200, which automatically calculated and plotted all sizes of an item of apparel. The Lectra Systèmes litigation materials document Gerber Garment Technology's claim that Lectra infringed upon Gerber's line of cutting machines. The specific patents being infringed are United States patents: 3,955,458; 4,205,835; and 3,765,289. In September 1986, Lectra introduced a new line of cutting machines that cost roughly half as much as Gerber's top-of-the-line competing system. Gerber Garment Technology filed suit in the United States and France as Gerber Garment Technology, Inc. v. Lectra Systems, Inc. Civil Action No. 1:86-cv-2054CAM. In 1992, Lectra Systems, Inc., appealled the judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District infringement of Gerber's U.S. Patent No. 3,955,458 ('458 patent) and denied Lectra's claim that Gerber's U.S. Patent No., 4,205,835 ('835 patent) is unenforceable.

Series 12, Audio Visual Materials, 1986-1998, includes 3⁄4" U-matic, 1⁄2" VHS, audio cassettes, BetaCam SP, and one Super 8mm color, silent camera original reversal film. The majority the of audio visual materials cover interviews with H. Joseph Gerber, the National Technology of Medal ceremony, and sales and marketing footage for various Gerber products.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into twelve series.

Series 1: David R. Pearl Materials, 1968-1984

Series 2: Corporate Records, 1968-2002

Subseries 2.1: Administrative, circa 1977-1995

Subseries 2.2: Industrial Projects Eligibility Review, undated (contains articles of incorporation for Gerber Scientific)

Subseries 2.3: Annual Reports, 1968-1999

Subseries 2.4: Shareholders Reports, 1990-1995, 1997, 1998

Subseries 2.5: Newsletters, 1969-1996

Subseries 2.6: New York Stock Exchange, 1980 October

Subseries 2.7: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 1983-1992

Subseries 2.8: Gerber Museum, 1996

Subseries 2.9: Gerber Scientific Instrument Company binders (empty), undated

Subseries 2.10: Stock and Financial Information, 1949-2002

Series 3: Engineering Department Records, 1966-1990

Subseries 3.1: Ed LaGraize's Files, 1978-1990

Subseries 3.2: Dave Logan's Engineering Files, 1966-1990

Subseries 3.3: Dave Logan's Competitors Files, 1966-1982

Subseries 3.4: Bud Rich's Files, 1967-1980

Subseries 3.5, Ron Webster's Files, 1963-1992

Subseries 3.6: Ken Wood's Files, 1976-1980

Subseries 3.7: Ken Wood's Case Study of Model 1434, 1966-1989

Subseries 3.8: General Engineering Files, 1970-1980

Series 4: Product Literature, 1953-1996

Series 5: Instruction Manuals/User Guides, 1953-1980, undated

Subseries 5.1: Gerber Scientific Instrument Company, 1953-1979

Subseries 5.2: Other Companies, 1962, 1980

Series 6: Proposals, 1961-1980

Series 7: Photographs, 1948-1974, undated

Subseries 7.1, Product and Client Files, 1966-1974, undated

Subseries 7.2, Gerber Scientific Instrument Corporate, 1948-1970, undated

Subseries 7.3, Numerical, 1966-1974, undated

Series 8: Trade Literature, 1947-1992

Series 9: Press Releases and Newspaper Clippings, 1943-1998

Subseries 9.1: Press Releases, 1972-1998

Subseries 9.2: Newspaper clippings, 1943-1996

Subseries 9.3: Articles, 1969-1991

Series 10: Patent Records, 1911-1985

Series 11: Lectra Systèmes Litigation Materials, 1968-1990

Series 12: Audio Visual Materials, 1986-1998

Biographical / Historical:

Heinz Joseph "Joe" Gerber was born in Vienna, Austria, on April 17, 1924. In 1940, Gerber escaped the Nazis and immigrated to New York City and then to Hartford, Connecticut, with his mother Bertha Gerber, a dressmaker. Gerber's father, Jacob, is presumed to have died in a concentration camp. Gerber attended Weaver High School and graduated in two years (1943). He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, on a scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1947. As a junior at RPI, Gerber developed the Gerber Variable Scale, his first invention. The earliest version of the variable scale was fashioned from an elastic band removed from a pair of pajamas. Gerber created a rubber rule and scale that could flow with a curve, expand, contract, and turn a corner. The scale allows for direct reading of curves, graphs, and graphical representations, giving direct numerical readings of proportions, spacing and interpolation. The Variable Scale became the building block of what would become Gerber Scientific Instrument Inc.

With financial assistance from Abraham Koppleman, a newspaper and magazine distributor in Hartford, Gerber and Koppleman formed a partnership and incorporated Gerber Scientific Instrument Company in 1948. Gerber served as president, Koppleman as treasurer, and Stanley Levin as secretary. The manufacture of Variable Scale was jobbed out and the distribution was conducted from Hartford. Gerber also worked as a design analytical engineer for Hamilton Standard Propellers of United Aircraft and for Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Shares of Gerber Scientific Instrument Company were eventually sold to the public in 1961, and in 1978, the company changed its name to Gerber Scientific, Inc. In the 1960s and 1970s, Gerber developed the first series of precision, computer-driven cutting systems for the apparel industry called the Gerber Cutter. The cutters introduced automation to the garment industry. In 1967, Gerber realized that the U.S. garment industry, due to a lack of automation, was faced with increasing overseas competition. Gerber's solution was to engineer the GERBERcutter S-70, a machine that cuts apparel quickly and effectively while using less cloth.

Gerber holds more than 600 United States and foreign patents. Many of his patents relate to the United States apparel industry. In 1994, Gerber was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for helping to revolutionize the optical, garment, automotive, and other industries. His pioneering achievements include:

-a generation of data readers (electromechanical devices that converted graphical data directly into computer readable format);

-projection systems that interactively converted information from aerial photographs for use in computers;

-devices that plotted digital output data from computer cards or tape;

-digital numerically-controlled drafting machines which verify the accuracy of the cutting path of numerical machine tools;

-a photoplotter (drafting machine configured with a unique light source to directly draw high accuracy layouts of printed circuit board masters on photographic film or glass with light beams); and

-systems with laser technology to draw at high speeds.1

Subsequent subsidiaries of Gerber Scientific, Inc., were: Gerber Garment Technology, Inc. (GGT); Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. (GSP); Gerber Systems Corp. (GSC), and Gerber Optical, Inc., (GO). GGT makes computer-controlled cutting and design equipment for apparel, automotive, aerospace and other industries. GSP produces systems for sign-making and graphic arts industries. GSC makes production systems for printing, industrial machinery and other industries. GO makes equipment for the optical-lens manufacturing industry.2

In 1954, Gerber married Sonia Kanciper. They had a daughter, Melisa Tina Gerber, and a son, David Jacques Gerber. H. Joseph Gerber died on August 9, 1996, at the age of 72.

Sources

1 National Medal of Technology, 1994.

2 W. Joseph Campbell, "High Tech and Low Key as Gerber Scientific Mounts a Recovery Philosophy that Reflects Innovative Founder," Hartford Courant, May 16, 1994.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Gerber Fabric Cutter Video Documentation, February 1996 (AC0609)

This videohistory documents the inventor, engineers, assembly workers, operators and other technicians who worked with the computer-controlled fabric cutter.

Heinz Joseph Gerber Papers (AC1336)

This collection documents Joseph Gerber's personal life including his highschool and college years, correpondence with family and friends, and speeches given by Gerber throughout his life.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by David Gerber, son of H. Joseph Gerber, on December 23, 2006.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

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.

Topic:

Fabric cutters -- 1960-1990  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Computerized instruments -- 1960-1990  Search this

Automation -- 1960-1990  Search this

Machinery -- 1960-1990  Search this

Machine-tool industry  Search this

Genre/Form:

Articles

Marketing records

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- 1940-2000

Speeches

Correspondence -- 20th century

Catalogs

Clippings

Patents

Business records -- 1950-2000

Manuals

Legal documents

Citation:

Gerber Scientific Instrument Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0929

See more items in:

Gerber Scientific Instrument Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep88334dd19-fd95-4a08-86ae-c77d0c0e2958

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0929

Manufacturer:

Aerial Machine & Tool Corp.  Search this

Materials:

Non-Magnetic White Metal Alloy

Plastic

Paint

Steel

Grease Pencil

Dimensions:

3-D: 14.9 × 10.8 × 9.5cm (5 7/8 × 4 1/4 × 3 3/4 in.)

Type:

INSTRUMENTS-Navigational

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Credit Line:

Transferred from the Department of Commerce

Inventory Number:

A19570576000

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

National Air and Space Museum Collection

Data Source:

National Air and Space Museum

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9a41e1e8a-86ed-41bb-96a0-0efb9d6b1395

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nasm_A19570576000

Company Name:

Tire Machines Inc.  Search this

Notes content:

Master Lux Tire Splitter

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

Topic:

Machine-tools  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_45458

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_45458

Names:

Public Schools of the District of Columbia  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Apeda Studio (New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Camuzzi, M.  Search this

Harris & Ewing  Search this

Collection Creator:

Sommariva, Emilio, Photographer, 1883-1956  Search this

Harris, Fred (photographer)  Search this

Scurlock Studio (Washington, D.C.)  Search this

Extent:

59 Pages (7 1/2 x 12 inches.)

Type:

Archival materials

Pages

Catalogues

Place:

Washington (D.C.) -- African Americans

Date:

1902-1903

Biographical / Historical:

Armstrong Manual Training School, built in 1902, was authorized by congress as a vocational high school for African American youth in Washington, DC. The school was named for Samuel C. Armstrong (1839-1893), a white commander of an African American Civil War regiment and founder of Hampton Institute, now University. Designed by local architect Waddy B. Wood, the Renaissance Revival building provided carpentry, machine, foundry, and blacksmith workshops. In addition, the school taught chemistry and physics. Dr. Wilson Bruce Evans, the father of performing artist Lillian Evans Tibbs, served as founding principal. Duke Ellington, William "Billy"Eckstein, and John Malachi are among a host of Armstrong graduates who became prominent in their profession. In 1996 the school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the District of Columbia.

Collection Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

Genre/Form:

Catalogues

Collection Citation:

Evans-Tibbs collection, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of the Estate of Thurlow E. Tibbs, Jr.

Identifier:

ACMA.06-016, Item ACMA 06-016.2

See more items in:

Evans-Tibbs Collection

Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 1: Lillian Evans Tibbs papers / 1.1: Biographical Materials / Wilson Bruce Evans--Armstrong Manual Training School

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa709f608e6-1f0d-43ce-b393-f179dc537c4b

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-06-016-ref1278

Creator:

Liebhold, Peter  Search this

Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.  Search this

Names:

Gerber Company.  Search this

Gerber, H. Joseph, 1924-1996  Search this

Extent:

2.5 Cubic feet (9 boxes )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Videotapes

Date:

1995-1996

Summary:

The Gerber Fabric Cutter S-70 is part of a systematic approach to layout and cutting that has revolutionized the needle trades. This video history contains original, master, and reference videos, Dictaphone microcassettes, and tape digests and notes documenting the development, operation and use of the Gerber Fabric Cutter S-70 in three locations: H.I.S., Inc., in Bruceton, Tennessee (Chic blue jeans use of cuter); General Motors in Grand Rapids, Michigan (automotive use of the cutter); and Gerber Scientific Instrument Company in Hartford, Connecticut (Gerber corporate office and invention factory). The video footage documents H. Joseph Gerber, engineers, assembly workers, operators, and other technicians who worked with the cutter at the three locations. The footage from the Tennessee and Michigan sites provides insight into the complexity of introducing a new technology into the workplace and documents operators and managers discussing the effect of the cutter on workflow, quality, personnel, and attitudes towards the job. The footage from the Connecticut site documents the engineers who developed the cutter and provides valuable insight into the invention process. This collection includes oral history audio tapes, original, master, and reference videos, and notes documenting visits to Bruceton, Tennessee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hartford, Connecticut.

Scope and Contents:

The Gerber Fabric Cutter S-70 is part of a systematic approach to layout and cutting that has revolutionized the needle trades. It applies numerical control to the sizing of patterns and cutting of fabric. The use of this type of equipment made possible a radical change in the make-up of the cutting room workforce. This video history contains original, master, and reference videos, Dictaphone microcassettes, and tape digests and notes documenting the development, operation and use of the Gerber Fabric Cutter S-70 in three locations: H.I.S., Inc., in Bruceton, Tennessee (Chic blue jeans use of cuter); General Motors in Grand Rapids, Michigan (automotive use of the cutter); and Gerber Scientific Instrument Company in Hartford, Connecticut (Gerber corporate office and invention factory). The video footage documents H. Joseph Gerber, engineers, assembly workers, operators, and other technicians who worked with the cutter at the three locations. The footage from the Tennessee and Michigan sites provides insight into the complexity of introducing a new technology into the workplace and documents operators and managers discussing the effect of the cutter on workflow, quality, personnel, and attitudes towards the job. The footage from the Connecticut site documents the engineers who developed the cutter and provides valuable insight into the invention process.

The collection is arranged into five series: Series 1, Notes, 1995-1996; Series 2, Audio tapes (microcassettes), 1996; Series 3, Original videos (BetaCam SP), 1996; Series 4, Master videos (BetaCam SP), 1996; and Series 5, Reference videos 1⁄2" VHS), 1996.

Series 1, Notes, 1995-1996, includes documentation created by Peter Liebhold in preparation for his site visits to Bruceton, Tennessee, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Hartford, Connecticut. The documentation includes lists of potential interviewees, questions to ask of the employees, and general notes detailing observations at each site. The H. Joseph Gerber interview file consists of a brief tape digest keyed to each of the seven microcassettes, notes from the interview, and the questions asked of Mr. Gerber. The Gerber Scientific Instrument Company file contains a video digest for only three interviews: Ed Roth, Fred Rosen, and Larry Wolfson.

Series 2, Audio tapes (microcassettes), 1995 June, consists of seven Dictaphone microcassettes of oral history interviews with H. Joseph Gerber conducted by Peter Liebhold, Curator, American History Museum and Stanley Leven, Director and Secretary of Gerber Scientific Instrument Company.

Series 3, Original Videos (BetaCam SP), 1996, consists of thirty-eight BetaCam SP video tapes totaling approximately nineteen hours of footage.

Series 4, Master Videos (BetaCam SP), 1996, consists of twenty-six BetaCam SP tapes totaling nineteen hours of footage.

Series 5, Reference videos (1/2" VHS), 1996, consists of twenty-six 1⁄2" VHS tapes for a total of thirteen hours of footage.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into five series.

Series 1: Notes, 1995-1996

Series 2: Audio tapes (microcassettes), 1995 June

Series 3: Original videos (BetaCam SP), 1996

Series 4: Master videos (BetaCam SP), 1996

Series 5: Reference videos (1/2" VHS), 1996

Biographical / Historical:

Heinz Joseph "Joe" Gerber was born in Vienna, Austria, on April 17, 1924. In 1940, Gerber escaped the Nazis and immigrated to New York City and then to Hartford, Connecticut, with his mother Bertha Gerber, a dressmaker. Gerber's father, Jacob, is presumed to have died in a concentration camp. Gerber attended Weaver High School and graduated in two years (1943). He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York, on a scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1947. As a junior at RPI, Gerber developed the Gerber Variable Scale, his first invention. The earliest version of the variable scale was fashioned from an elastic band removed from a pair of pajamas. Gerber created a rubber rule and scale that could flow with a curve, expand, contract, and turn a corner. The scale allows for direct reading of curves, graphs, and graphical representations, giving direct numerical readings of proportions, spacing and interpolation. The Variable Scale became the building block of what would become Gerber Scientific Instrument, Inc.

With financial assistance from Abraham Koppleman, a newspaper and magazine distributor in Hartford, Gerber and Koppleman formed a partnership and incorporated Gerber Scientific Instrument Company in 1948. Gerber served as president, Koppleman as treasurer, and Stanley Levin as secretary. The manufacture of Variable Scale was jobbed out and the distribution was conducted from Hartford. Gerber also worked as a design analytical engineer for Hamilton Standard Propellers of United Aircraft and for Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Shares of Gerber Scientific Instrument Company were eventually sold to the public in 1961, and in 1978, the company changed its name to Gerber Scientific, Inc. In the 1960s and 1970s, Gerber developed the first series of precision, computer-driven cutting systems for the apparel industry called the Gerber Cutter. The cutters introduced automation to the garment industry. In 1967, Gerber realized that the U.S. garment industry, due to a lack of automation, was faced with increasing overseas competition. Gerber's solution was to engineer the Gerber Fabric Cutter S-70, a machine that cuts apparel quickly and effectively while using less cloth.

Gerber holds more than 600 United States and foreign patents. Many of his patents relate to the United States apparel industry. In 1994, Gerber was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Clinton for helping to revolutionize the optical, garment, automotive, and other industries. His pioneering achievements include:

-a generation of data readers (electromechanical devices that converted graphical

-data directly into computer readable format);

-projection systems that interactively converted information from aerial;

-photographs for use in computers;

-devices that plotted digital output data from computer cards or tape;

-digital numerically-controlled drafting machines which verify the accuracy of the cutting path of numerical machine tools;

-a photoplotter (drafting machine configured with a unique light source to directly draw high accuracy layouts of printed circuit board masters on photographic film or glass with light beams);

-and systems with laser technology to draw at high speeds. (1)

Subsequent subsidiaries of Gerber Scientific, Inc., are: Gerber Garment Technology, Inc., (GGT); Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. (GSP); Gerber Systems Corp. (GSC), and Gerber Optical, Inc., (GO). GGT makes computer-controlled cutting and design equipment for apparel, automotive, aerospace and other industries. GSP produces systems for sign-making and graphic arts industries. GSC makes production systems for printing, industrial machinery and other industries. GO makes equipment for the optical-lens manufacturing industry. (2)

In 1954, Gerber married Sonia Kanciper. They had a daughter, Melisa Tina Gerber, and a son, David Jacques Gerber. H. Joseph Gerber died on August 9, 1996, at the age of 72.

Sources

(1) National Medal of Technology, 1994.

(2) W. Joseph Campbell, "High Tech and Low Key as Gerber Scientific Mounts a Recovery Philosophy Reflects Innovative Founder," Hartford Courant, May 16, 1994.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

The Gerber Scientific Instrument Company Records, 1911-1998 (AC0929)

Materials in the Division of Work and Industry, National Museum of American History

Early model Gerber variable scale. See accession 1994.3104.01.

Gerber Cutter, Model 70. See accessioon 1995.0229.01.

Provenance:

This collection was created by the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation with American History Cuartor Peter Liebhold, Division of Work and Industry.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original videos 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 intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions. 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. Series 3, Original Videos, 1996, is located off-site; please inquire.

Topic:

Inventors -- 1940-1990  Search this

Machinery -- 1940-1990  Search this

Work -- 1940-1990  Search this

Factories -- 1940-1990  Search this

Fabric cutters -- 1940-1990  Search this

Inventions -- 1920-2000 -- United States  Search this

Industrial factories -- 1940-1990  Search this

Automation -- 1940-1990  Search this

Cutting machines -- 1940-1990 -- North Carolina -- Connecticut -- Michigan  Search this

Computerized instruments -- 1940-1990  Search this

Genre/Form:

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Citation:

Gerber Fabric Cutter Video Documentation, February 1995-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Gerber Fabric Cutter Video Documentation, 1995-1996, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0609

See more items in:

Gerber Fabric Cutter Video Documentation

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d51bbe64-d340-4a74-aa00-e1916cfcb7a8

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0609