Search Results

Author:

Drake, Lincoln  Search this

Series Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (Ink on paper., 7.5" x 10".)

Type:

Archival materials

Business letters

Business records

Correspondence

Date:

1861

June 22, 1861

Scope and Contents:

Holograph letter from Lincoln Drake to P. Whitin and Sons, June 22, 1861. Stationery contains color image of U.S. flag and a short patriotic poem. Drake is making machine parts for textile manufacturing machinery for two competing companies, and writes that he can produce only three castings per day. The content of the letter does not relate directly to the war.

Partial transcription: Lincoln Drake to P. Whiten and Sons / Your favor of the 20th instant has come to hand and contents [where] you say you have not [received] [last] 21 of the 36 [?] of the April order. I sent 31 on May 27th and 21 on June 6. I hardly know how to send the castings. J. L. Whiten wishes his immediately {] {] {] from them also. I make 3 [pieces] per day. Have not [] [] If I had another [] I could make 6 per day but three is as many as can be made from one pattern. I wish to accommodate both parties and will do my best to do it if you see how I am. / I made 3 pieces

Local Numbers:

AC0060-0001195a (AC Scan No.: front and back of folded letter)

AC0060-0001195b (AC Scan No.: inside pages of folded letter)

General:

In Civil War series, Box 1, Folder 14.

Civil War Selections from the Archives Center

Related Materials:

Civil War series, Warshaw Collection of Business Americana

Series Restrictions:

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

Series 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:

Castings  Search this

Textile fabrics  Search this

Machinery industry  Search this

Flags -- United States  Search this

Civil war  Search this

Patriotism  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business letters

Business records -- 1840-2000

Correspondence -- 1850-1900

Series Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, 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).

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Civil War

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Civil War / Government Records, Business Records, and Other / Civil War

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d70bb221-4dbe-4ee0-aa61-4f7559318c39

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-civilwar-ref571

Creator:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation  Search this

Names:

Emhart Corporation.  Search this

Extent:

145 Cubic feet (296 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Papers

Photographs

House organs

Catalogs

Scrapbooks

Commercial catalogs

Albums

Magazines (periodicals)

Advertisements

Clippings

Research

Legal records

Motion pictures (visual works)

16mm motion picture film

Business records

Place:

Massachusetts

Beverly (Mass.)

New England

Date:

1898 - 1987

Summary:

The collection documents the activities of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation of Beverly, Massachusetts, manufacturers of shoe machinery equipment. The collection consists of engineering records, legal records, research and development records, employee/personnel records, correspondence, company catalogs, product literature, advertising materials, photographs, and moving images.

Scope and Contents:

This collection is among the largest and most complete bodies of business records in the holdings of the Archives Center. The records document in considerable detail the firm's engineering department and research and development efforts in shoe making machinery and in related technical areas, especially during World War II and as it attempted to diversify its activities after the war. There is detailed information, much of it on microfilm, about the leasing of United Shoe Machinery (USM) machines. The records also provide insight into the USM's culture of corporate paternalism, including its athletic and relief associations and its industrial school. The collection is rich in visual materials depicting both the machines made by the firm and the employees and the facilities.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into seventeen series.

Series 1: Historical and Background Materials, 1901-1985

Series 2: Executive Records, 1927-1987

Subseries 2.1: United Shoe Machinery, 1927-1975

Subseries 2.2: Emhart Corporation, 1976-1987

Series 3: Correspondence, 1890, 1901-1915

Series 4: Wilson Palmer Files, 1925-1952

Series 5: Research and Development Department Records, 1914-1980

Subseries 5.1: Background, 1947-1974

Subseries 5.2: Financial Information, 1947-1975

Subseries 5.3: Reports, 1962-1973

Subseries 5.4: Facilities, 1947-1975

Subseries 5.5: Personnel, 1942-1979

Subseries 5.6: Labor, 1961-1970

Subseries 5.7: Subject Files, 1943-1977

Subseries 5.8: Project Files, 1914-1968

Subseries 5.9: New Development (ND) Project Files, 1924-1970

Subseries 5.10: Experimental (EX) Project Files, 1931-1938

Subseries 5.11: Automatic Controls Project, 1939-1979

Subseries 5.12: Baseball Stitching Machine Projects, 1949-1973

Subseries 5.13: Component Inserting Projects, 1954-1960

Subseries 5.14: Automatic Control Research Notebooks, 1939-1976

Subseries 5.15: Baseball Stitching Machine Research Notebooks, 1942-1956

Subseries 5.16: Component Inserting Research Notebooks, 1956-1965

Subseries 5.17, General Research Notebooks, 1939-1968

Series 6: Legal Records, 1900-1968

Subseries 6.1: Court Exhibits for Machine History, 1910-1951 (bulk 1948-1950)

Subseries 6.2: Leases, Cancellation Letters, Shipments, and Transfers (Microfilm), 1900-1958

Subseries 6.3: Patent Search, 1949

Series 7: Engineering Records, 1904-1979

Series 8: Employee/Personnel Materials, 1908-1981

Series 9: Mutual Relief Association Incorporated, 1902-1951

Series 10: Athletic Association, 1929-1962

Series 11: Industrial School Records, 1909-1938

Subseries 11.1: English for American Citizenship (Industrial Series), 1912, 1919-1921

Subseries 11.2: English for American Citizenship (Intermediate Series), 1921

Subseries 11.3: Text Books, 1909-1938

Series 12: Northwestern University Students' Cooperative Work, 1951-1960

Series 13: Aberthaw Construction Company Records, 1918-1920

Subseries 13.1: Correspondence, 1918-1919

Subseries 13.2: Reports, 1919-1921

Subseries 13.3: Purchase Orders, 1919-1920

Subseries 13.4: Receiving Records, 1919-1920

Series 14: Publications, 1898-1987

Subseries 14.1: United Shoe Machinery Corporation Catalogs, circa 1899-1961

Subseries 14.2: Beverly Today, 1979-1985

Subseries 14.3: Machinery Division Newsletter,1969-1970

Subseries 14.4: The Three Partners,1914-1920

Subseries 14.5: USM Today,1968-1976

Subseries 14.6: Quarter Century Club News, 1977-1987

Subseries 14.7: H.E. Smith & Company Catalogs, 1898-1930

Series 15: Product Literature, 1952-1979

Series 16: Advertising and Marketing Materials, 1902-1981

Series 17: Photographs, 1907-1960s

Subseries 17.1: Employees, 1907-1981

Subseries 17.2: Equipment/Products, 1961-1972

Subseries 17.3: Factories/Buildings, 1920s-1960s

Subseries 17.4: Trade Shows, 1954, 1968-1973

Subseries 17.5: Miscellaneous, undated

Subseries 17.6: Postcards, 1906-1938

Subseries 17.7: Prints from Glass Plate Negatives, undated

Subseries 17.8: Albums, 1915-1950s

Subseries 17.9: Film Negatives, 1956-1958

Subseries 17.10: Glass Plate Negatives, 1915-1923

Series 18: Audio-Visual Materials, 1934-1972

Biographical / Historical:

The United Shoe Machinery Company was formed in 1899 by the consolidation of the most important shoe machinery firms in the industry: Goodyear Shoe Machinery Company; Consolidated McKay Lasting Machine Company; and McKay Shoe Machinery Company. By this merger, conflicting patents were eliminated and patents supplementing each other were brought under United control to permit their prompt combination in a single machine or process. To ensure efficiency, the new company also continued the practice previously followed by its constituent firms of renting machinery that it manufactured instead of selling it. The authorized capital of the new company was twenty five million dollars. After the 1899 merger, United grew quite rapidly. In 1903, it began construction of a new factory in Beverly, Massachusetts about thirty-five miles from Boston. At its peak, this company employed 9,000 workers and produced eighty-five percent of all shoemaking machines in the United States. By 1910, it had an eighty percent share of the shoe machinery market with assets reaching forty million dollars, and it had acquired control of branch companies in foreign countries.

In 1911, the first of three civil anti-trust suits was brought against United by the United States government. It charged that the 1899 merger had restrained trade and violated the Sherman Act. The Massachusetts District Court ruled that the 1899 merger was not an attempt to restrain trade, only an attempt to promote efficiency. The court also said that the five companies that were merged to form United were not competitive with each other. The government appealed to the Supreme Court, which only affirmed the District Court's verdict.

In 1917, the United Shoe Machinery Corporation, incorporated in 1905, absorbed the United Shoe Machinery Company. The United Shoe Machinery Corporation had its headquarters in Boston and its main manufacturing plant in Beverly, Massachusetts.

The second government suit was brought against United Shoe in 1915. The government claimed that United Shoe's leasing system restricted the shoe manufacturer to exclusive use of United Shoe's products and that it was a violation of the newly enacted Clayton Act. The Massachusetts District Court ruled in favor of the government. The Supreme Court, hearing United Shoe's appeal case, only affirmed the District Court's ruling. In 1923, United modified its leasing policy.

The last government suit against United was filed in 1947 and charged United with monopolizing the trade, manufacture, and distribution of shoe machinery from 1923 to 1947. During this period, United had bought all shares, assets, and patents of twenty one companies that dealt in the shoe machinery manufacture. The court ruled that United had clearly violated the Sherman Act, and United was forced to modify its leasing policies and restrict its purchases of other shoe machinery businesses and its acquisition of patents. In 1968, the United Shoe Machinery Corporation changed its name to USM Corporation. In 1976, United Shoe Machinery Company merged with Emhart Industries and produced the modern-day Emhart Corporation.

In 1989, in order to resist a two billion dollar takeover attempt by a New York investment group (which included oil heir Gordon P. Getty), Emhart merged with Black & Decker Corporation. The merged company operates from Black & Decker's headquarters in Towson, Maryland. The company headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, were closed in June 1989.

Related Materials:

Materials at Other Organizations

Lynn Historical Society & Museum, Lynn, Massachusetts

Lynn, Massachusetts businesses collection, 1888-1991

Small volumes and pamphlets of shoe and shoe-related industry businesses in Lynn, Massachusetts, including miscellaneous articles and histories on the shoe industry in Lynn, manuals, catalogs, broadsides, patents, handbooks, patterns, price lists, brochures, and legal materials. Businesses represented include Beaudry Machine Company, Beckman Machine Company, Bresnahan Shoe Machinery Company, George W. Emerson & Company, Hamel Shoe Machinery Company, Gregory & Read Co., David Knox & Sons Machinery Company, Krippendorf Kalculator Company (manufacturers of a mechanical device to compute pattern values), Peerless Machinery Company, Quarmby & Hilliker, Machine Builders, Swain, Fuller Manufacturing Company, W.J. Young Machinery Company, and George J. Kelly, Inc. (maker of shoe polish).

United Shoe Machinery Company Records, 1915-1974

Materials assembled by Edward F. McCarthy, director of USM research, including notebooks, diagrams, manuals, brochures, catalogs, code sheets, flow charts, price lists, handbooks, lectures, directories, lexicons, catalogs of other firms, personal notebooks on shoe construction (1927-1931), factory visits to other shoe companies, and production of leading manufacturers (1939-1960), and floor directory of the plant; ledgers listing machines shipped and returned from the Lynn and Puerto Rico plants (nine volumes, 1935-1974); and machine development materials, including patents, chiefly those of Edward Quinn.

Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) Salem, Massachusetts

An accession in 1987 of institutional archives, includes publications, photographs, advertisements, lectures, scrapbook of shoes made for United Shoe Machinery Corporation of Beverly, Massachusetts, shoes from which are in the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum (87020).

Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, Massachusetts

The United Shoe and Machinery Company Collection contains a large quantity of the company's patents, most of which pertain to the production and manufacture of shoes. Additionally there are patents for golf balls, nail guns, and magnetic closures. The majority of the remaining materials are Quarter Century Club documents ranging from financial and membership records, to pictures and other ephemera. The remainder of the collection consists of miscellaneous objects including sample knives and knife parts from the Booth Brothers Company.

University of Connecticut, Dodd Center

Emhart Corporation Records, undated, 1883-1989

Emhart Corporation was a multinational company located in Farmington, Connecticut. Prior to its 1989 merger with Black & Decker, Emhart operated in over one hundred countries with a worldwide work force of 30,000 employees. Emhart's products included machines for the manufacture of glass bottles and shoes; filling, sealing and packaging machinery; security systems; electronics; chemical products; metal fasteners; rubber processing equipment; and consumer and do-it-yourself products. Brand name products included True Temper® hardware and sporting goods, and Price Pfister® plumbing fixtures. Emhart's domestic roots went back to the American Hardware Company, founded in New Britain, Connecticut, in 1902.

Beverly Public Schools (Beverly, Massachusetts)

Beverly Public Schools/Beverly trade school records, 1909-1995

Materials relating to the establishment and operation of the Beverly trade schools, including trustee minutes, annual reports, curriculum journals, correspondence, photographs, programs and ephemera, and calendars.

Cornell University, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections

[United Shoe Machinery Corporation publications], 1911-1913

Harvard University, Baker Library

[United Shoe Machinery Company, of New Jersey, et al. court proceedings], 1911-1917

United Shoe buildings and properties

The Cummings Properties now owns and leases "the Shoe."

Separated Materials:

Materials at National Museum of American History

The Division of Work and Industry holds artifacts related to the United Shoe Machinery Corporation. Some artifacts include a drafting table (1989.0259.349), tool chest (1989.0259.348), and molds for shoes, shoe heels, shoe welts, threads, needles, awls, and show wax.

Provenance:

The collection was donated by United Shoe Machinery Corporation, through Kevin Cochrane on November 20, 1987.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 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:

Industrial workers  Search this

Photography, Industrial  Search this

Tanners  Search this

Shoe machinery industry  Search this

Industrial history  Search this

Baseball  Search this

Genre/Form:

Papers

Photographs -- 20th century

House organs

Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass -- 1900-1950

Catalogs

Scrapbooks

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 19th-20th century

Commercial catalogs

Albums

Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Acetate film -- 1900-1950

Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Clippings -- 20th century

Research -- 20th century

Legal records

Motion pictures (visual works) -- 20th century

16mm motion picture film

Business records -- 20th century

Citation:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0277

See more items in:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83f85a875-2e03-4934-b565-4ea239c46d53

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0277

Collection Creator:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1914 - 1980

Scope and Contents:

This series is divided into seventeen subseries and documents the research and development aspects of United Shoe Machinery. One of the largest series, it spans from 1913 to 1980 and includes progress reports on various projects, correspondence, photographs, and research notebooks. There is also information on personnel, training, and the shoe machinery industry.

Collection Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special arrangements required to view materials in cold storage and audio visual materials. Using cold room materials requires a three hour waiting period, reference copies do not exist for audio visual materials. Arrangements must be made with the Archives Center staff two weeks prior to a scheduled research visit. Contact the Archives Center at 202-633-3270.

Collection Rights:

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

Collection Citation:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0277, Series 5

See more items in:

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep85018ea8d-6ce9-4187-bd83-b99d9ddf1f93

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0277-ref30

Collection Creator:

Ayer (N W) Incorporated.  Search this

Container:

Box 48 (Series 2), Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

undated

Collection Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must use microfilm copy. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audiovisual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

Technical Access: Viewing the film portion of the collection without reference copies requires special appointment, please inquire; listening to audio discs requires special arrangement. Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.

Collection Rights:

Publication and production quality duplication is restricted due to complex copyright, publicity rights, and right to privacy issues. Potential users must receive written permission from appropriate rights holders prior to obtaining high quality copies. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Collection Citation:

NW Ayer & Sons, incorporated Advertising Agency Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

See more items in:

N W Ayer Advertising Agency Records

N W Ayer Advertising Agency Records / Series 2: Proof Sheets

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83d89f82e-8de7-4249-8814-93bc3f764383

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0059-ref5612

Creator:

Anacostia Museum  Search this

James, Portia P.  Search this

Reinckens, Sharon A.  Search this

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Names:

Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Anacostia Neighborhood Museum  Search this

Matzeliger, Jan Ernst, 1852-1889  Search this

Rillieux, Norbert, 1806-1894  Search this

Temple, Lewis  Search this

Collection Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum  Search this

Extent:

3 Video recordings (open reel, 1 inch)

3 Video recordings (VHS)

1 Sound recording (open reel, 1/4 inch)

Culture:

African American  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Documentary films

Narration

Place:

Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Date:

circa 1990

Scope and Contents:

The exhibition, The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, included three short documentary films: Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale, Jan E. Matzeliger, and Norbert Rillieux. Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale provides an overview of early 19th century whaling industry and tools, including the toggle head harpoon invented by blacksmith Lewis Temple. The short documentary about Jan Matzeliger provides an overview of the shoe industry and shoe making, including the refining of Matzeliger's idea and success of his shoe-lasting machine. The short documentary about Norbert Rillieux covers the history of sugar production and manufacturing from early sugar processing through the development of Rillieux's sugar refining process and the installation of Rillieux's device at Theodore Packwood's Myrtle Grove Plantation. All three documentaries provide historical background of three inventors' families and life, respectively.

Short documentary films. Part of The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation 1619-1930 Audiovisual Materials. AV000926 includes all three short films, dated 19910606. AV003326 includes Norbert Rillieux only (film image direction is sideways), dated 19890505. AV003324: Jan E. Matzeliger, undated. AV003433: outtakes, edited voiceover narration by Portia James for Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale, dated 19890517. AV000226: loop tape of Norbert Rillieux with captions, undated. AV000227: loop tape of Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale with captions, dated 19920526. AV000228: loop tape of Lewis Temple and Hunting the Whale with captions, undated.

Biographical / Historical:

The exhibition - The Real McCoy: African-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 - focused on outstanding black inventors, as well as anonymous innovators, who, as slaves, craftsmen and workers, made important contributions to the United States. Included are actual inventions, such an Jan Matzelieger's "shoe-lasting" machine, which revolutionized shoe production, and Garrett Morgan's safety hood and automatic traffic signal, forerunners of the modern gas mask and traffic stop light. The exhibition examines such topics as African influences on Colonial technology and how the slave system stymied technological innovation. Individual inventors such as Lewis Temple, Elijah McCoy, James Forten, and Norbert Rillieux are profiled. Also featured are artifacts from some of the expositions of the late 19th-century, which celebrated this new surge of black inventiveness. The exhibition was curated by Portia James and organized by the Anacostia Museum. It was held at the museum from May 1989 - May 1990.

Local Numbers:

ACMA AV003326

ACMA AV003324

ACMA AV003433

ACMA AV000226

ACMA AV000227

ACMA AV000228

Series Restrictions:

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Some items are not accessible due to obsolete format and playback machinery restrictions. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.

Topic:

African Americans  Search this

African American inventors  Search this

Inventors  Search this

Inventions  Search this

Technology  Search this

Technological innovations  Search this

Whaling  Search this

Shoe industry  Search this

Shoe machinery industry  Search this

Shoemaking  Search this

Sugar  Search this

Sugar -- Manufacture and refining  Search this

Sugar machinery  Search this

Patents  Search this

Slavery  Search this

Slaves  Search this

Museum exhibits  Search this

Genre/Form:

Video recordings

Sound recordings

Documentary films

Narration

Citation:

The Real McCoy: Lewis Temple, Jan E. Matzeliger, and Norbert Rillieux, Exhibition Records AV03-026, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

ACMA.03-026, Item ACMA AV000926

See more items in:

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records

The Real McCoy: Afro-American invention and innovation, 1619-1930 exhibition records / Series ACMA AV03-026: The Real McCoy: Afro-American Invention and Innovation, 1619-1930 audiovisual records

Archival Repository:

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa791d31b9c-dd46-436e-8b85-301dcd6ab575

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-acma-03-026-ref506

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (2 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Date:

1890-1979

Summary:

The collection consists of photographs and advertisements related to women working in industry dating from 1890 to 1948.

Scope and Contents:

Series 1 consists of photographs that include images of women in industry along with associated documents. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. The photographs date from 1890 to 1981, yet the bulk of the materials are from 1930 to 1948. A portion of the materials are undated. There is a notable shortage of material related to women of color. The photographs depict women working in engineering jobs, operating heavy machinery, working with textiles, and handling different types of technology. There are several types of machines and products featured in the collection including pneumatic drills, gas irons, typewriters, rivet guns, compressed air machines, an arbor press, bending roll machines, and light bulbs. Documents that correspond to the photographs discuss an increase in women taking men's jobs in the 1940s while the men were at war. Consequently, photographs from the 1940s in this collection represent the transition of making machinery more applicable to women and enabling them to do "man-sized" jobs. Many of the 1940's photographs depict women enrolling in engineering training programs and physically working with heavy machinery.

Earlier materials from the early 1900s show women sitting in factories next to lighter equipment such as sewing machines and typewriters. There are a variety of companies displayed in the photographs including B. F. Spinney Co., Computing-Bureau Freight Accounts, Curtis Publishing Company, Curtis-Wright Corporation, Deane Works, Draper Corporation, General Electric Co., Glenn L. Martin Co., Goodyear Aircraft Corp., Osborn Manufacturing Company, and Timken Roller Bearing Co. A portion of the commercial photographs were taken by companies including Commercial Photo Co., Eastman Kodak Company, Mercury MFG. Co., Novelty Photo Co., Science Service, and Underwood and Underwood.

Series 2 contains advertisements related to women in industry. These advertisements date from 1927 to 1946. The materials in this series promote products and jobs targeting women operating machinery such as safety bars, grinding tools, bending roles, gauges, double-seaming machines, and portable package staplers. There are a variety of companies featured in this series including Acme Staple Co., Ashcroft Gauge Division, Buffalo Forge Company, E.W. Bliss Co., The Sheffield Corporation, and Willson Safety Products.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Photographs, 1890-1948

Series 2: Advertisements, 1927-1946

Historical:

This artificially created collection traces the transition of women's work in industry during the twentieth century. Most of the collection materials have a different provenance, but thirty-two photographs were assembled by Helena E. Wright during her years working as a curator in the Division of Culture and the Arts at the National Museum of American History. Other photographs showing women in industrial sites were added to the collection by the curator Peter Liebhold in the Division of Work and Industry. The photographs and advertisements in the complete collection were arranged to exhibit the evolution of women in the workforce. Women's occupations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries included work in the clothing industry (i.e. Draper Corporation, B. F. Spinney Co.), factories, and production lines. Despite the low pay, laborious and unsafe working conditions that came with working in these industries, most women felt a sense of empowerment being employed outside the home. Many women welcomed the opportunity to provide an income for their families yet worked long hours in inadequate and dismal settings. During World War I and World War II, men left their industry jobs to serve in the war. In order to serve the war effort, women found more employment opportunities in several types of industries. These included electric companies (i.e. General Electric Co.), aircraft and aerospace engineering businesses (i.e. Glenn L. Martin Co., Goodyear Aircraft Corp.), foundry work (i.e. Osborn Manufacturing Company), steel making (i.e. Timken Roller Bearing Co.), as well as enrollment in engineering training programs (i.e. Curtis-Wright Corporation). These industries provided women with a broader range of employment opportunities, skills, and experiences. Consequently, other companies began creating and marketing products to help improve the lives of women in the workforce. Inventions such as the Willson Saf-t-Bra advertised comfort and protection to women working in various industry occupations.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Women (AC0060)

Rosie the Riveter Health and Safety Records (AC0621)

Jantzen Knitting Mills Collection (AC0233)

Provenance:

Found in collections and assembled by curatorial staff.

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research access on site by appointment. 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:

Science Service  Search this

Women iron and steel workers  Search this

Women laborers  Search this

Factories -- 20th century  Search this

Textile industry  Search this

Machinery industry  Search this

Electric engineering -- 20th century  Search this

Industrial engineering  Search this

Manufacturing -- 1920-1930  Search this

Commercial photography  Search this

Women employees  Search this

Photographs  Search this

Industry -- U.S.  Search this

Women -- Employment  Search this

Women in technology  Search this

Women in advertising  Search this

World War, 1939-1945  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements -- 20th century

Citation:

Women in Industry Photographs and Advertisements, 1890-1948, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1446

See more items in:

Women in Industry Photographs and Advertisements

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep875322312-8f6c-4ebd-953a-39fca61ad338

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1446

Variant company name:

1874  Search this

Company Name:

Watts Regulator Co.  Search this

Notes content:

Pressure regulators, boiler water-feeders, temperature and pressure relief valves, hot water house heating unit, low water cut-offs, pump starters, float-switch assembly, and vacuum breakers ; "100 years of leadership 1874-1974" catalog ; filtration ; lubrication ; pneumatic products ; filters ; regulators ; lubricators ; combination units ; relief valves ; strainers ; regulators ...this comprises the uncataloged portion.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

10 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Lawrence, Massachusetts, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Furnaces and boilers  Search this

Heating; ventilation and air conditioning  Search this

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Topic:

Air conditioning  Search this

Air-compressors  Search this

Boilers  Search this

Furnaces  Search this

Heating  Search this

Heating and ventilation industry  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Ventilation  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_27606

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_27606

Company Name:

American Cast Iron Pipe Co.  Search this

Related companies:

ACIPCO ; American ; American Ductile Iron Pipe Div. ; American-Darling Valve Div. ; American-Darling Valves & Hydrants-Beaumont Plant (Beaumont, TX) ; ACIPCO Steel Products Div. ; American Steel Pipe Div. ; Specification Rubber Products, Inc. (Alabaster, AL)  Search this

Notes content:

Cast-iron pipes : mono-cast pipes, doublex simplex pipes, flanged pipes, electric cast-iron pipes, reducers, bends, tees and crosses, fittings, oil pipes, bolts, joints, river crossing joints, centering wedges, line drops, nipples, wyes, sleeves, spigots, curves, short length pipes. "American-Darling" valves and hydrants ; steel pipes ; iron pipes for water and sewer ; valve castings ... this comprises the uncataloged portion.

Includes:

Trade catalog and histories

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Iron and steel products (castings; sheet steel; steel wire; wire rope; pig iron and structural steel products )  Search this

Plumbing supplies and fixtures  Search this

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Topic:

Air-compressors  Search this

Iron industry and trade  Search this

Plumbing equipment industry  Search this

Plumbing fixtures  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Steel industry and trade  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_44951

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_44951

Company Name:

Farnsworth & Middlekauff Inc.  Search this

Related companies:

Willys Motors, Inc.  Search this

Notes content:

Schramm air compressor installations for Willys Universal "Jeep"

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Toledo, Ohio, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

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

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Topic:

Air-compressors  Search this

Automobiles  Search this

Motor vehicles  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_44967

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_44967

Company Name:

B & V  Search this

Notes content:

collet chucks

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Machine tools and metalworking equipment  Search this

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

Topic:

Industrial equipment  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Machinery  Search this

Metal-working machinery  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_67

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_67

Company Name:

Beckett & Anderson  Search this

Notes content:

mining equipment: haulage gears ; switchgears ; rotary drills ; gate end panels ; Becander (brand name)

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

6 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Agricultural tools and machinery  Search this

Electrical apparatus and equipment  Search this

Mining machinery; equipment and supplies  Search this

Topic:

Agricultural implements  Search this

Agricultural machinery  Search this

Electric apparatus and appliances  Search this

Mining machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6894

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6894

Company Name:

Beckett Foundry and Machine Co.  Search this

Related companies:

Beckett & McDowell Mfg. Co.  Search this

Notes content:

Steam engines; hoisting and pumping machinery; mining and milling machinery; iron castings.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Arlington, New Jersey, United States

Date:

1800s

Topic (Romaine term):

Mining machinery; equipment and supplies  Search this

Engines and motors: steam; oil; gas; etc.  Search this

Agricultural tools and machinery  Search this

Topic:

Agricultural implements  Search this

Agricultural machinery  Search this

Engines  Search this

Mining machinery industry  Search this

Motors  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6896

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6896

Company Name:

Beckley Machine & Electric Co.  Search this

Notes content:

Mining machines and locomotives: replacement parts and supplies for Jeffrey mining machines and locomotives ; repair parts for General Electric and Westinghouse locomotives ; repair parts for Goodman mining machines and locomotives ;

Includes:

Color images

Physical description:

4 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Beckley, West Virginia, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Mining machinery; equipment and supplies  Search this

Railroad; streetcar; subway and tramway equipment and supplies  Search this

Topic:

Mining machinery industry  Search this

Railroad equipment industry  Search this

Street-railroads  Search this

Subways  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6908

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6908

Company Name:

Badger Meter Mfg. Co.  Search this

Notes content:

Water meters ; electric alarm register ; flow meters ; oil gear train ; volume and pressure recorder ; yokes ; strainers ; rotary type multi-jet ; coupling yokes ; embossed cover ; open gear train ; heavy duty disc type ; interchangeable gear train ; turbine meter ; heavy duty gear train disc ; oil gear train turbine ; compound meter ; disc meters accuracy chart ; one piece entitled: "All out for war, All set for peace" (1945)

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

39 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Scientific and optical instruments  Search this

Waste Management (including water treatment; recycling; refuse collection; industrial waste; etc.)  Search this

Water wheels; water motors and waterpower equipment  Search this

Topic:

"Recycling (Waste, etc.)"  Search this

Air-compressors  Search this

Hydraulic engineering  Search this

Hydraulic machinery  Search this

Optical instruments  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Refuse and refuse disposal  Search this

Refuse disposal industry  Search this

Scientific apparatus and instruments  Search this

Water -- Purification  Search this

Water-power  Search this

Water-wheels  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6927

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6927

Company Name:

John Bedford & Sons, Ltd.  Search this

Notes content:

Hollow mining steel; hollow drill steel.

Includes:

Trade catalog and manual

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

6 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Sheffield, United Kingdom

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Mining machinery; equipment and supplies  Search this

Topic:

Mining machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6930

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6930

Company Name:

Bahnson Humidifier Company  Search this

Notes content:

Humidifiers for bakeries, tobacco processing, shoe factories, cotton mills, silk mills, yarn conditioning, printing and lithography ;

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

18 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Textiles and textile machinery  Search this

Heating; ventilation and air conditioning  Search this

Topic:

Air conditioning  Search this

Heating  Search this

Heating and ventilation industry  Search this

Textile fabrics  Search this

Textile machinery industry  Search this

Ventilation  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6945

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6945

Variant company name:

Founded 1857  Search this

Company Name:

John T. Bailey & Co.  Search this

Notes content:

mfrs. of bags, rope, and twine; importers of burlaps and bagging; Burlap covered booklet giving company overview with interesting photographs of factory work environment including many pictures of women at work, circa 1900, lists awards received and exhibitions attended ; Exhibitors at the National Export Exposition, Philadelphia, in 1899 ;

Includes:

Trade catalog, samples, photographs and histories

Types of samples:

burlap

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Textiles and textile machinery  Search this

Topic:

Textile fabrics  Search this

Textile machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6958

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6958

Variant company name:

Albion Works  Search this

Company Name:

Sir W. H. Bailey & Co. Ltd.  Search this

Notes content:

Air compressors ; vacuum pumps ;

Includes:

Trade catalog and price lists

Black and white images

Physical description:

2 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Salford, United Kingdom

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Topic:

Air-compressors  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6962

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6962

Company Name:

Baldwinsville Centrifugal Pump Works  Search this

Notes content:

Pumps ; engines ; boilers ; fittings.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

3 pieces; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Syracuse, New York, United States

Date:

1800s

Topic (Romaine term):

Engines and motors: steam; oil; gas; etc.  Search this

Business services (advertising; marketing; organizational management; etc.)  Search this

Furnaces and boilers  Search this

Pumping machinery and air compressors  Search this

Topic:

Air-compressors  Search this

Boilers  Search this

Engines  Search this

Furnaces  Search this

Motors  Search this

Pumping machinery industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6975

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6975

Company Name:

D. J. Belcher & Assocs., Inc.  Search this

Notes content:

Aerial photography analysis for engineering, agriculture, geology. Soil mapping, land classification, land management, agricultural engineering, natural resources, forestry.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Color images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Ithaca, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Agricultural tools and machinery  Search this

Surveying supplies  Search this

Mining machinery; equipment and supplies  Search this

Topic:

Agricultural implements  Search this

Agricultural machinery  Search this

Mining machinery industry  Search this

Surveying -- Instruments  Search this

Surveying instrument industry  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_6985

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_6985