National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.1 Cubic feet (1 box
, Paper prints, 8" x 10".,Silver albumen(?),mounted on cardboard.)
14 Photographic prints
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Photographs
Place:
Lithia Springs (Tallapoosa ,Ga.) -- 1870-1880
Georgia -- photographs -- 1870-1890
Tallapoosa (Ga.) -- 1870-1890
Date:
circa 1880
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains fourteen silver albumen photoprints, mounted on cardboard, 8" x 10", all by H. H. French. Each picture is stamped with the photographer's name. The photographs depict homes and businesses, including the Tallapoossa Land, Mining & Manufacturing Co., the Lithia Springs Hotel site, a railroad bridge and the Tallapoosa River, the Tallapoosa Glass Works, a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society at the Episcopal Mission, residences, etc. Of special interest is a photograph of a burro and wagon with two men in front of H. H. French's studio.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into one series.
Biographical / Historical:
No information about the photographer H. H. French available.
Provenance:
Gift of Mrs. Franklin Chace, accompanying accession no. 317832. Deed of Gift signed October 26, 1974.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Photography -- Studios and dark rooms -- 19th century Search this
Mining corporation -- 1870-1890 -- Georgia Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
3 Cubic feet (5 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Place:
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Date:
1836 - 1976
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents through corporate records, correspondence, financial records, news clippings, personal papers, photographs, and sales records of several Herder family cutlery businesses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into seven series.
Series 1: Corporate Records
Series 2: Financial Records
Series 3: Sales Records
Series 4: Photographs
Series 5: Clippings
Series 6: Correspondence
Series 7: Herder Family
Biographical / Historical:
The Herder Family had several cutlery businesses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Charles Clarenbach and Herman Herder, 606 Arch Street; L. Herder and Son, founded 1871 by Herman's son Leopold, the elder of two sons; Herder-Fine Cutlery, founded by younger son, Charles, 830 Arch Street; and Herder's Cutlery, Inc.
Separated Materials:
Artifacts in the Division of Work and Industry include ice skates, steel punches, stamps, grinders, scissors, shears, store signs, a grinder's stool, claim tags, honing stones, and razor blades. See accession 1983.0406.
Provenance:
Herder's Cutlery, Incorporated, through Lynn Herder Walker, Secretary-Treasurer, 1997.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Jones, William (Vice President, Zippo Lighter) Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.75 Cubic feet (2 boxes, 3 oversize folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pamphlets
Posters
Articles
Date:
1937 - 1998
Scope and Contents:
Advertising brochures, posters, and articles on the company.
Biographical / Historical:
The Zippo Company has made over 300 million cigarette lighters since it was founded in 1932. The founder, George Blaisdell, believed that the policy of planned obsolescence repulsive, so he guaranteed his product "forever". Any Zippo lighter sent back to the factory has always been repaired at no charge to the customer. According to the company's official history, the lighter's qualities, windproof and rugged, caught on big during World War II when just about every man in the service, dogface to Dwight D. Eisenhower, had one. There are numerous stories of the lighter being used to illuminate airplane instrument panels and as emergency signaling devices. There is a confirmed instance of a lighter working after being frozen in solid ice for four months, and one which survived an 1,100 foot fall. Zippo began diversifying in 1962 into such products as money clips, flashlights and pocket rules. The Case Cutlery Company has been a subsidiary of Zippo since 1993.
Related Materials:
Collected in conjunction with accession no. 1983.0394, Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life).
Provenance:
Collection donated by William Jones, Vice President of Zippo, March 1983.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
4 Cubic feet (10 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Schedules
Sales catalogs
Date:
1977-1980
Scope and Contents note:
The collection consists of the raw materials (completed schedules and catalogues) for a survey of material of historical interest and importance associated with American furniture manufacturers. There is a folder for each of the approximately 210 furniture manufacturing companies asked to participate in the survey, filed alphabetically by company.
Nearly all of the material has been kept in the original folders (not acid free) which are filed alphabetically by company. It is in excellent condition (1988) but should be transferred to acid free folders if a decision to keep it indefinitely is made).
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged alphabetically by company name.
Biographical/Historical note:
This collection constitutes the raw materials from an attempt to survey the archival holdings of American furniture manufacturers which was undertaken by the office of Dr. Richard H. Howland, Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1978-1979. The survey was intended as a preliminary study of industry owned collections and the possibility of a repository for such material. A letter and schedule were sent to approximately 210 furniture companies in the summer of 1979. In some instances follow up letters were sent in the fall. Each company was asked to complete a single page schedule and to send a catalogue if available.
Of the approximately 210 companies which received schedules, over 100 companies failed to respond. Forty five schedules were returned and more then 60 companies provided catalogues. Several companies sent brochures, pamphlets or annual reports in addition to or in lieu of catalogues. A few folders contain correspondence relating to prospective visits by the project director, or to preliminary plans for the survey.
The material received was not analyzed and no formal report was written. Funding did not materialize and the project was discontinued.
David A. Hanks, who worked on various projects under Dr. Howland's sponsorship before moving to New York in 1979 and Mrs. Johanna Rieg, a volunteer, worked on the project.
Page 5 of David Hanks paper before the Decorative Arts Archives Conference held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on October 21, 1979 refers to a report by Mrs. Rieg on the initial findings of the survey. A telephone conversation with Mrs. Rieg March 2, 1988 indicated that her statement was an informal one not a written paper. At that time the project was not far enough along for any significant data to be available.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Reproduction permission from Archives Center: fees for commercial use.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
3.5 Cubic feet (9 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Clippings
Genealogical tables
Account books
Financial records
Correspondence
Family papers
Wills
Legal documents
Obituaries
Tickets
Manuscripts
Insurance policies
Place:
Alexandria (Va.) -- 18th century
Virginia -- 18th century
Date:
1749-1924; 1957
Summary:
An extensive range of papers relating to the Ramsay family of Alexandria, Virginia.
Scope and Contents:
Original and photocopied correspondence, financial papers, newspaper clippings, legal documents, insurance policies, account book, genealogical notes, wills, lottery tickets, and currency, documenting the activities of the Ramsay family of Alexandria, Virginia and related families.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged topically.
Biographical / Historical:
William Ramsay (1716-1785), a Scottish Presbyterian minister, played a major role in the establishment of Alexandria, Virginia and later served as its mayor. His son, Dennis, also served as mayor and as a colonel in the Continental Army. Other descendants remained active in local affairs.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Heirs of William and Dennis Ramsay,1962, April 30.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 vertical box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Trade literature
Sample books
Place:
Saint Louis (Mo.)
Milwaukee (Wis.)
Wisconsin
Date:
circa 1930s
Scope and Contents:
Five sample books from the 1930s: (1) Christmas wrapping paper manufactured by Gift Wrap, (2) shelf paper made by the American Lace Paper Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, (3) confectionery bag samples and stock designs for printing by the Orchard Paper Company of Saint Louis, (4) gift wrapping paper made by Modern Vogue Co., Inc., and (5) a sample sheet of ribbons manufactured by the Milwaukee Printed String Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Provenance:
This collection was donated by Bernard Levine, in March 1987.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research use.
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.
Includes accounts of several employees of George B. and Sanford L. Treadwell of Mittineagus, Massachusetts, written on small pieces of paper sewn between covers of calfskin. One volume is for 1861, one for 1862, and the other for 1863-1865.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Miss Madeleine Wilkinson, November 10, 1955
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
6 Cubic feet (18 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Greeting cards
Valentines
Scrapbooks
Date:
ca. 1854-1975.
Scope and Contents note:
Includes greeting cards primarily filed by season or occasion and by name of designer/manufacturer, e.g., Valentines, Christmas cards, and cards by Louis Prang, Raphael Tuck, Marcus Ward, and a number of 20th century designers and manufacturers. Includes mechanical, hand-drawn, cutout, and fringed cards. Also other types of material, such as postcards, calling cards, and scrapbooks of cards.
Arrangement:
1 series. Arranged roughly by type.
Provenance:
These cards are from a variety of donors and accessions, from the 1960s through the 1970s.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.1 Cubic feet (2 folders)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Legal documents
Clippings
Place:
Illinois -- 19th century
Date:
circa 1843-1892; 1921
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence with Nathaniel Greene Wilcox family; legal documents; newspaper clippings, including the July 3, 1860 issue of THE RUSHVILLE TIMES, illustrated with articles and editorials about the 1860 presidential candidates.
Arrangement:
Divided into three series: (1) Correspondence; (2) Legal documents; (3) Newspaper clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
Wilcox was a colonel in the Army, residing in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Correspondence of Alexander Smith, a merchant living in Alexandria, Virginia, correspondence consists of copies of his letters to other merchants. Of particular interest is a letter dated 1796 November 9, from Smith to George Washington concerning Smith's loan repayment.
Scope and Contents:
In 1792-1797, Alexander Smith, a merchant living in Alexandria, Va., kept a record of dry goods purchased and sold. Most of the 1797 correspondence is copies of his letters to other merchants. Of particular interest is a letter dated 9 November 1796, from Smith to George Washington concerning Smith's loan repayment. Washington's response of 14 November 1796 can be found in "The Writings of George Washington, 1745-1799" by John C. Fitzpatrick.
Approx. 1/3 of the ledger consists of general accounts, 1/3 of accounts at "Difficult Mill," and the remaining third copies of letters from Alexander Smith.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Mrs. Jean M. Dodd, 1963, July 25.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Crimmins, John Daniel, 1844-1917 (contractor) Search this
Former owner:
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
1.8 Cubic feet (6 boxes
)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Programs
Menus
Admission tickets
Invitations
Announcements
Date:
1880-1919
Scope and Contents:
This collection is comprised primarily of menus. There are also programs, seating plans, invitations, announcements and admission cards from functions attended by John D. Crimmins. Some material bears autographs of other guests and/or rotations made by Mr. Crimmins. There are many items from civic, political, business, Roman Catholic and Irish American organizations.
Numerous programs or menus produced especially for each occasion by firms such as Dempsey and Carroll, Malcolm and Hayes and Tiffany are uniquely designed and decorated with photographs, embossing or water color paintings. There are a few menus printed on ribbons and one, from the Vulcan
Detinning Company, printed on metal. Included in the collection are three programs dated after Mr. Crimmins' death and one example of political humor.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged alphabetically by host or sponsoring organization. Where no host is named or there are several hosts, the material is filed by the name of the guest of honor or the event.
Biographical / Historical:
John Daniel Crimmins, Senior, contractor and philanthropist, was born May 18, 1844 in New York City, of parents who earlier had immigrated from Ireland. After graduating from college he joined his father's contracting business, becoming a partner in 1864 and head of the firm in 1873. The firm was involved in the construction of public works, churches, hospitals and other projects and buildings. Mr. Crimmins belonged to and held office in many organizations civic, social, and philanthropic. He was an active member of the Democratic party and served as New York City Park Commissioner, Presidential elector, and member of the New York State Constitutional Convention. Presumably, he was an active member of the Tammany Hall group. A Roman Catholic, Mr. Crimmins worked for the church in a variety of
roles, from university trustee to waiter at a Christmas dinner for the poor. Through business contacts and affiliation with various organizations, Mr. Crimmins as guest or host attended numerous public and private functions, many of which involved well known figures of the time. John D. Crimmins died November 9, 1917.
SourcesWho Was Who in America. Volume I, 1897 1942 and The New York Times, November 9, 1317, page 13.
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form:
Programs
Menus
Admission tickets
Invitations
Announcements
Citation:
John D. Crimmins Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 volume)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Account books
Place:
Boston (Mass.) -- 18th century
Date:
1785-1787
Summary:
This collection consists of one volume.
Scope and Contents:
Manuscript account book documenting payments to other individuals. 21 pp.; remainder blank. Money recorded in English currency.
Biographical / Historical:
Boston storekeeper.
Provenance:
Purchased from Goodspeed's Book Shop, Inc., August 19, 1960.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Merchants -- 18th century -- Boston (Mass.) Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts -- 18th century
Account books -- 18th century
Citation:
Polly Salmon Account Book, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 volume)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Account books
Place:
New England
Date:
1813-1859
Summary:
This collection consists of one volume from a New England merchant.
Scope and Contents:
Account book of an unidentified merchant and farmer from New England includes entries for items purchased and sold, and a record of persons employed.
Provenance:
Purchased from Goodspeed's Book Shop, Inc., August 19, 1960.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Twenty glass plate negatives and reference copy prints of the images taken between the late 1880s and the early 1900s by Frances Benjamin Johnston and Thomas W. Smillie. The images depict the skyline of Washington D.C., views from the 1893 World's Fair: Columbian Exposition, blueprints for the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, and an unidentified orchestra.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of twenty glass plate negatives and associated reference copy prints depicting scenes from the 1893 World's Fair: Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois as well as images of the Washington D.C. skyline dating from between 1888 and 1899. The glass plate negatives range in size from 17" x 20" to 20" x 24" while the silver gelatin, resin-coated paper prints are all 20" x 24". All the images are black and white.
Series 1, Glass Plate Negatives, 1893, 1906, circa 1888-1899, is arranged by a numbering system, possibly assigned by the Smithsonian Office of Printing and Photographic Services (OPPS). The numbers were etched or written on the negatives, for example 3107. The series begins with the numbered images from Washington DC (#3101-#3107), followed by images without identifying numbers. The numbered images from the 1893 Columbian Exposition (non-inclusive #11302-11359) come next, followed by the images without identifying numbers.
The images of Washington D.C., when arranged in the following sequence, form a panorama of the Washington D.C. city: #3103, #3107, #3104, #3101, #3106, #3105, #3102. The images were taken from the tower of the Smithsonian Castle facing north, beginning with a view of the United States Capitol Building in the east (#3102) and ending with a view of the incomplete Washington Monument in the west (#3103). An unnumbered image of the United States Capitol taken after 1899 from the tower of the Old Post Office and Clock Tower looking down Pennsylvania Avenue is included. Two unnumbered blueprints dated July 19, 1906 show the second and third floor layouts of the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building.
The images of the 1893 World's Fair: Columbian Exposition show various buildings built for the event as well as a replica of the Battleship Illinois which was constructed to illustrate advances in naval technology. Exterior views of the Administration Building, Government Building, Palace of Fine Arts, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building as well as an interior view of the World's Fair Post Office in the Government Building are found among the negatives. A number of the images appear to have been taken from atop some of the buildings looking down.
One unnumbered and unidentified picture of a musical orchestra sitting on stage is included at the end of the series.
Series 2, Copy prints, 1993, include duplicate or, in some instances triplicate, photographic copy prints of the images from the glass plate negatives. In the case of #11311 and #11359, no copy prints exist. The silver gelatin prints on resin-coated paper were created in the fall of 1993.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged in two series.
Series 1: Glass Plate Negatives, 1893, 1906, circa 1888-1899
Series 2: Copy prints (reference copies), 1993
Biographical / Historical:
While the origin and provenance of some of the glass plate negatives is uncertain, it is likely that the images were created by Smithsonian photographer and curator Thomas W. Smillie and by Frances Benjamin Johnston, a prominent female photographer who was a protege of Smillie's.
Thomas W. Smillie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1843 and emigrated to the United States when he was five years old. He attended Georgetown University, where he studied medicine and chemistry. Shortly thereafter he became a photographer for the Smithsonian and remained with the institution until his death in 1917. In 1896 he was named "custodian" of photography for the Institution, in essence becoming its first photography curator. He staged photographic exhibits and actively collected both images and equipment related to photography.
Field Research Photographs, circa 1909-1924 (SIA Acc. 02-086)
Personnel Records, 1892-1952 (SIA Acc. 05-123)
Collected Registers, 1908-1912 and undated (SIA Acc. 06-138)
National Anthropological Archives
Glass Negatives of Indians (Collected by Bureau of American Ethnology)
Provenance:
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Reference photograph copies should be used where possible. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. Special care is required when handling the glass plate negatives both because of their large size and because some of the negatives are broken.
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:
Washington Monument (Washington, D.C.) Search this
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (2 folders
)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Account books
Place:
Maryland
New York (N.Y.) -- 18th century
Westminster (Md.)
Date:
1769-1822.
Scope and Contents note:
Account book of Joshua Gist, Westminster, Maryland, and others,including general account for the purchase and transportation of agricultural products, lists of muster rolls for the Militia of Maryland, 1794-1798. Also, miscellaneous notes of financial obligations, 1769-1800; and a letter, 1798, concerning payment for construction of fortifications of New York Harbor.
Arrangement:
Arranged chronologically by subject.
Provenance:
Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Domestic Life in 1997 (NMAH Acc. 1997.3022).
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Domestic Life Search this
Extent:
0.15 Cubic feet (1 folder)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Letters (correspondence)
Place:
Virginia
Alabama
Tennessee
Date:
1827
Scope and Contents:
Letter, September 5, 1827, by Hereford, Meridianville, Madison County, Alabama, to his father in Shenandoah County, Virginia. It describes his family's journey from Virginia to Alabama with stops in several counties of Tennessee looking for places to settle, and visiting relatives.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Lavina Lancaster, August 18, 1983.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form:
Letters (correspondence) -- 19th century
Citation:
John W. Hereford Letter, 1827, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0066
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Personal property inventory of Pelatiah Leet (died 1806), and accounts against his widow, Mary Leet, for board, clothing, and medicine, etc., 1806-1810. Inscribed, "The Widow Mary Leet of Guilford...Account Against Mary Leet ye 2d as Her Gaurdean & Provider, For Board Cloathing Medicines & Necessaries..." (Orig. cat. no. 393,293.) Plus separate page from manuscript inventory (original cat. no. 393,294). See also collection #28.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Miss Madeleine Wilkinson, November 10, 1955.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
