Midland Park, Staten Island, New York N.Y. -- photographs
Staten Island, New York N.Y. -- photographs -- 1910-1920
Date:
1919.
Scope and Contents:
Panoramic silver gelatin print, showing over one hundred men, women, and children posed in rows. Many of the men wear straw hats, and a baseball bat lies in the foreground.
Biographical / Historical:
No information about company available at this time, except for what may be determined from the photograph. The donor indicated that her great-grandfather is shown in the photograph. The "employees' outing" or picnic was held at Midland Park, Staten Island, New York, August 9, 1919.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Donna Bouchery, 1986, March 4.
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.
The collection is composed of six scrapbooks assembled by the Janssen Piano Company of New York. These contain clippings on manufacturing, piano models, and marketing techniques, as well as company-sponsored outings and picnics. Also includes brochures--listing names of Janssen Piano owners in various geographic areas--used as a marketing device.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection consists of 6 volumes of scrapbooks and a folder containing 12 small brochures documenting the background of Benjamin H. Janssen and the growth of the Janssen Piano Company from 1901 to 1928. Pasted on the pages of these scrapbooks are catalogues, pamphlets, brochures, and newspaper and magazine clippings from the music trades and inserts taken from newspapers of various cities, mostly from the northeast and the midwest. In addition, there are copies of advertising letters in foreign language with English translation adjacent to the posting. Most of the foreign language letters are in Spanish. Several poems by Janssen are displayed along with reference to his music compositions.
Arrangement:
Collection is dovided into one series.
Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1909-1928
Biographical / Historical:
Benjamin H. Janssen started his career in the piano line with Stephen Brambach in whose employ he remained for two years, then to the Estey house for two years. Mathushek & Sons later became his employer for ten years as secretary. Later he moved to the management of the retail department for George Steck where he made a reputation as a catalogue maker and advertising litterateur. From the Courier October 5, 1901 is the following: A ... Benjamin H. Janssen has resigned the position he has held for the past year with George Steck & Co. and entered the ranks of piano makers. He has bought the business of the Alexander C. Kittel Piano Co. and will continue that business under his own name. He was for a time associated with the Mathusek concern, and later was with the Brambach Piano Company, Dolgeville, N.Y. Reportedly he was a musician, poet, composer, knew a great deal about pianos and was an accomplished salesman. He was quoted as saying AAfter twenty years of hustling for others I have decided to do a little for myself.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Charles P. Huether, June 13, 1994.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Each volume is in very poor condition and must be very carefully handled as the paper has turned brittle and brown in color and breaks easily making it nearly impossible to look over the material in the collection. Pages are not numbered
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.
