Search Results

Creator:

Smith, Jeff, 1939-2004  Search this

Child, Julia, 1912-2004  Search this

Guthrie, Janet, 1938-  Search this

Edgecraft Corporation  Search this

Friel, Daniel D.  Search this

Claiborne, Craig  Search this

Yan, Martin, 1948-  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (3 boxes, 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Catalogs

Articles

Financial records

Business records

Press releases

Correspondence

Audio cassettes

Videocassettes

Photographs

Point-of-purchase displays

Advertisements

Design drawings

Clippings

Date:

1984-2016, undated

Summary:

Collection documents the development and marketing of the Chef's Choice brand of knife sharpeners.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents the development, marketing, and sales of the Chef's Choice brand of knife sharpeners to a home-based consumer market. Materials include both American and foreign print advertisements, press releases, press kits, point-of-purchase displays, magazine articles, catalogs, photographs, trade literature, audiovisual materials including VHS recordings of demonstrations, design drawings, business records, and scrapbooks. Of interest is the materials relating to chefs and food service industry professionals and EdgeCraft Corporation's evolution from serving the home cook to manufacturing products for commercial use. The collection is arranged in two series: Series 1, Company Records, 1984-1993, undated and Series 2, Product Information, 1984-2016, undated.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1, Company Records, 1984-1993, undated

Series 2, Product Materials, 1984-2016, undated

Biographical / Historical:

EdgeCraft Corporation, founded by Daniel Denwood Friel (1920-2012), introduced the Chef's Choice brand to the consumer market in 1984. Chef's Choice brand's first product was the electric knife sharpener which debuted in 1985. The electric knife sharpener was the invention of Friel, a retired chemical engineer. Born to Samuel Edward Whiting Friel and Martha Reynolds Friel in Queenstown, Queen Anne's, Maryland, Friel received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1942. He began his career on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago in 1943. Mr. Friel's career path continued with thirty-nine years of experience as a chemical engineer with the DuPont Company. His retirement from DuPont was short lived as he turned his attention to the development of his new company, EdgeCraft Corporation, and an ever-increasing line of products. EdgeCraft Corporation, located in Avondale, Pennsylvania, continues to manufacture a large selection of electric and manual knife sharpeners, kettles, electric food slicers, waffle makers, electric grills, grinders, and hot beverage makers.

Related Materials:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Julia Child Award Winners Collection NMAH.AC.01371

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Smithsonian Associates, Resident Associate Program, Accession 03-086

Provenance:

Collection donated by the Edgecraft Corporation, 2016.

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:

Cutlery trade  Search this

Kitchen utensil industry  Search this

Knives  Search this

Kitchen utensils  Search this

Knife sharpening  Search this

Genre/Form:

Catalogs -- 20th century

Articles -- 20th century

Financial records -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Articles -- 21st century

Press releases -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Audio cassettes -- 20th century

Videocassettes -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Point-of-purchase displays -- 20th century

Advertisements -- 20th century

Design drawings -- 20th century

Clippings -- 20th century

Citation:

Edgecraft Corporation Records, 1984-2016, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1382

See more items in:

Edgecraft Corporation Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1382

Collection Creator:

Smith, Jeff, 1939-2004  Search this

Child, Julia, 1912-2004  Search this

Guthrie, Janet, 1938-  Search this

Edgecraft Corporation  Search this

Friel, Daniel D.  Search this

Claiborne, Craig  Search this

Yan, Martin, 1948-  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

1984-2016, undated

Scope and Contents:

Documents the manufacture, marketing, sales, and distribution of EdgeCraft products. Materials include images consisting of first concept illustrations, design drawings, and photographs of products. Print advertisements, catalogs, and trade literature introduce products to the retail market to drive sales. Promotional and publicity materials include press releases, press kits, point-of-purchase displays, video recordings of demonstrations, and training guides. In addition, there are a few scrapbooks, interviews with Merle Ellis and Craig Claiborne, magazine articles, and newspaper clippings. Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

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

Collection Citation:

Edgecraft Corporation Records, 1984-2016, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1382, Series 2

See more items in:

Edgecraft Corporation Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1382-ref516

Collection Creator:

Smith, Jeff, 1939-2004  Search this

Child, Julia, 1912-2004  Search this

Guthrie, Janet, 1938-  Search this

Edgecraft Corporation  Search this

Friel, Daniel D.  Search this

Claiborne, Craig  Search this

Yan, Martin, 1948-  Search this

Container:

Box 4, Folder 1

Type:

Archival materials

Date:

undated

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

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

Collection Citation:

Edgecraft Corporation Records, 1984-2016, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

See more items in:

Edgecraft Corporation Records

Edgecraft Corporation Records / Series 2: Product Materials

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-1382-ref560

Creator:

Ayer (N W) Incorporated.  Search this

Names:

American Telephone and Telegraph Company -- Advertisements  Search this

Cunningham & Walsh.  Search this

Hixson & Jorgenson  Search this

United Air Lines, Inc. -- Advertisements  Search this

Ayer, Francis Wayland  Search this

De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this

O'Keeffe, Georgia , 1887-1986  Search this

Extent:

270 Cubic feet (1463 boxes, 33 map-folders, 7 films)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Interviews

Oral history

Print advertising

Proof sheets

Proofs (printed matter)

Scrapbooks

Trade literature

Tear sheets

Advertisements

Date:

1817-1851

1869-2006

Summary:

Collection consists of records documenting one of the oldest advertising agencies created in Philadelphia. The company then moves to New York and expanses to international markets. During its history NW Ayer & Sons acquires a number of other advertising agencies and is eventually purchased. The largest portion of the collection is print advertisements but also includes radio and television. NW Ayer is known for some of the slogans created for major American companies.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists primarily of proof sheets of advertisements created by NW Ayer & Son, Incorporated for their clients. These materials are in series one through thirteen and consist primarily of print advertisements. There are also billboards, radio and television commercials. The advertisements range from consumer to corporate and industrial products. The majority of the advertisements were created for Ayer's New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and international offices. Printed advertisements created by Cunningham & Walsh, Hixson & Jorgensen and Newell-Emmett are also included among these materials. Researchers who are interested in records created by Ayer in the course of operating an advertising agency will find these materials in Series fourteen-nineteen.

Series fourteen consists of advertisements created by NW Ayer & Son to promote their services to potential clients.

Series fifteen are scrapbooks of some of the earliest advertisements created by the company. Series sixteen are publications. Some of the publications were created by Ayer while others were about Ayer or the advertising industry in general. Provides good background materials and puts the company in perspective. Series eighteen are the legal records. Materials relating to employees including photographs, oral histories etc. are found in series nineteen.

Series twenty is one of the smallest amounts of materials and includes information relating to the history of NW Ayer & Son.

The container lists for series one-thirteen are part of a database and are searchable. The list has been printed for the convenience of the researcher and is included in this finding aid. Series fourteen-twenty container lists are also a part of the finding aid but are not in a searchable format.

Series 1, Scrapbooks of Client Advertisements, circa 1870-1920, is arranged into three boxes by chronological date. There are two bound scrapbooks and one box of folders containing loose scrapbook pages. NW Ayer & Son compiled an assortment of their earliest ads and placed them into scrapbooks. Besides the earliest advertisements, the scrapbooks contain requests to run advertisements, reading notices and listings of papers Ayer advertised in. The early advertisements themselves range from medical remedies to jewelry to machines to clothing to education and more. Most of the advertisements in the bound scrapbooks are dated.

Series 2, Proofsheets, circa 1870-1930, NW Ayer was fond of creating scrapbooks containing proofsheets. The series contains proofsheets created between 1892 and 1930, organized into 526 boxes. For convenience of storage, access and arrangement, the scrapbooks were disassembled and the pages placed in original order in flat archival storage boxes. The proofsheets are arranged by book number rather than client name. Usually the boxes contain a listing of the clients and sometimes the dates of the advertisements to be found within the box.

Series 3, Proofsheets, circa 1920-1975, is organized into 532 oversize boxes, and contain proofsheets and tearsheets created between 1920 and 1972. Within this series, materials are arranged alphabetically by company name (occasionally subdivided by brand or product), and thereunder chronologically by date of production. Many major, national advertisers are represented, including American Telephone & Telegraph, Armour Company, Canada Dry, Cannon Mills, Carrier Corporation, Domino Sugar, Caterpillar tractor company, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, Goodyear, Hills Bros. Coffee, Ladies Home Journal, National Dairy, Plymouth (Chrysler Corporation), Steinway, TV Guide, United Airlines and the United States Army. Also contained in this series are three scrapbooks of client advertisements including Canada Dry, Ford Motor, and Victor Talking Machine.

Series 4, 2001 Addendum, circa 1976-2001, is organized into ninety three oversized boxes,one folder and contains proofsheets for select Ayer clients, created between 1975 and 2001. Within this series, materials are arranged alphabetically by client name and there under chronologically by date of production. Major national advertisers represented include American Telephone & Telegraph, Avon, the United States Army, DeBeers Consolidated Diamond Mines, Dupont, TV Guide, Sealtest, Kraft Foods, Gillette, General Motors, Cannon Mills.

Series 5, Billboards, circa 1952-1956, consists of mounted and un-mounted original art/mock-ups. Twenty-two pieces of original art created as mock-ups for Texaco billboards.

Series 6, Film and Video Commercials, 1967-1970,

Series 7, Radio and Television Materials, 1933-1993, undated, is arranged into eight boxes and includes radio scripts, television scripts, and story boards for commercials.

Subseries 7.1, Scripts and storyboards for Radio and Television Commercials, dates Scripts for radio and television commercials includes title, date, length of commercial, advertising agency, client information

NW Ayer's radio and television materials mainly focus on the American Telegraph and Telephone account. Some of Ayer's materials relate to Bell Telephone Hours.

Storyboards are used in television and film to assist the director in working with crew to tell the story. To show the viewer through the use of figures, visual effects and camera angles. When directors first start thinking about their storyboard they create a story in their mind. They think of all the camera angles, visual effects and how the figures will interact in their mind. They try to create an extraordinary story in their head to attract the viewer (YOU) In order for the storyboard to be entirely effective it can't be a passive document. When done properly, a storyboard serves as a central design, meeting the needs of many team members including graphics artists, video personnel and programmers.

Another function of a storyboard is to help the team communicate during the training development process. This communication is very important in working with a large team as in the movie King, produced in 1996. Figures help the director explain to the crew how they are going to record the film and how to present it to the audience. Sometimes the director wants special effects to be added to the film, but his budget might not be that big so the director will have to change the story to fit their budget.

The Visual Effects are an important part in the storyboards it adds a special touch of creativity to your film. Camera angles are an important expects in your film because the camera angles determine where the viewing audience will look. If you want your audience to look at a certain object you must turn their attention to it by focusing on that object and maybe you might try blocking something out. Then you will have your audience's attention and you may do whatever else you have to, it could be scaring them are just surprising them or whatever you do.

Also included is talent information and log sheets relating to the storage of the commercials.

Bell Telephone Hour Program, 1942-[19??], The Bell Telephone Hour, also known as The Telephone Hour, was a five minute musical program which began April 29, 1940 on National Broadcasting Company Radio and was heard on NBC until June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone showcased the best in classical and Broadway music, reaching eight to nine million listeners each week. It continued on television from 1959 to 1968.

Earlier shows featured James Melton and Francia White as soloists. Producer Wallace Magill restructured the format on April 27, 1942 into the "Great Artists Series" of concert and opera performers, beginning with Jascha Heifetz. Records indicate that the list of talents on the program included Marian Anderson, Helen Traubel, Oscar Levant, Lily Pons, Nelson Eddy, Bing Crosby, Margaret Daum, Benny Goodman, José Iturbi, Gladys Swarthout and .The series returned to radio in 1968-1969 as Bell Telephone Hour Encores, also known as Encores from the Bell Telephone Hour, featuring highlights and interviews from the original series.

National Broadcasting television specials sponsored by the Bell System, 1957-1987includes information relating to Science series, Bell system Theshold Series, Bell telephone hour and commercial and public sponsored programs

Series 8, Chicago Office Print Advertisements, 1954-1989, is arranged alphabetically by the name of the client in ninety boxes and six oversize folders. Clients include Illinois Bell Telephone (1955-1989), Microswitch (1969-1989), Teletype (1975-1984), John Deere (1974-1989) and Caterpillar (1966-1972) are particularly well represented. Other clients of interest include Dr. Scholl's shoes (circa 1968-1972), the Girl Scouts (1976-1980), Sunbeam Personal Products Company (1973-1981), Bell and Howell (1974-1983) and Alberto Culver shampoos (1967-1971), Honeywell, Incorporated, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Associations, Kraft, Incorporated, Sears, Roebuck and Company, and YMCA.

Series 9, Los Angeles Office Materials, 1950s-1987, include printed advertisements created by this office and information relating to the employees.

Subseries 9.1, Print Advertisements, 1977-1987, printed advertisements arranged in one box alphabetically by client. There is a sparse sampling of clients from this particular Ayer branch office. The majority of the advertisements contained within this series are from Pizza Hut (1986-1987). Also included are Computer Automation (1977-1978), State of the Art, Incorporated (1982) and Toshiba (1986).

Subseries 9.2, Personnel Files, 1950s-1970s, includes cards of employees who worked in the Los Angeles office. Information on the cards includes name, address, telephone number, birthday, date hired, departure date and why (retired, terminated, resigned, etc) and position. Not all cards have all information. There is also a photograph of the employees on the cards.

Series 10, Foreign Print Advertisements, 1977-1991, undated, NW Ayer maintained partnerships with international companies such as Sloanas Ayer in Argentina, Connaghan & May Paton Ayer in Australia, Moussault Ayer in Belgium, NW Ayer, LTD. in Canada, GMC Ayer in France, Co-Partner Ayer in Germany, Wong Lam Wang in Hong Kong, MacHarman Ayer in New Zealand, Grupo de Diseno Ayer in Spain, Nedeby Ayer in Sweden, and Ayer Barker in United Kingdom. This group of material is a small sampling of advertisements created from these International offices. It is arranged alphabetically by client. There are quite a few automobile advertisements (i.e. Audi, Fiat, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen). In addition there are numerous advertisements for various personal items from MacLean's toothpaste to Quick athletic shoes to Labello lip balm, etc. Most of the advertisements have the creator's name printed on the advertisements.

Series 11, Cunningham & Walsh, Incorporated Materials, 1915-1987, undated contains 98 boxes 11 folders materials from the New York advertising agency acquired by NW Ayer in the 1960s. The company began with Newel-Emmett, an agency of nine men which broke up in 1949. Two of the men Fred Walsh and Jack Cunningham formed this agency in bearing their names in 1950. The agency created "let your fingers for the walking campaign for American Telephone & Telegraph, Mother Nature for Chiffon, and Mrs. Olson for Folgers's coffee and let the good times roll for Kawasaki motorcycle. In 1986, NW Ayer Incorporated purchased Cunningham & Walsh Incorporated.

Subseries 11.1, Print Advertisements, 1915-1987, are contained in ninety eight boxes of primarily print advertisements arranged alphabetically by client name. Clients that are particularly well represented are Graybar (electrical implements, circa1926-1937), Johns-Manulle (circa1915-1971), Smith and Corono typewriters (circa 1934-1960), Sunshine Biscuit Company (circa 1925-1961), Texaco Company (circa 1936-1961), Western Electric (circa 1920- 1971) and Yellow Pages (circa 1936-1971). Cunningham and Walsh also represented several travel and tourism industry clients, including Cook Travel Services (circa 1951-1962), Italian Line (circa 1953-1961), Narragansett and Croft (circa 1956-1960) and Northwest Airlines (circa 1946-1955). There are photographs of Texaco advertisements dating from 1913-1962. There is also a scrapbook of advertisements from the Western Electric Company dating from 1920-1922.

Subseries 11.2, Radio and Television Advertisements, 1963-1967, consist of materials created for Western Electric. Materials are arranged in chronological order.

Subseries 11.3, Company Related Materials, 1962-1986, undated include client lists, information relating to NW Ayer purchase and annual report 1962.

Series 12, Hixson & Jorgensen Materials, 1953-1971, a Los Angeles advertising company, merged with Ayer in 1969. This series is housed in one box. Within the box are four scrapbooks and folders with a hodgepodge of materials relating to advertising. Of most interest are the scrapbooks. Two scrapbooks deal with Hixson and Jorgensen's self promotion ad campaign "the right appeal gets action" (1953-1957). The other two scrapbooks contain news clippings about the company and its activities (1959-1971).

Series 13, Newell-Emmet, 1942-1957, founded in 1919 and governed in the 1940s by a partnership of nine men. The partnership broke up in 1949 when the men went their separate ways. The materials consist of print advertisements for one of client, Permutit Company, a water conditioning company. The materials are arranged in one box in chronological order.

Series 14, House Print Advertisements, 1870-1991, 16 boxes consists of advertisements or self-promotion advertisements to campaign for new clients. The series is arranged chronologically by date into fifteen boxes. Within the series are two scrapbooks containing self promotion ads from 1888-1919 and 1892-1895. Numerous house ads relate to Ayer's "Human Contact" campaign. In addition to the self promotion ads, Ayer ran advertisements expounding about particular concepts or themes for example, one month the concept would "understand" while another month would be "teamwork" and yet another would be on "imagination". Some of the self promotion ads target specific groups like Philadelphia businessmen. Other advertisements incorporate the fine arts.

Series 15, Scrapbooks, 1872-1959, relates to company events, records and news clippings about Ayer's history. The six boxes are arranged by chronological date. Two of the boxes focus solely on the death of founder F.W. Ayer (1923). Another box houses a scrapbook that showcases Ayer's annual Typography Exhibition (1931-1959). One box contains a scrapbook that specifically deals with correspondences relating to Ayer's advertising. Yet another box's contents are folders of loose pages from scrapbooks that have newspaper clippings, order forms, correspondences and other company records. In one box, a bound scrapbook houses a variety of materials relating to Ayer and advertising (i.e. newspaper clippings, competitor's advertisements, NW Ayer's advertisements, correspondences for advertisements, clippings regarding the "theory of advertising."

Series 16, Publications, 1849-2006, are housed in thirty four boxes and are arranged into three main categories.

Subseries 16.1, House Publications, 1876-1994, covers diverse topics; some proscriptive works about the Ayer method in advertising, some commemorating people, anniversaries or events in the life of the agency. Materials consist of scattered issues of the employee newsletter The Next Step 1920-1921. The materials are arranged in chronological order by date of publication. Ayer in the News, The Show Windows of an Advertising Agency, 1915, book form of advertisements published on the cover of Printer's Ink, highlighting Ayer's relations with advertisers. The Story of the States, 1916, Reprint in book form of a series of articles published in Printer's Ink for the purpose of adding some pertinent fact, progressive thought and prophetic vision to the Nationalism of Advertising highlights major businesses, manufacturer, natural resources and other qualities or attractions of each state. The Book of the Golden Celebration, 1919, includes welcome address and closing remarks by founder F. Wayland Ayer, The Next Step, 1920 employee newsletter with photographs, employee profiles, in-house jokes, etc., Advertising Advertising: A Series of Fifty-two Advertisements scheduled one time a week. Twenty-seven, thirty and forty inches, a day of the week optional with publisher, 1924

Subseries 16.2, Publications about NW Ayer, 1949-2006, includes a book first published in 1939. Includes articles, documenting events and is arranged chronologically by date of publication.

Subseries 16.3, General Publications about Advertising, 1922-1974, are arranged chronologically by date of publication and relate primarily to the history of advertising.

Subseries 16.4, Publications about Other Subjects, 1948-1964, include four books about the tobacco industry primarily the history of the American Tobacco Company and Lorillard Company from the Cunningham and Walsh library.

Series 17, Business Records, circa 1885-1990s

Subseries 17.1, Contracts, 1885-1908, undated, are arranged alphabetically and span from 1885-1908. The majority of the contracts are with newspaper and magazine publishers from around the country.

Subseries 17.2, General client information, 1911-1999, undated, including active and cancelled lists with dates, client gains, historical client list, (should move this to series 20) Ayer Plan User Guide Strategic Planning for Human Contact, undated

Subseries 17.3, Individual Client Account Information, 1950s-1990s, undated, contain information used by Ayer to create advertisements for some of its clients. American Telephone &Telegraph Corporate Case History, American Telephone &Telegraph Corporate advertisement memo, commissioned artists for DeBeers advertisements, DeBeers information relating to the creative process and photography credits, a case history for DeBeers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., The Diamond Engagement Ring, Managing Communication at all levels, DuPont publications, JC Penny Marketing Communication Plan Recommendation, Leaf, Incorporated, Saturn presentation, and USAREC oral presentation.

Subseries 17.4, Potential Clients, 1993, includes grouping has a questionnaire sent to Ayer by a potential client. Questionnaire response for Prudential Securities, 1993 Prudential Securities advertising account review, 1993.

Subseries 17.5, Financial Records, 1929-1938, includes balance sheet, 1929 May 1 Balance sheet and adjustments Consolidated statement of assets and liabilities, Expenses 191936-37 Business review and expenses, 1937 and 1938 Business review and expenses comparative statement, 1937 and 1938.

Series 18, Legal Records, circa 1911-1982, Ayer's legal records are arranged by twelve subject groupings within four boxes. The twelve groupings are advertising service agreements (circa 1918-1982), bylaws, copyright claims, correspondences, international correspondences, dissolution of trusts, stock information, agreements between partners, incorporation materials, reduction of capital, property information and miscellaneous materials. The bulk of the materials are the advertising service agreements. These agreements are between Ayer and their clients and state the services Ayer will offer and at what cost. The bylaws are Ayer's company bylaws from 1969 and 1972. The copyright claims are certificates stating Ayer's ownership over certain published materials (i.e. "Policy", Media Equalizer Model, and Don Newman's Washington Square Experiment). The correspondences relate to either the voting trust and receipts for agreement or the New York Corporation. The international correspondences are from either Ayer's Canadian office or London office. The dissolutions of trusts contains materials about the dividend trust of Wilfred F. Fry, the investment trust of Winfred W. Fry, the voting trust, and the New York corporation. The stock information has stock certificates and capital stock information. The agreements between partners (1911-1916) specify the terms between F.W. Ayer and his partners. The incorporation materials (circa 1929-1977) deal with Ayer advertising agency becoming incorporated in the state of Delaware. The reduction of capital grouping is a notification that shares of stock have been retired. The property information grouping contains property deeds and insurance policy (circa 1921-1939), a property appraisal (1934), and a bill of sale (1948). The miscellaneous grouping contains a house memo regarding a set of board meeting minutes and a registry of foreign companies in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (1929-1954).

Subseries 18.1, Advertising Service Agreements, 1918-1982

Subseries 18.2, Bylaw Materials, 1969-1972

Subseries 18.3, Copyright Claims, 1962-1969

Subseries 18.4, Correspondence, 1928-1933

Subseries 18.5, International Office Correspondence, 1947-1948

Subseries 18.6, Dissolution of Trusts, 1934-1937

Subseries 18.7, Stock Information, 1934-1974

Subseries 18.8, Agreements between Partners, 1911-1916

Subseries 18.9, Incorporation Materials, 1929-1977

Subseries 18.10, Certificates of Reduction of Capital, 1937; 1975

Subseries 18.11, Property Information, 1921-1948

Subseries 18.12, Miscellaneous Materials, 1929-1977

Series 19, Personnel Records, circa 1889-2001, are arranged into eight groupings within eight boxes. The groupings are employee card files, photographs, Ayer alumni, biographies, speeches, recollections, oral histories, and miscellaneous. Typed manuscript of book A Copy Writer Speaks by George Cecil, NW Ayer, Incorporated copy head 1920s-1950s

Subseries 19.1, Employee card files, circa 1892-1915; 1929-1963, consists of index cards with the name, age, job title, date and wage increases, date of hire/fire, as well as remarks about the employee's service and/or reasons for seeking or leaving the job. Materials are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the employee within three boxes.

Subseries 19.2, Photographs, circa 1924-1984, undated, are housed in two boxes. The photographs grouped together by subjects i.e. personnel, company events, Ayer buildings, and miscellaneous. This grouping primarily consists of personnel photographs. Includes a glass plate negative dated 1924 of NW Ayer.

Subseries 19.3, Ayer Alumni, circa 1989-98, include employees who have left Ayer. There is a listing of Ayer "graduates" and their current job. Emeritus, Ayer's alumni newsletter 1989-1996, makes up the majority of materials in this grouping. The newsletter keeps the alumni up to date with the happenings of Ayer and what has become of former Ayer employees. Emeritus is a quarterly newsletter devoted to the activities, thoughts and feelings of Ayer alumni a body of people who consists of retirees and former employees.

Subseries 19.4, Biographical Information, circa 1889-1994, undated, prominent members of Ayer's operations had biographical sketches completed of them. This was true for the bio sketches of Robert Ervin, Louis T. Hagopian, and George A. Rink. There is a substantial file on Dorothy Dignam ("Mis Dig"), a leading woman in the advertising world from the 1930s to the 1950s. Also of interest is a video ("The Siano Man") compiled by Ayer employees to commemorate Jerry Siano's retirement from Ayer in 1994. The series is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Subseries 19.5, Speeches, circa 1919-1931; 1975, contains speeches made by Wilfred W. Fry and Neal W. O'Connor. Wilfred W. Fry had various speaking engagements connected with Ayer. Contained in this group is a sampling of his speeches from 1919 to 1931. Neal O'Connor's speech "Advertising: Who Says It's a Young People's Business" was given at the Central Region Convention for the American Association of Advertising Agencies in Chicago on November 6, 1975. The speeches are arranged alphabetically by the speaker's last name.

Subseries 19.6, Recollections, 1954-1984, undated, are arranged alphabetically by last name. These are recollections from Ayer employees about the company and its advertisements. Some recollections are specifically about certain types of advertisements, like farm equipment while others reflect on F. W. Ayer and the company.

Subseries 19.7, Oral History Interview Transcripts, 1983-1985; 1989-1991, include interviews with key NW Ayer personnel, conducted by Ayer alumnae Howard Davis, Brad Lynch and Don Sholl (Vice President creative) for the Oral History Program. The materials are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the interviewee.

Subseries 19.8, Oral History Interview Audio Tapes, 1985-1990, include interviews on audiotape the materials are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the interviewee.

Subseries 19.9, Internal Communications, 1993-1999, includes information sent to employees relating to retirements, management changes, awards won by the company, promotions, potential new accounts, free items, grand opening of Ayer Café, donation events, sponsorship programs, holiday schedules, discounts for employees from clients, Ayer joins MacManus Group.

Subseries 19.10, General Materials, 1940; 1970, includes agency directory entry including a list of the employees, 1970s, annual banquet program for the Curfew Club May 22, 1940 a group formed by the Philadelphia employee in 1938. It sponsored numerous sports, social and educational activities. Groups were formed in public speaking, music appreciation and a series of talks on Monday evenings title the modern woman. The front page was a series of talks for general interest. A list of officers, 1991, Twenty five year club membership, 1973 December 1, List of NW Ayer graduates, 1970, List of Officers, 1991 May 31, Obituary for Leo Lionni, 1999 October 17, List of photographers of advertisements, 2001

Series 20, Background and History Information, 1817-1999, undated includes a chronology, 1817-1990, quick reference timeline, 1848-1923, loose pages from a scrapbook containing examples of correspondence, envelopes, advertisements dating from 1875-1878; slogans coined by NW Ayer & Sons, Incorporated, 1899-1990, history of management, 1909-1923, articles and photographs about the building and art galleries, 1926-1976, publications about the Philadelphia building, 1929, pamphlet relating to memories of NW Ayer & Sons, Incorporated, 1930s-1950s, television history, 1940-1948, Article about the history of the company, 1950 January, pocket guide, 1982, AdWeek reports about standings for advertising agencies, information relating to Human Contact which is NW Ayer's Information relating to Human Contact, undated which is their philosophy on advertising.

Series 21, Materials Created by other Advertising Agencies, 1945-1978, undated, consists of print advertisements collected by Ayer from other major advertising companies. The companies include Doyle Dane Bernback, Incorporated, Leo Burnett Company, Grey Advertising Agency, D'Arcy Ad Agency, Scali, McCabe, Sloves, Incorporated and Erwin Wasey Company. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by client and include products from Ralston Purina and Van Camp (Chicken of the Sea), Kellogg, American Export Lines and No Nonsense Fashions.

Series 22, 2010 Addendum of Print Advertisements, circa 1879s-1999, undated, includes material given to the Archives Center in 2010. It is organized into seventy one oversized boxes and contains proofsheets of print advertisements for select Ayer clients. These are arranged alphabetically by client name and include substantial quantities of materials from American Telephone &Telegraph (1945-1996), Bahamas Ministry of Tourism (1967-1987), Carrier (1971-1981), Citibank (1973-1991), DeBeers (1940s-1960s and1990s), Electric Companies Advertising Program [ECAP] (1942-1970s), General Motors (1989-1998), J.C. Penney (1983-1986), Newsweek (1966-1975), and Proctor and Gamble (1980s-1890s). There are also numerous other clients represented by smaller quantities of materials.

Subseries 22.1, Print Advertisements, 1930-1990, undated

Subseries 22.2, Print Advertisements on Glass Plate Negatives, 1879-1881, undated, include Cannon towels, Cheny Brothers silks, Cornish & Company organs and pianos, Enterprise Manufacturing Company, 1879 sad iron, an ad from Harper's Weekly 1881 for ladies clothing, Ostermoor & Company mattresses, Pear's soap, Porter's cough balsam, Steinway pianos.

Series 23, Microfilm of Print Advertisements, circa 1908-1985, consists of three boxes of printed advertisements for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Some of the same advertisements might also be found in series two, three and four.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into twenty-three series.

Series 1: Scrapbooks of Client Print Advertisements, circa 1870-1920

Series 2: Proofsheets, circa 1870-1930

Series 3: Proofsheets, circa 1920-1975

Series 4: 2001 Addendum, circa 1976-2001

Series 5: Billboards, circa 1952-1956

Series 6: Audiovisual Materials

Series 7: Radio and Television Materials, 1933-1993, undated

Series 8: Chicago Office Print Advertisements, 1954-1989

Series 9: Los Angeles Office Materials, 1950s-1987

Subseries 9.1: Printed Advertisements, 1977-1987

Subseries 9.2: Personnel Files, 1950s-1970s

Series 10: Foreign Print Advertisements, 1977-1991, undated

Series 11: Cunningham & Walsh Incorporated Materials, 1915-1987, undated

Subseries 11.1: Printed Advertisements, 1915-1987

Subseries 11.2: Radio and Television Advertisements, 1963-1967

Subseries 11.3: Company Related Materials, 1962-1986, undated

Series 12: Hixson & Jorgensen Materials, 1953-1971, undated

Series 13: Newell-Emmet, 1942-1957

Series 14: House Print Advertisements, 1870-1991

Series 15: Scrapbooks, 1872-1959

Series 16: Publications, 1849-2006

Subseries 16.1: House Publications, 1876-1994

Subseries 16.2: Publications about NW Ayer, 1949-1995

Subseries 16.3: General Publications about Advertising, 1922-2006

Subseries 16.4: Publications about other Subjects, 1948-1964

Series 17, Business Records, circa 1885-1990s

Subseries 17.1: Contracts, 1885-1908, undated

Subseries 17.2: General Client Information, 1911-1999, undated

Subseries 17.3: Individual Client Account Information, 1950s-1990s, undated

Subseries 17.4: Potential Clients, 1993

Subseries 17.5: Financial Records, 1929-1938

Series 18: Legal Records, circa 1911-1984

Subseries 18.1: Advertising Service Agreements, 1918-1982

Subseries 18.2: Bylaw Materials, 1969-1972

Subseries 18.3, Copyright Claims, 1962-1969

Subseries 18.4: Correspondence, 1928-1933

Subseries 18.5: International Office Correspondence, 1947-1948

Subseries 18.6: Dissolution of Trusts, 1934-1937

Subseries 18.7: Stock Information, 1934-1974

Subseries 18.8: Agreements between Partners, 1911-1916

Subseries 18.9: Incorporation Materials, 1929-1977

Subseries 18.10: Certificates of Reduction of Capital, 1937; 1975

Subseries 18.11: Property Information

Subseries 18.12: Miscellaneous Materials, 1929-1977

Series 19: Employee Materials, circa 1889-2001

Subseries 19.1: Employee Card files, circa 1892-1915; 1929-1963

Subseries 19.2: Photographs, circa 1924-1984, undated

Subseries 19.3: Alumni Publications, circa 1989-1998

Subseries 19.4: Biographical Information, circa 1889-1994

Subseries 19.5: Speeches, circa 1919-1931; 1975

Subseries 19.6: Recollections, 1954-1984, undated

Subseries 19.7: Oral History Interview Transcripts, 1983-1985; 1989-1991

Subseries 19.8: Oral History Audiotapes, 1985-1990

Subseries 19.9: Internal Communications, 1993-1999

Subseries 19.1: General Materials, 1940-2001

Series 20: History and Background Information about the Company, 1817-1999, undated

Series 21: Materials Created by other Advertising Agencies, 1945-1978, undated

Series 22: 2010 Addendum of Print Advertisements, circa 1879s-1990s, undated

Subseries 22.1: Print Advertisements, 1930-1990, undated

Subseries 22.2: Print Advertisements on Glass Plate Negatives, 1879-1881, undated

Series 23: Microfilm of Print Advertisements, circa 1908-1985

Biographical / Historical:

Founded in Philadelphia in 1869, NW Ayer & Son is one of the oldest and largest advertising agencies in America. For most of its history, it was the undisputed leader and innovator in the field of advertising. In 1876, NW Ayer & Son pioneered the "open contract", a revolutionary change in the method of billing for advertising which became the industry standard for the next hundred years. NW Ayer pioneered the use of fine art in advertising and established the industry's first art department. It was the first agency to use a full-time copywriter and the first to institute a copy department. The agency relocated to New York City in 1974. During its long history, the agency's clients included many "blue-chip" clients, including American Telephone & Telegraph, DeBeers Consolidated Diamond Mines, Ford Motor Company, Nabisco, R. J. Reynolds and United Airlines. However, in later years, the Ayer's inherent conservatism left the agency vulnerable to the creative revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, the advertising industry restructuring of the 1980s and the economic recession of the early 1990s. The agency was bought out by a Korean investor in 1993. In 1996, NW Ayer merged with another struggling top twenty United States advertising agency, Darcy, Masius, Benton & Bowles, under the umbrella of the McManus Group. Ayer continues to operate as a separate, full-service agency.

Through a series of buyouts and mergers, Ayer traces its lineage to the first advertising agency founded in the United States, a Philadelphia agency begun by Volney Palmer in 1841. Palmer began his career in advertising as a newspaper agent, acting as middleman between newspaper publishers and advertisers across the country. By 1849, Palmer had founded his own newspaper, V. B. Palmer's Register and Spirit of the Press, and had developed a complete system of advertising which included securing advertising space and placing ads in scores of commercial, political, religious, scientific and agricultural journals across the country. Palmer went one step further than the "space jobbers" of the day when he began offering "advertisements carefully drawn for those who have not the time to prepare an original copy." Always an enthusiastic promoter of advertising as an incentive to trade and American economic growth, Palmer promised advertisers that "every dollar paid for advertising in country newspapers will pay back twenty-fold" and encouraged skeptical consumers that "he who wishes to buy cheap should buy of those who advertise." When Palmer died in 1863, the agency was bought by his bookkeeper, John Joy, who joined with another Philadelphia advertising agency to form Joy, Coe & Sharpe. That agency was bought out again in 1868 and renamed Coe, Wetherill & Company. In 1877, Coe, Wetherill and Company was bought out by the newly formed NW Ayer & Son.

Francis Wayland Ayer was an ambitious young schoolteacher with an entrepreneurial streak. Having worked for a year soliciting advertisements on a commission basis for the publisher of the National Baptist weekly, Francis Ayer saw the potential to turn a profit as an advertising agent. In 1869, Ayer persuaded his father, Nathan Wheeler Ayer, to join him in business, and with an initial investment of only $250.00, NW Ayer & Son was born. Notwithstanding a smallpox epidemic in Philadelphia in 1871 and the general economic depression of the early 1870s, the agency flourished. The senior Ayer died in 1873, leaving his interest in the agency to his wife, but Francis W. Ayer bought her out, consolidating his interest in the company's management. In 1877, with Coe, Wetherill & Company (the successor to Palmer's 1841 agency) on the verge of bankruptcy and heavily indebted to Ayer for advertising it had placed in Ayer publications, Ayer assumed ownership of that agency. Thus did NW Ayer lay claim to being the oldest advertising agency in the country.

Both Nathan Wheeler and Francis Wayland Ayer began their careers as schoolteachers, and one of their legacies was a commitment to the cause of education: correspondence schools and institutions of higher learning were historically well-represented among Ayer clients. Just after World War I, the agency was heralded as "co-founder of more schools than any citizen of this country" for its conspicuous efforts to advertise private schools. Well into the 1960s, an "Education Department" at Ayer prepared advertisements for over three hundred private schools, camps and colleges, representing almost half the regional and national advertising done for such institutions. In fact, to its clients Ayer presented advertising itself as being akin to a system of education. In 1886, Ayer began promoting the virtues of the Ayer way advertising with the slogan, "Keeping Everlastingly at It Brings Success."

The agency's goals were simple: "to make advertising pay the advertiser, to spend the advertiser's money as though it were our own, to develop, magnify and dignify advertising as a business." Initially, Ayer's fortunes were tied to newspapers, and the agency began to make a name for itself as compiler and publisher of a widely used American Newspaper Annual. During the first years, Ayer's singular goal was "to get business, place it [in newspapers] and get money for it"; after several years as an independent space broker, however, Francis Ayer resolved "not to be an order taker any longer." This decision led NW Ayer and Son to a change in its mode of conducting business which would revolutionize the advertising industry: in 1876, Ayer pioneered the "open contract" with Diggee & Conard, Philadelphia raised growers and agricultural suppliers. Prior to the open contract, NW Ayer & Sons and most agencies operated as "space-jobbers," independent wholesalers of advertising space, in which the opportunities for graft and corrupt practices were virtually unlimited. In contrast, the open contract, wherein the advertiser paid a fixed commission based on the volume of advertising placed, aligned the advertising agent firmly on the side of the advertiser and gave advertisers access to the actual rates charged by newspapers and religious journals. The open contract with a fixed commission has been hailed by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker as one of the "three great landmarks in advertising history." (The other two were Lasker's own development of "reason-why" advertising copy and J. Walter Thompson's pioneering of sex appeal in an advertisement for Woodbury's soap.) Although the transition to the open contract did not happen overnight, by 1884, nearly three-quarters of Ayer's advertising billings were on an open contract basis. Since Ayer was, by the 1890s, the largest agency in America, the switch to direct payment by advertisers had a significant impact on the advertising industry, as other agencies were forced to respond to Ayer's higher standard. Just as important, the open contract helped to establish N W Ayer's long-standing reputation for "clean ethics and fair dealing" -- a reputation the agency has guarded jealously for over a century. The open contract also helped to establish Ayer as a full service advertising agency and to regularize the production of advertising in-house. From that point forward, Ayer routinely offered advice and service beyond the mere placement of advertisements. Ayer set another milestone for the industry in 1888, when Jarvis Wood was hired as the industry's first full-time copywriter. Wood was joined by a second full time copywriter four years later, and the Copy Department was formally established in 1900. The industry's first Art Department grew out of the Copy Department when Ayer hired its first commercial artist to assist with copy preparation in 1898; twelve years later Ayer became the first agency to offer the services of a full time art director, whose sole responsibility was the design and illustration of ads.

Ayer's leadership in the use of fine art in advertising has roots in this period, but achieved its highest expression under the guidance of legendary art director Charles Coiner. Coiner joined Ayer in 1924, after graduating from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Despite early resistance from some clients, Coiner was adamant that "the use of outstanding palette and original art forms bring a greater return in readership, in impact and prestige for the advertiser." To this end, Coiner marshaled the talents of notable painters, illustrators and photographers, including N.C. Wyeth and Rockwell Kent (Steinway), Georgia O'Keefe (Dole), Leo Lionni (DuPont), Edward Steichen (Steinway, Cannon Mills), Charles Sheeler (Ford), and Irving Penn (DeBeers). Coiner believed that there was a practical side to the use of fine art in advertising, and his success (and Ayer's) lay in the marriage of research and copywriting with fine art, an arrangement Coiner termed "art for business sake." Coiner's efforts won both awards and attention for a series completed in the 1950s for the Container Corporation of America. Titled "Great Ideas of Western Man" the campaign featured abstract and modern paintings and sculpture by leading U.S. and foreign artists, linked with Western philosophical writings in an early example of advertising designed primarily to bolster corporate image. In 1994, Charles Coiner was posthumously named to the American Advertising Federation's Hall of Fame, the first full time art director ever chosen for that honor.

Coiner and fellow art director Paul Darrow also created legendary advertising with the "A Diamond Is Forever" campaign for DeBeers; ads featured the work of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and other modernist painters. The "A Diamond is Forever" tagline was written in 1949 by Frances Gerety, a woman copywriter at Ayer from 1943 to 1970. In 1999, Ad Age magazine cited "A Diamond is Forever" as the most memorable advertising slogan of the twentieth century.

Coiner also earned respect for his volunteer government service during World War II; he designed the armbands for civil defense volunteers and logos for the National Recovery Administration and Community Chest. As a founding member of the Advertising Council in 1945, Ayer has had a long-standing commitment to public service advertising. In the mid-1980s, Ayer became a leading force in the Reagan-era "War on Drugs". Lou Hagopian, Ayer's sixth CEO, brokered the establishment of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, a media coalition which generated as much as a million dollars a day in donated advertising space and time to prevent the use and abuse of illegal drugs. Famous names appear among NW Ayer's clientele from the very earliest days of the agency. Retailer John Wanamaker, Jay Cooke and Company, and Montgomery Ward's mail-order business were among the first Ayer clients. The agency has represented at least twenty automobile manufacturers, including Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Plymouth, and Rolls-Royce. Other major, long-term clients through the years have included American Telephone & Telegraph, Canada Dry, Cannon Mills, Hills Bros. Coffee Company, Kellogg's, R. J. Reynolds, Steinway and Sons, United Airlines, and the United States Army. By the time of Ayer's hundredth anniversary in 1969, some of these companies had been Ayer clients for decades if not generations, and the longevity of those relationships was for many years a source of Ayer's strength.

But the advertising industry began to change in the late 1960s and 1970s, due in part to a "creative revolution." Small advertising agencies won attention with provocative copywriting and art direction that more closely resembled art than advertising. Advances in market research allowed clients to more narrowly tailor their advertising messages to distinct groups of consumers, and this led to a rise in targeted marketing which could more readily be doled out to specialized small agencies than to larger, established firms like NW Ayer & Son. The civil rights and anti-war movements also contributed to increasing public skepticism with the values of corporate America, and by extension, with some national advertising campaigns. Older, more conservative firms like Ayer were hard pressed to meet these new challenges.

About 1970, in an effort to meet these challenges and to establish a foothold on the West Coast, Ayer bought out two smaller agencies--Hixson & Jorgenson (Los Angeles) and Frederick E. Baker (Seattle). The agency relocated from Philadelphia to New York City in 1974 in an attempt both to consolidate operations (Ayer had operated a New York office since the 1920s) and to be closer to the historic center of the advertising industry. Riding the wave of mergers that characterized the advertising industry in the late 1980s and 1990s, Ayer continued to grow through the acquisition of Cunningham & Walsh in 1986 and Rink Wells in 19xx.

During this transitional period, Ayer received widespread acclaim for its work for the United States Army, which included the widely recognized slogan "Be All You Can Be". Ayer first acquired the Army recruitment account in 1967 and with help from its direct marketing arm, the agency was widely credited with helping the Army reach its recruitment goals despite an unpopular war and plummeting enlistments after the elimination of the draft in 1973. Ayer held the account for two decades, from the Vietnam War through the Cold War, but lost the account in 1986 amid government charges that an Ayer employee assigned to the account accepted kickbacks from a New York film production house. Despite Ayer's position as the country's 18th largest agency (with billings of $880 million in 1985), the loss of the agency's second largest account hit hard.

NW Ayer made up for the loss of the $100 million dollar a year Army account and made headlines for being on the winning end of the largest account switch in advertising history to date, when fast food giant Burger King moved its $200 million dollar advertising account from arch-rival J. Walter Thompson in 1987. Burger King must have had drive-thru service in mind, however, and Ayer made headlines again when it lost the account just eighteen months later in another record-breaking account switch. Another devastating blow to the agency was the loss of its lead position on the American Telegraph and Telephone account. Ayer pioneered telecommunications advertising in 1908, when the agency was selected to craft advertising for the Bell System's universal telephone service. Despite valiant efforts to keep an account the agency had held for most of the twentieth century, and for which they had written such memorable corporate slogans as American Telephone &Telegraph "The Voice with a Smile" and "Reach Out and Touch Someone", the agency lost the account in 1996.

After a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the late 1980s, the economic recession of the early 1990s hit Madison Avenue hard, and Ayer was particularly vulnerable. Despite the agency's long history and roster of "blue-chip" clients, Ayer was not known for cutting-edge creative work. Moreover, though the agency had offices overseas, Ayer had never built a strong multinational presence, and many of the smaller international offices were sold during the financial turmoil of the 1980s. This left a real void in the new climate of global marketplace consolidation. By about 1990, earnings were declining (although Ayer was still among the top twenty United States agencies in billings), and the agency was suffering from client defections, high management turnover, expensive real estate commitments and deferred executive compensation deals, all fallout of the high-flying 1980s. This was the atmosphere in 1993, when W.Y. Choi, a Korean investor who had already assembled a media and marketing empire in his homeland, began looking for an American partner to form an international advertising network. Jerry Siano, the former creative director who had recently been named Ayer's seventh CEO, was in no position to refuse Choi's offer of $35 million to buy the now floundering agency. The infusion of cash was no magic bullet, however. Choi took a wait-and-see approach, allowing his partner Richard Humphreys to make key decisions about Ayer's future, including the purging of senior executives and the installation of two new CEOs in as many years.

The agency's downward trend continued with the loss of another longtime client, the DeBeers diamond cartel in 1995. Adweek reported that Ayer's billings fell from $892 million in 1990 to less than $850 million in 1995. Several top executives defected abruptly, and the agency failed to attract major new accounts. Ayer was facing the loss not merely of revenue and personnel, but the loss of much of the respect it once commanded. Ayer remained among the twenty largest U.S. agencies, but an aura of uncertainty hung over the agency like a cloud. A new CEO was appointed, and Mary Lou Quinlan became the agency's first woman CEO in 1995. A year later, Ayer and another struggling top twenty agency, D'arcy, Masius, Benton & Bowles, combined as part of the McManus Group of companies. In 1998, the McManus Group had worldwide billings of more than $6.5 billion.

Under the McManus Group, Ayer was able to expand its international operations and begin to rebuild a stronger global presence. Several important new clients were won in 1997 and 1998, including Avon, General Motors, Kitchenaid, several Procter & Gamble brands and, most notably, Continental Airlines worldwide accounts. Born in the nineteenth century, Ayer may be one of a very few advertising agencies to successfully weather the economic and cultural transitions of both the twentieth and twentieth first centuries. Ayer was eventually acquired by the Publicis Groupe based in Paris, France which closed down the N.W. Ayer offices in 2002.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana (AC0060)

Hills Bros. Coffee Incorporated Records (AC0395)

Provenance:

The collection was donated by N W Ayer ABH International, April 15, 1975 and by Ayer & Partners, October 30, 1996.

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.

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: reproduction fees may apply. Publication and production quality duplication is restricted due to complex copyright, publicity rights, and right to privacy issues. All duplication requests must be reviewed and approved by Archives Center staff. Potential users must receive written permission from appropriate rights holders prior to obtaining high quality copies.

Topic:

Advertising agencies  Search this

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records -- 1840-2000

Interviews -- 1980-2000

Oral history -- 1980-1990

Print advertising

Proof sheets

Proofs (printed matter)

Scrapbooks -- 1840-1990

Trade literature

Tear sheets

Advertisements

Citation:

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

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0059

See more items in:

N W Ayer Advertising Agency Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0059

Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

2.58 Cubic feet (consisting of 5.5 boxes, 4 oversize folders, 1 map case folder.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Trademarks

Letterheads

Sales catalogs

Business ephemera

Business cards

Print advertising

Business letters

Ephemera

Invoices

Receipts

Catalogs

Patents

Publications

Trade catalogs

Labels

Printed ephemera

Catalogues

Trade cards

Recipes

Trade literature

Periodicals

Manufacturers' catalogs

Commercial catalogs

Menus

Mail order catalogs

Instructional materials

Business records

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Commercial correspondence

Advertising

Auction catalogs

Legal documents

Sales records

Beverage labels

Legislation (legal concepts)

Manuals

Correspondence

Sales letters

Exhibition catalogs

Advertising cards

Advertising fliers

Date:

1748-1994

Summary:

A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Wines 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:

In 1953, Warshaw launched a year-long collecting campaign, soliciting material on whiskey and wine. He expanded this effort to also include items related to the drinking habit of notable persons. The wine category has been separated from this original grouping and contains material primarily related to wine traders and merchants, wine auction and exhibition materials, import and export legislation, and the creation and subsequent history of certain wines. Additional topics represented in the collection include medicinal uses of wine, cooking and wine, wine-related organizations, and wine in religious traditions.

The bulk of the represented content is print material including advertisements, business records, price lists, invoices, correspondence, and import/export records. While several companies are represented, there are no comprehensive business records for any entity represented in the collection.

Advertising represents a large portion of the collection, and provides a varied and expansive look at the evolution of wine-related art in advertising. Other strengths of the collection lie in the diversity of subject material, allowing researchers to get a broad introduction to several facets of the wine industry and wine in culture.

Arrangement:

Wines is arranged in three series.

Also included is a partial Brand Name Index - Guide Supplement (Box 1, Folder Admin).

Business Records

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:

Wines 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:

Trade associations  Search this

Wine -- Storage  Search this

Labels -- Alcoholic beverages  Search this

Trademarks -- Design  Search this

advertising -- Alcoholic beverages  Search this

Drinking of alcoholic beverages -- Law and legislation  Search this

Consumer goods -- Catalogs  Search this

Retail trade  Search this

Licenses  Search this

Wine labels  Search this

Wine industry  Search this

Wine and wine making  Search this

Alcohol  Search this

Labels -- Design  Search this

Genre/Form:

Trademarks

Letterheads

Sales catalogs

Business ephemera

Business cards

Print advertising

Business letters

Ephemera

Invoices

Receipts

Catalogs

Patents

Publications

Trade catalogs

Labels

Printed ephemera

Catalogues

Trade cards

Publications -- wine industry

Recipes

Trade literature

Periodicals

Manufacturers' catalogs

Commercial catalogs

Menus

Mail order catalogs

Instructional materials

Business records

Publications -- Business

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Commercial correspondence

Advertising

Auction catalogs

Legal documents

Sales records

Beverage labels

Legislation (legal concepts)

Manuals

Correspondence

Sales letters

Exhibition catalogs

Advertising cards

Advertising fliers

Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Wines, 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.Wines

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Wines

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

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

Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

7.38 Cubic feet (consisting of 12 boxes, 2 folders, 11 oversize folders, 1 map case folder, 3 boxes (1 full, 2 partial), plus digital images of some collection material.)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertising

Advertising fliers

Advertising cards

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Beverage labels

Business cards

Business letters

Business ephemera

Business records

Caricatures

Catalogues

Commercial catalogs

Commercial correspondence

Correspondence

Ephemera

Invoices

Illustrations

Labels

Instructional materials

Legal documents

Legislation (legal concepts)

Letterheads

Mail order catalogs

Manuals

Manufacturers' catalogs

Menus

Periodicals

Printed ephemera

Print advertising

Publications

Recipes

Receipts

Sales catalogs

Sales letters

Sales records

Signs (declaratory or advertising artifacts)

Trade catalogs

Trade cards

Trade literature

Date:

1743-1963

bulk 1846-1962

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 note:

In 1953, Warshaw launched a year-long collecting campaign, soliciting material on whiskey and wine. He expanded this effort to also include items related to the drinking habit of notable persons. This category was originally labeled "whiskey" but has been retitled as the content covers a wide variety of distilled beverages, spirits, liquors, liqueurs, and hard alcohol.

The bulk of the content is print material in the form of advertising, circulars, price lists, marketing and promotional items with also a sampling of business records consisting of transactional documents such as receipts, invoices, correspondence, and import/export paperwork. Some bottle labels and a couple of packaging examples are present, as are drink recipe booklets and entertainment/pairing guides. Only a small portion of this series covers regulatory aspects such as licensing and taxation, including a Prohibitionists' Text-Book from 1880. The rich volume of advertising provides much in the way of visuals regarding the culture of drinking and entertainment through several 19th and 20th Century eras.

The Warshaw Survey Campaign Records series provides insight to his collection building strategy. Samples of his outbound solicitations exist and to a greater extent, the inbound replies help demonstrate his process and some of the relationships he had with institutions, businesses, and individuals. Of particular note are some of the anecdotal responses, plus several essays and memoir pieces related to the effects of alcohol consumption; not always positive, not always negative.

See also Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series 2: Other Collection Divisions, Liquor & Wine Labels and Advertisements, 1893-1905, which contains two additional boxes of scrapbooks filled with printed advertisements, dealers' receipts, labels and drink recipe books.

Arrangement note:

Whiskey, Liquor, and Spirits is arranged in five subseries.

Business Records and Marketing Material

Genre

Subject

Warshaw's Whiskey and Wine Survey and Collecting Campaign Records

Oversize Material

Brand Name Index:

The following is a list of brand names for various alcoholic beverages and related names that appear on this list is a compilation of those found on materials in the vertical document boxes. It is not a complete list of all the brand names for whiskey.

Brand Name Index

Brand Name -- Manufacturer

Adam Schneider's Dutch -- Seagram Distillery

Alleghany -- Phoenix Mills Dist.Co.

Ambassador -- Taylor & Ferguson

Ancestor -- John Dewar & Sons

Anderson Co. Club -- Phoenix Mills Dist. Co.

Angostura Bitters -- Philip Goldberg

Antiquary -- Jas. Hardie

Apry -- Schieffein & Co.

Arkansas Traveler -- Seagram Distillers

B & B -- Wright & Taylor

Bailey' s -- Huey & Christ

Banquet -- Ginter Co.

Barton -- Revere Distilling Co.

Bay State -- Revere Distilling Co.

Beechwood -- Applegate & Sons

Beefeater -- Kobrand Corp.

Big Cat -- General Distillers Corp.

Black & White -- Fleischmann Dist.

Black Warrior, The -- Seagram Distillers

Blue Blood Club -- Kentucky Liquor Co.

Blue Ribbon -- Altschul Distilling Co.

Bombay -- A. M. Penrose

Bond & Lillard -- W.H. McBrayer

Bonnie Brae -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Bos -- Pease Son & Co.

Bottoms Up -- Brown-Forman Distillery Co.

Briar Mint -- Cincinnati Distillers

Briar Mint -- General Distillers Corp.

Brunswick Club -- H.& H.W. Catherwood

Buckingham -- Venable & Heyman

Burks Spring -- Thos. L. Smith & Sons

Cabinet -- Woodrow & George

Canadian Club -- Hiram Walker & Son

Cap'n Jack -- Cincinnati Distillers

Carioca -- Schenley Co.

Carstairs -- Stewart Distilling Co.

Cedar Brook -- Wm.H. McBrayer

Cedar Valley -- Weideman, Holmes & Co.

Cee Bee Sloe Gin -- Cook & Bernheimer Co.

Celery -- Cook & Bernheimer Co.

Charteuse -- Shieffein & Co.

Cherry Heering -- Schenley Import Co.

Chivas Regal -- General Wine & Spirits Co.

Churchill 88 -- Fleischmann Distilling Corp.

Clover Club -- Boyle & McGlinn

Club, The -- G.F. Heublein & Bros.

Club House -- M. Shaughnessy & Co.

Cold Spring Jockey Club -- John Kissel & Son

Commodore -- J. Brown & Co.

Commonwealth Club -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Corby's -- Jas. Barclay & Co.

Cordon Bleu -- Martell

Coates Plymouth -- Schiefflin & Co.

County Chairman -- General Distillers Corp.

Courvoisier -- W.A. Taylor & Co.

Crcaker Jack -- General Distillers Corp.

Creme Yvette -- Sheffield Co.

Cuckoo -- Rex Distilling Co.

Cutty Shark -- Berry Bros . & Rudd Ltd.

Dekuyper -- National Distillers Products

Dewey's Victory -- A.B. Sheaffer

Dews of Erin -- Cobb Hersey Co.

D.J.A. -- David & John Anderson Ltd.

D.O.M. Benedictine -- Julius Wile Sons

Drambuie -- W.A.Taylor & Co.

Drip Rock -- Cold Spring Distilling

Duff Gordon -- Munson G. Shaw Co.

Eagle Liqueur -- Rheinstrom Bros .

Early Times -- Brown-Forman Distillery

Gold Dust -- A.R. Champney Co.

El Bart -- Camberwell Distillery

Embassy Club -- Continental Distilling

Empire Club -- G.F. Coshland & Co.

Everett Spring -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Fairfax County -- Austin, Nichols & Co.

Fairview -- Schmidt & Ziegler, Ltd.

Fellsglen -- John E. Fells

Fenbrook -- Charles S. Gove Co.

Fig Rye -- F. Madlener

Four Roses -- Frankfort Distilleries

Fulton -- Myers & Co.

Fundador -- Canada Dry Import Co.

Gair Loch -- Stromness Dist. Co.

Galliano -- McKesson & Robbins

Gaston Fontaine's -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Geneva -- United Dist. Co.

George Mills -- Woodrow & George

Geyser -- Peoples Distilling Co.

Gilbey' s Gin -- National Distillers Prod.ucts

Gold Fax -- Clune & Torpy

Golden Seal -- W. Scott Gillespie

Golden Truth -- Despres Distilling Co.

Grand Marnier -- Carillon Importers Ltd.

Grant 63 -- Revere Distilling Co.

Grandpa' s Delight -- Pembrook Distilling Co.

Grant's Stand Fast -- Austin, Nichols & Co.

Green River -- McCulloch

Greensboro -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Grouse -- Seggerman Slocum

Harrisville -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Harvest Home -- Seagram Distillers

Hazel Dell -- Rheinstrom Bros.

Heather Blossom -- B.H.R. Distilling Co.

Hennessy -- Schieffein & Co.

Hillside -- Steinhardt Bros. & Co.

Hine Cognac -- 21 Brands Inc.

Hoffman House -- P.H. Hamburger

Holland Process -- Rosenberger Bros.

Home Comfort -- Max Stiner & Co.

House of Lords -- Wm.Whitely & Co.

House of Lords -- W.A. Taylor & Co.

Hunter -- Wm. Lanaham & Sons

Imperial -- Hiram Walker & Sons

Inverness Club -- J.W. Cheesman Co.

Irish Mist -- Munson G. Shaw Co.

Jackson Club -- O'Bryan Bros.

Jefferson -- Seagram Distillers

Jessie Moore -- General Distillers Corp

Joel Hill -- Woodrow & George

Jockey Club -- Excelsior Distilling Co.

J.& F. Martell's Brandy -- G.S.Nicholas & Co.

Kenton Belle -- Simon Kenton Co.

Kentucky Favorite -- United Dist. Co.

Kentucky Gentleman -- Barton Distilling Co.

Kentucky Nectar -- General Distillers Corp

Kentucky Tavern -- Glenmore Distillers

Keuka Club -- O'Dea Home Supply Co.

Keystone -- Wm.H.Graham & Co.

Kilty -- R.Thorne & Sons, Ltd.

King -- Brown-Forman Distillery

King's Ransom -- Edradour Distillery

King's Ransom -- Wm. Whitely & Co.

Kuban -- General Distillers Corp

Laganda Club -- Altschul Distilling Co

Lamplighter -- J.& w . Nicholson Co.

Latonia Club -- Sheldon Co.

La Rojena (Jose Cuervo) -- Young' s Market

Lechmere -- Doyle, F.M. & Co.

Lemon Hart -- Julios Wile Sons

Lick Run -- General Distillers Co.

Lindenwood -- Spiess & Bachenheimer

London Dry -- Sir Robert Burnett & Co

London Gin -- Wm. Reed

Lorraine Club -- Felix Coblentz & Co.

MacNaughton -- Schenley Co.

Maker' s Mark -- Star Hill Distilling Co

Mammoth Cave Springs -- Seagram Distillers

Manhattan Club -- Mac Stiner & Co.

Maryland Club -- John Belt & Co.

Mentor -- Ginter Co.

Monitor -- J.C. Childs & Co.

Mosaic -- People's Distilling Co.

Mount Vernon -- Cook & Bernheimer

Mount Vernon -- Mannis Distilling

Mouquin -- Austin, Nichols & Co.

Myers -- General Wine & Spirits Co. Thos. Smith Co.

M & Z -- Thos. Smith Co.

Nectar -- Woodrow & George

Nelson County -- Wm.S.Turner Dist.Co.

Novena -- Rheinstrom Bros.

Number 30 -- General Distillers Corp.

O.F.C. -- Geo. T. Stagg Co.

O.F.C. -- Schenley Co.

Old Amor Rye -- H.W .Huguley Co.

Old Angus -- Train & Mcintrye, Ltd.

Old Anvil -- General Distilleries Corp.

Old Benton -- Excelsior Distilling C

Old Boone -- Wm.S.Turner Dist.Co.

Old Charter -- Wright & Taylor

Old Chuck -- General Distilleries Corp.

Old Crow -- Hermitage Distillery

Old Crow -- H.B.Kirk & Co.

Old Elk -- Stoll, Vanatta & Co.

Old Fitzgerald -- Stitzel-Wellwe Distillery

Old Forester -- Brown-Forman Distillery Co.

Old Goodenough -- United Distributing Co.

Old Grain Belt -- Pure Food Dist. Co.

Old Grist Mill -- John F.Gillespie

Old Hickory Hollow -- Wm. S.Turner Dist.Co.

Old Homestead -- Seagram Distillers

Old Home Still -- Sheldon co. Cocktail

Old Hundred -- Wm.S.Turner Dist.Co.

Old Judge -- Altschul Distilling Co.

Old Lanark -- York Distilling

Old Maid -- Irene Parker Co.

Old Maysville -- Manufacturer Unknown

Old Minden -- Revere Distilling

Old Pilgrim -- Revere Distilling Co.

Old Prentice -- J.T.S.Brown & Sons

Old Pugh -- R.S.Strader & Son

Old Rampart -- General Distillers Corp.

Old Richmond -- Thos. L. Smith Co

Old Rip -- J.C. Childs & Co

Old Saratoga -- Rosskam, Gerstley & Co.

Old '67 Rye -- Wm.S.Turner Dist. Co

Old Star -- A & G J.Caldwell

Old Talent -- Cobb Hersey Co

Old Time -- John N.Thomas & Co.

Old Tom -- Wm.Reed

Old Tom Gin -- DuVivier & Co.

Old Underoof -- Chas.Dennehy & Co

Old Valley -- Woodrow & George

Owl Club -- Wm.S.Turner

Oxford -- Simon Kenton Co.

Paddy -- Cork Distributer

Paddy -- York Distilleries

Paddy -- Austin, Nichols & Co

Paul Jones -- Frankfort Distilleries

Perfection -- D.& J. Mc Callum's

Pernod -- Julius Wile Sons

Pilgrimage -- W.H.McBrayer

Pioneer, The -- Seagram Distillers

Pimm's Cup -- Julius Wile Sons

Pointer -- Gottschalk Co.

Pot Still Gin -- Milshire

Prince Hurbert Polignac -- Dennis & Hippert

Private Stock -- Cincinnati Distillers

Queen Louise -- Rose City Importing Co

Ramshead -- Hannah & Hogg

Red Top Rye -- Ferdinand Westheimer & Sons

Remy Martin -- Renfield Importers Ltd

Richwood -- W.H. McBrayer

Robin Olg -- Geo. Beer & Son

Rock Hill -- Wm.S.Turner

Rock Spring -- Dudley P.Ely

Rock & Rye -- Sheldon co.

Rogers -- United Distributing Co

Ronrico -- General Wine & Spirits Co

Rose Annoo -- Henry Hollander

Rosebud -- Applegate & Sons

Rose Wood -- General Distillers Corp.

Royal Club -- John N.Thomas & Co.

Secrestat Bitters -- G.S.Nicholas & Co.

Sheridan Club -- Despres Distilling Co

Silver Lake -- Seagram Distillers

Silver Thistle -- Hannah & Hogg

Stag -- A.M. Bininger & Co

Stand Fast -- Grant's

Standard -- Steinhardt Bros. & Co.

Sterling -- Steinhardt Bros, & Co.

Storm King -- J.C. Childs & Co.

Strega -- Canada Dry Imprt Co.

Summerfield -- Cobb Hersey Co.

Sunbeam -- Cobb Hersey Co

Sunny Valley -- Revere Distilling Co.

Susquehanna -- W.H. McBrayer

Swan Gin -- Ferd.Ruttman & Son

Sweet Home -- Altschul Distilling Co

Tea Kettle -- W.H.McBrayer

Tia Maria -- W.A.Taylor & Co.

Trimble -- White, Hentz & Co.

Tullamore Dew -- Munson G.Shaw Co.

Upper Ten -- H.& H.W Catherwood

Usher's Whiskey -- G.S.Nicholas & Co.

Virginia Gentleman -- Austin, Nichols & co.

Waterfill & Frazier -- W.H. McBrayer

Whipple Creek -- General Distillers Corp

White Dove -- Revere Distilliing Co.

White Label -- John Krissel & Son

White Label -- John Dewar & Sons

White Lily -- Cobb Hersey Co.

White Horse -- Mackie & Coy

White Seal -- Carstairs

Wild Cat -- Seagram Distillers

Wolf Creek -- Frankfort Distilleries

Woodland -- Crigler and Crigler

w.w.w -- Angela Myers

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:

Whiskey, Liquor, and Spirits 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:

advertising -- Alcoholic beverages  Search this

advertising -- Beverages  Search this

Alcohol  Search this

Alcoholism  Search this

Bars (Drinking establishments)  Search this

Beverages  Search this

Beverages -- 20th century  Search this

Beverages -- advertising -- 1940-1990  Search this

Consumer goods -- Catalogs  Search this

Dining  Search this

Distilleries  Search this

Drinking of alcoholic beverages -- Law and legislation  Search this

Drinking behavior  Search this

Food  Search this

Labels -- Alcoholic beverages  Search this

Labels -- Design  Search this

Medicine  Search this

Restaurants  Search this

Retail trade  Search this

Restaurants -- United States  Search this

Taverns (Inns)  Search this

Trade associations  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertising

Advertising fliers

Advertising cards

Advertising mail

Advertisements

Beverage labels

Business cards

Business letters

Business ephemera

Business records

Caricatures

Catalogues

Commercial catalogs

Commercial correspondence

Correspondence

Ephemera

Invoices

Illustrations

Labels

Instructional materials

Legal documents

Legislation (legal concepts)

Letterheads

Mail order catalogs

Manuals

Manufacturers' catalogs

Menus

Menus -- 20th century

Menus -- 21st century

Menus -- 1940-1950

Periodicals

Printed ephemera

Print advertising

Publications

Publications -- Business

Recipes

Receipts

Sales catalogs

Sales letters

Sales records

Signs (declaratory or advertising artifacts)

Trade catalogs

Trade cards

Trade literature

Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Whiskey, Liquor, and Spirits, 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.Whiskey

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Whiskey, Liquor, and Spirits

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

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

Maker:

unknown  Search this

Physical Description:

ink (overall material)

paper (overall material)

Measurements:

image: 6 1/8 in x 5 3/4 in; 15.5575 cm x 14.605 cm

Object Name:

lithograph

Object Type:

Lithograph

Broadside

Place made:

World

Date made:

n.d.

Subject:

Horses  Search this

Communication, newspapers  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.2820

Catalog number:

60.2820

Accession number:

228146

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a3-cd78-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325112

Maker:

Mayer, Merkel & Ottmann  Search this

Artist:

Schultz, A. J.  Search this

Measurements:

image: 17 in x 23 7/8 in; 43.18 cm x 60.6425 cm

Object Name:

lithograph

Object Type:

Lithograph

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Date made:

1885

Subject:

Horses  Search this

Chronology: 1880-1889  Search this

Architecture, Domestic Buildings  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3546

Catalog number:

60.3546

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-0c38-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325753

Publisher:

Vacuum Oil Co.  Search this

Maker:

Donaldson Brothers  Search this

Artist:

Cameron, John  Search this

Measurements:

image: 17 in x 24 1/2 in; 43.18 cm x 62.23 cm

Object Name:

chromolithograph

Object Type:

Chromolithograph

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Depicted:

United States: New York

Date made:

1874

Subject:

Horses  Search this

Chronology: 1870-1879  Search this

Horse Racing  Search this

Architecture, Commercial Buildings  Search this

Related event:

Goldsmith Maid Race  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3534

Catalog number:

60.3534

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Clothing & Accessories

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-075e-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325757

Publisher:

Brewster & Co.  Search this

Maker:

Endicott and Company  Search this

Artist:

Oertel, Johannes Adam Simon  Search this

Measurements:

image: 19 3/4 in x 31 3/4 in; 50.165 cm x 80.645 cm

Object Name:

lithograph

Object Type:

Lithograph

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Date made:

1862

Subject:

Architecture, Commercial Buildings  Search this

Horseback Riding  Search this

Chronology: 1860-1869  Search this

Pets  Search this

Horses  Search this

Blacks  Search this

Wagons  Search this

Related event:

Civil War  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3563

Catalog number:

60.3563

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Clothing & Accessories

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-00ce-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325773

Maker:

Mayer & Merkel  Search this

Original artist:

Humphrey, Charles S.  Search this

Artist:

Geissler, L.  Search this

Measurements:

image: 17 7/8 in x 24 in; 45.4025 cm x 60.96 cm

Object Name:

chromolithograph

Object Type:

Chromolithograph

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Date made:

1869

Subject:

Architecture  Search this

Chronology: 1860-1869  Search this

Patriotism and Patriotic Symbols  Search this

Horses  Search this

Horse Racing  Search this

Wagons  Search this

Architecture, Domestic Buildings  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3566

Catalog number:

60.3566

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Clothing & Accessories

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-01d7-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325776

Maker:

Homer Lee & Co.  Search this

Measurements:

image: 15 1/4 in x 20 1/2 in; 38.735 cm x 52.07 cm

Object Name:

engraving

Object Type:

Engraving

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Date made:

1878

Subject:

Architecture, Domestic Buildings  Search this

Chronology: 1870-1879  Search this

Horses  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3592

Catalog number:

60.3592

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-0c41-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325800

Printer:

Bell, Jared W.  Search this

Measurements:

image: 79.5866 cm x 43.18 cm; 31 5/16 in x 17 in

Object Name:

wood engraving

Object Type:

Woodcut

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Date made:

1849

Subject:

Expositions and Fairs  Search this

Chronology: 1840-1849  Search this

Communication, broadsides  Search this

Horses  Search this

Horse Racing  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3597

Catalog number:

60.3597

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Clothing & Accessories

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-0c42-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325808

Maker:

unknown  Search this

Measurements:

image: 8 in x 10 1/2 in; 20.32 cm x 26.67 cm

Object Name:

chromolithograph

Object Type:

Chromolithograph

Place made:

World

Date made:

1889

Subject:

Horses  Search this

Chronology: 1880-1889  Search this

Horse Racing  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3637

Catalog number:

60.3637

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-0d7c-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_325849

Maker:

Currier & Ives  Search this

Worth, Thomas  Search this

Measurements:

overall (poster): 41 3/4 in x 29 1/2 in; 106.045 cm x 74.93 cm

image (print): 18 in x 26 3/4 in; 45.72 cm x 67.945 cm

Object Name:

lithograph

poster

Place made:

United States: New York, New York City

Depicted:

United States: Connecticut

Date made:

1889

Subject:

Horses  Search this

Chronology: 1880-1889  Search this

Horse Racing  Search this

Related event:

Hartford Races  Search this

Credit Line:

Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection

ID Number:

DL.60.3229

Catalog number:

60.3229

See more items in:

Cultural and Community Life: Domestic Life

Clothing & Accessories

Domestic Furnishings

Art

Horses

Advertising

Peters Prints

Sports & Leisure

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-10dc-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_326136

Interviewer:

Edwards, Nanci  Search this

Fleckner, John A., 1941-  Search this

Green , Rayna, Curator, 1942-  Search this

Johnson, Paula, Curator  Search this

Creator:

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

Names:

Red, White, and American (symposium, Washington, D.C. 1996).  Search this

Crew, Spencer R., 1949-  Search this

Interviewee:

Abreu, David  Search this

Barrett, James L. , 1926-2013  Search this

Black, Hollis  Search this

Black, Pat  Search this

Black, Tom, 1959-  Search this

Brambila, Gustavo  Search this

Browning, Keith  Search this

DePuy Dickenson, Joanne, 1927-  Search this

Dias Blue, Anthony  Search this

Draper, Paul, 1936-  Search this

Gallagher, Patricia  Search this

Gates, David S.  Search this

Grgich, Mike (Miljenko), 1923  Search this

Herrera, Rolando  Search this

Kinzbrunner, Rick  Search this

Kuhn, Ron  Search this

Mandy, Steven , Dr.  Search this

Orr, James  Search this

Robledo, Reynaldo  Search this

Schuster, Danny  Search this

Spurrier, Steven  Search this

Taber, George  Search this

Winiarski, Warren  Search this

Speaker:

Foley, Dennis  Search this

Levenstein, Harvey A., 1938-  Search this

Extent:

3 Cubic feet (10 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Audiotapes

Interviews

Photographs

Print advertising

Programs

Videotapes

Date:

1976-2005

bulk 1996-2001

Scope and Contents:

The collection is divided into six series. It includes mostly printed materials and interviews, and dates from approximately 1976 to 2005. There are wine-related event materials, interview transcripts and audiotapes, printed material and histories from people and institutions representing a wide spectrum of the wine business. Wine-related objects, such vineyard and winery tools, are stored with the Museum's artifact collections; documentary materials are held in the Archives Center. Materials from each special event are organized into separate series, which contain records generated at the events and interviews. Series one contains the "Red, White and American Records," series two the "Collectors Event," and series three the "Wine Writers Event." Interviews conducted independently of these events are included in series four. All of the interviews have been partially transcribed and include an abstract and various forms of audiotapes and discs. Series five is composed of printed materials that relate to both specific individuals in the wine business and to more general American wine topics. Most of this material consists of photocopies of original articles. There are also files with materials by and about specific wine writers, such as Anthony Dias Blue, William Heinz, and Dick Rosano. Series five also contains an original telex of George Taber's article about the 1976 Paris Tasting. Series six consists of visual materials, including two landscape photographs of an vineyard in Oregon and two videotaped documentaries on Napa.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1: Red, White, and American : Wine in American History and Culture Records, 1976-1996

Series 2: Collections Event, 2001

Series 3: Reflections: A Day in the Life of a Wine Writer Event, 2002

Series 4: Interviews, 1997-2001

Series 5: Printed Materials, 1997-2001

Series 6: Visual Materials, undated

Series 7; Interviews, 2013

Biographical / Historical:

The American Wine History Project began in 1996 with the intention to document the history of American winemaking, mainly for the post-1950 period. While the project includes winemaking areas around the country, the focus has been on northern and central California. The Project explores the convergence of craft, culture, science, technology, and the environment in modern American winemaking. In conjunction with the project, the Smithsonian held a 2-day symposium, "Red, White and American," with a small accompanying exhibition, entitled, "Doubtless as Good: Jefferson's Dream for American Wine Fulfilled," in 1996 and began gathering objects and other documentation.

Since 1997, National Museum of American History staff members have traveled to California to conduct interviews, take photographs and video footage, and gather materials for the Smithsonian collection from grape growers, winemakers, winery owners, and others important to the business, including wine writers and chefs. Some of the materials were generated from events in Napa, such as the collectors and wine writers events, that were held specifically for the purpose of adding documentation to the Smithsonian project. The documentation project is on-going so materials will continue to be added to the collection.

Provenance:

Some of the materials were generated by the Smithsonian Institution, such as those in series 1 through 3. Others were given by separate donors between 1996 and 2002.

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:

Wine industry  Search this

Wine and wine making  Search this

Genre/Form:

Audiotapes -- 1990-2000

Interviews -- 1980-2000

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Print advertising

Programs -- 1980-2000

Videotapes -- 1990-2000

Citation:

American Wine Documentation Project, 1976-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0817

See more items in:

American Wine Documentation Project

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0817

Creator:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951  Search this

Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935  Search this

Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green  Search this

Extent:

10 Cubic feet (30 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Photomechanical reproductions

Date:

1883-1998

Summary:

Print advertisements covering almost the entire history of Ivory Soap, including advertisements designed by artists including Jesse Wilcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and J. C. Leyendecker.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of print advertising and publications covering almost the entire history of Ivory Soap. Researchers may use this collection to examine the evolution of advertising strategies and techniques from the very early days of mass-produced brand-name consumer products to the present. From the beginning, Ivory advertisements proclaimed the product's "99 and 44/100%" purity, its ability to float, and its versatility. The collection, however, is much more than a glimpse into advertising history. It is an extremely rich resource for a wide range of cultural studies. Ivory advertising was primarily aimed at women, and it contains many images of women, babies, and young children. The depictions reflect contemporary attitudes toward class structure, race, immigrants and residents of other countries, cleanliness, and domestic relationships. The advertisements often play upon the guilt of women, suggesting that their main concerns should be their husbands, children, and dishpan hands. Many advertisements associate cleanliness with social and religious propriety, physical fitness, and athleticism. There also are many images of men and women performing every-day tasks in gender-defined situations.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements, 1883-1998, undated

Series 2: Publications, 1883-1969, undated

Biographical / Historical:

In 1837, candle maker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble formed a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, to sell their products. The new company prospered, and by 1859 Procter & Gamble sales reached one million dollars. Contracts with the United States Army during the Civil War to supply soap and candles increased Procter & Gamble's customer base and reputation. In 1879, James Norris Gamble, son of the founder, developed an inexpensive pure white soap. A factory worker who forgot to shut off the soap-making machine when he left for lunch inadvertently improved the product. When he returned, the soap mixture was frothy due to the air that had been whipped into it, and the resulting soap cakes floated in water. There was immediate demand for the "floating soap." After considering many names for the new product, Harley Procter, son of the founder, finally named the soap "Ivory" after Psalms 45:8: "All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made thee glad." Chemical analyses of the soap in 1882 revealed that 56/100 of the ingredients were not pure soap. Harley Procter subtracted that amount from one hundred and the slogan "99 and 44/100% pure" was born. The first ads appeared in 1882 in The Independent, a weekly newspaper.

Innovations in production, distribution, and market research contributed to Procter & Gamble's success. Procter & Gamble also developed other products such as Ivory Flakes, Chipso (the first dishwasher soap), and Crisco. By 1945, Procter & Gamble had become a nearly $350 million company. The company also was an innovator in advertising, developing creative print advertisements aimed at different target groups, sponsoring radio shows and comic strips, and airing its first television commercial (for Ivory Soap) during the first televised major league baseball game. Procter & Gamble is now a global company, selling more than 250 products, including Ivory Soap, to five billion customers in 130 countries.

Related Materials:

Several collections in the Archives Center have materials relating to Ivory Soap. The J. Walter Wilkinson Papers contain art he created for Ivory Soap advertisements. The Ivory Soap 1940 Essay Contest Collection consists of documents relating to the contest and its winner, Helen Nixon. The Procter & Gamble Product Packaging Collection, 1940s-1970s, includes Ivory brand products. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana's "Soap" subject category contains documents relating to Procter & Gamble and other manufacturers. About twenty-five per cent of the advertisements in this collection are reproduced in the Archives Center's digital image library. The library is located in the "American Stories" section of the Center's World Wide Web pages: http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/archives

Separated Materials:

Artifacts donated to the Division of Medicine and Science.

Provenance:

Procter & Gamble donated this collection to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution on October 24, 2001.

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:

advertising  Search this

Soap  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements -- 20th century

Photomechanical reproductions

Advertisements -- 19th century

Citation:

Ivory Soap Collection, 1883-1998, undated; Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Procter & Gamble.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0791

See more items in:

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0791

Advertiser:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Donor:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Collection Creator:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951  Search this

Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935  Search this

Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (b&w. Ink on paper (photomechanical reproduction)., 28 x 21.5 cm.)

Container:

Box 9, Folder 24

Type:

Archival materials

Print advertising

Scope and Contents:

Illustration of hands in bowl of water with flowers. Similar to 0207910016.tif.

Local Numbers:

Ivorydata4 3

0207910656 (Scan No.)

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

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

Topic:

hands -- Care and hygiene  Search this

Soap  Search this

Genre/Form:

Print advertising

Collection Citation:

Ivory Soap Collection, 1883-1998, undated; Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Procter & Gamble.

See more items in:

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Japanese-language

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0791-ref1559

Advertiser:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Donor:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Collection Creator:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951  Search this

Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935  Search this

Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (b&w; Ink on paper (photomechanical reproduction)., 24 x 31.5 cm.)

Container:

Box 9, Folder 24

Type:

Archival materials

Print advertising

Photographs

Place:

Honolulu (Hawaii)

Scope and Contents:

Photograph of catcher and umpire in baseball game. With Ivory soap image, upper right.

Local Numbers:

Ivorydata4 4

0207910657 (Scan No.)

Collection Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Collection Rights:

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

Topic:

Sports -- 1930-1940  Search this

Baseball  Search this

Candles  Search this

Soap  Search this

Men in advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Print advertising

Photographs -- Reproductions

Collection Citation:

Ivory Soap Collection, 1883-1998, undated; Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Procter & Gamble.

See more items in:

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Japanese-language

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0791-ref1560

Advertiser:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Donor:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Collection Creator:

Procter & Gamble Company  Search this

Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951  Search this

Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935  Search this

Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green  Search this

Extent:

1 Item (col. ; Ink on paper (photomechanical reproduction)., 29.5 x 21.5 cm.)

Container:

Box 9, Folder 25

Type:

Archival materials

Print advertising

Comics

Photographs

Date:

1939

Scope and Contents:

Advertisement for Ivory Flakes. Photograph of woman in red dress on white fur rug; photographs of saleswoman, housekeeper, and golfer. Comic strip, "The Young Married Set," at bottom.

Local Numbers:

Ivorydata4 5

0207910658 (Scan No.)

Publication:

True Story, July 1939

Restrictions:

Unrestricted research use on site by appointment. Reproduction restrictions due to copyright.

Collection Rights:

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

Topic:

Women in advertising  Search this

hands -- Care and hygiene  Search this

Hosiery  Search this

Soap  Search this

Genre/Form:

Print advertising

Comics

Photographs -- Reproductions

Collection Citation:

Ivory Soap Collection, 1883-1998, undated; Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Procter & Gamble.

See more items in:

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection

Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-nmah-ac-0791-ref1561