Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Do not use original materials when available on reference video or audio tapes.
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:
Archives Center Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
United States of America -- Oregon -- Washington County -- Beaverton
Date:
10/01/1990
General:
The opening of the NIKE, Inc. World Headquarters in October, 1990 has attracted visitors from all over the world. Facing west from reception courtyard.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection dates from circa 1981 to 2018 and consists of photographic prints, negatives, posters, art prints, DVDs and printed and manuscript materials. Photographs depict architecture, agricultural work, beadwork, weaving, village scenes, artists, artists at work, artworks, markets, celebrations, scenic views, animals, churches and mosques. Most depict Kunama or Saho peoples, particularly women and children. LaDuke also regularly photographed war zones during the Border War, especially those in Nakfa and Gelebe, portraying Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Locations include villages in Ethiopia and Eritrea, particularly Senafe, Nakfa and Massawa, as well as Border War zones various battlefields and camps for internally displaced persons.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of 3,194 color photographs (20 x 24 inches or smaller), 2,488 color 35 mm negatives, a copy of a sketchbook, 11 posters, 24 art prints, biographical materials, correspondence, printed materials, and 3 DVDs, created by Betty LaDuke in circa 1981-2018.
The majority of the photographs were taken in Eritrea, including in Agordat, Asmara, Barentu, Emebet, Geleba, Keren, Massawa, Mendefera, Nakfa, Senafe and Serona, though some were taken in Ethiopia, especially in Lalibela. Images depict architecture, agricultural work, beadwork, weaving, village scenes, artists, artists at work, artworks, markets, celebrations, scenic views, animals, churches and mosques. Most of the photos depict Kunama or Saho peoples, particularly women and children. LaDuke also regularly photographed war zones during the Border War, especially those in Nakfa and Gelebe, portraying Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, Red Cross workers, World Food Program supply tents and the Tacoumbia Food Distribution Center. Other notable subjects include the National Union of Eritrean Women (NUEW), artwork in the Saint George Gallery and children at Dekemhare School.
LaDuke frequently documented art workshops that she attended, artwork and exhibits. Many of her photos depict artwork by Berhane Adonais, Michael Adonais, Mussie Asgodam, Haile Berthe, Danny Dafla, Isak Fasil, Josief Idris, Terhas Iyassu, Elsa Yacob, Abraham Mogos, Kiros Adebe, Tzeghereda Yohannes, Teamrat Ghidei, Afewerki Asmeron, Demoz Russom and Jacob Abraha, as well as the artists themselves at work, socializing or posing by their finished artwork. Additionally, the collection includes four pen and ink drawings by the artists Afewerki Haile, Yoseirf G. Idris and Fessahaie Zemicael, and a number of art prints by LaDuke.
A copy of LaDuke's sketchbook depicts scenes in Asmara and surrounding areas, Tekul, Aidkeh, Keren, Barantu, Tocumbia, Mendefera, Senafe and Massawa. LaDuke sketched village, market and street scenes, celebrations, churchgoers at a Coptic Church, animals, Saho basketmakers, Kunama peoples, St. George's Restaurant and grain mill workers, among other subjects.
Biographical Materials include artist statements and biographical notes, a letter announcing LaDuke as winner of the Vida Scudder Award, a blank registration form for the Northern National Art Competition, for which LaDuke served as judge, a letter to LaDuke from Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan, exhibit schedules and a resume.
The printed material in the collection includes clippings of publications in which LaDuke's artwork is featured, such as Sojourners, Ashland Magazine, School Arts Magazine and Calyx, promotional materials and a holiday notecard produced by Heifer International, announcements and posters. Exhibition files for LaDuke's shows include clippings, announcements, catalogs, photos, correspondence and a CD-ROM of her photos. Additionally, there are a substantial number of exhibit reviews published in such magazines and newspapers as The Oregonian, The Christian Science Monitor and the Durango Herald.
Finally, the collection contains three DVDs entitled Africa Between Myth and Reality (circa 2000), Betty LaDuke: Art Reflection Life (2006), and With Love from Eritrea (2018)which document LaDuke's artistic process and artwork.
Arrangement note:
The collection is organized into 10 series:
Series 1: Photographic Prints, 1994-2002 (3,031 prints; Binders 1-7)
Series 2: Sketchbook (Copy), circa 1998 (1 Book; Binder 8)
Series 3: Color Photographic Prints, 1986-2003 (135 items; Boxes 9-10)
Series 4: Exhibition-Related Prints, Photographs and Posters, circa 1992-circa 2002 (21 items; Box 11)
Series 5: Art Prints and Matted Color Photographic Prints by LaDuke, 2001, 2008, undated (38 items; Boxes 12-13)
Series 6: Biographical Materials, circa 1999-circa 2009 (6 folders; Box 15)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1996-2008 (32 folders, Boxes 15-16)
Series 8: A/V Material, circa 2000-2018 (3 DVDs, Box 17)
Series 9: Art Prints and Poster by Other Artists, 1994, undated (5 items; Box 18)
Series 10: Negatives, 1994-2002 (2,488 items)
Biographical/Historical note:
Artist, writer, professor and multicultural women's art advocate Betty LaDuke (b. 1933) was born in the Bronx to Russian and Polish immigrant parents. She attended California State University in Los Angeles and the Otis College of Art and Design. After three years of teaching junior high art in East Los Angeles, LaDuke moved to Ashland, Oregon in 1964 to accept a position in the art department at Southern Oregon University, where she would teach for over 30 years. Beginning in 1972, she began to undertake annual research journeys to Asia, Latin America, Oceania and Africa, where she found inspiration for the paintings and prints that would make up her circulating exhibits. Upon her retirement from teaching in 1996, LaDuke began to travel to project sites of Heifer International, a humanitarian organization concerned with world hunger and environmental sustainability. These experiences inspired a new phase of her work, including a return to mural painting. LaDuke has published several books on women's art and has been the subject of a book by Gloria Feman Orenstein, entitled Multi-Cultural Celebrations: the Paintings of Betty LaDuke 1972-1992.
Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. The negatives are located in cold storage. All negatives have been digitized and are available online.
Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
182 Items (typed unbound pages with solid wood covers)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 9
Type:
Archival materials
Diaries
Place:
China
Beijing (China)
China -- Description and Travel
Date:
1925-1926
Scope and Contents note:
Binding removed, 9 ½" x 6". 182 pages. First entry, 30 June 1925. Last entry, 13 March 1926. Inscribed, "The Memoirs of MA". Wood cover. In the introduction, March wrote, "Chronicles of Benjamin" had, for three years, served as a journal, notebook, and record for himself of places he visited. Said that since he's now not alone that it is fitting to rename his notes, "Memoirs of MA." (Chinese name of his family). ["Chronicles of Benjamin" may be found in Series V, subseries B, photo albums.]
Scope and Contents:
A diary typed by the young Chinese art scholar Benjamin March from June 1925 to March 1926 describing his life in China. Events include March's marriage to the author Dorothy Rowe (1898-1969) in Nanjing, their honeymoon in Hangzhou and Suzhou, and their subsequent life in Beijing. March describes hikes through scenic areas in Hangzhou and Beijing; his acquaintance with scholars such as John Calvin Ferguson and Alan Priest; attending performances by Ruth St. Denis and Mei Lanfang, and his work at Yenching University.
The Memoirs of Ma
Biographical / Historical:
East Asian art historian, curator and lecturer, Benjamin Franklin March Jr., was born in Chicago on July 4, 1899 to Benjamin and Isabel March. He studied, lectured, and wrote in the United States and China and through his works gained respect as one of the foremost authorities on Chinese art during the 1920s and 1930s. March was East Asian art lecturer at the University of Michigan, and curator of Asian art at the Detroit Institute of Art. Although he lived only thirty-five years, Benjamin March was a respected and influential scholar of Asian art.
Benjamin March Papers, FSA.A.1995.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Judith March Davis, 1995
The collection consists of materials relating to the creation and operation of the restaurant chain known as the Coon Chicken Inn.
Scope and Contents:
The collection consists of materials collected by Maxon L. Graham, the founder and operator of Coon Chicken Inn. The restaurants were located in Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon and operated from the 1920s into the 1950s. There were materials in a loose leaf notebook consisting of personal papers, business ephemera and photographs. These materials are arranged by type. For preservation purposes the scrapbooks were dismantled and the covers and pages were placed in folders while still maintaining the original order.
Series 1, Coon Chicken Inn Business Records, 1926-1948, undated, consists of agreements, bills, checks, contracts, receipts, promotional materials and other business ephemera. There are also menus, matchbooks, postcards, placemats, table cards, sales checks, and recipes. The materials are arranged in chronological order.
Series 2, Maxon L. Graham Personal Papers, 1933-1942, undated, relates primarily to his professional activities and gun collection. The materials are arranged in chronological order.
Series 3, Photographs, 1925-1930s,; undated, primarily documents interior, exterior, and aerial views of Coon Chicken Inns in Salt Lake City, Utah; Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. There is also a photograph of Mr. Graham's gun collection and an unidentified group.
Series 4, Scrapbooks, 1917-1973, includes, two scrapbooks created to document the Coon Chicken Inn restaurants and the Graham family.
Scrapbook One, 1917-1941, undated, includes a front cover, thirty eight loose sheets, seventy six pages and a back cover. The materials in this scrapbook are not arranged in any particular order and consist of menus, table cards, business cards, advertisements, brochures, photographs, newspaper clippings and publications. Some pages have small objects attached to them, including meal tokens, a belt buckle and a pointing hand. Materials relating to the Graham family include Maxon Graham's draft card, a wedding announcement and photographs of their homes. In addition there is an autographed photograph of entertainer Webb Holmes. The pages are numbered and divided into folders in the original order.
Scrapbook Two 1914-1973, undated, includes a front cover, thirty six loose sheets seventy two pages and a back cover. Materials in this scrapbook are not arranged in any particular order and consist of menus, table cards, checks, a survey for a building lot, advertisements, annual reports, a liquor permit, photographs of restaurant staff, newspaper clippings and publications. Personal materials relating to the Graham family include an obituary for Adelaide Graham, articles about the purchase of a private residence, realtor's advertisement for new home, a telegram about a party, M. L. Graham's international driver's license, Christmas cards and M.L. Graham's high school report card. The pages are numbered and divided into folders in the original order.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into four series.
Series 1, Coon Chicken Inn Business Records, 1926-1948, undated
Series 2, Maxon L. Graham Personal Papers, 1933-1942, undated
Series 3, Photographs, 1925-1930s, undated
Series 4, Scrapbooks, 1917-1973, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Coon Chicken Inn was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Maxon Lester Graham and his wife Adelaide Burt Graham. At only sixteen years of age, Mr. Graham was already an established businessman, having secured the ownership of a Metz automobile dealership in 1913. Newly married and in possession of both an easily-prepared fried chicken recipe and two thousand dollars from a recent business deal, the couple went into the restaurant business and opened the first Coon Chicken Inn in 1925. Initially it was a simple lunch counter that served hamburgers, chili, sandwiches, cakes, pies and their signature "southern fried Coon Chicken sandwich." The chicken was a big hit. The restaurant expanded after a 1927 fire, completely rebuilding on a larger scale. In 1929, the Grahams opened another Coon Chicken Inn in Seattle, Washington. The couple moved to Seattle, retaining the Salt Lake City restaurant. Business boomed, and a cabaret, dance floor, and orchestra were added to both restaurants along with larger dining rooms and delivery trucks for catering. In 1930, a third restaurant opened in Portland, Oregon. The Grahams operated their small chain successfully into the 1950s, when they closed the restaurants and leased out the properties.
This small restaurant chain is memorable, unfortunately, because of the image the Grahams choose as the logo, sign, and symbol to distinguish their establishments¬--a round, toothy, grinning face of an African American man wearing a porter's cap and a winking eye. The mouth of this huge head formed the entrance to the restaurants; customers literally walked in through the gaping mouth. According to an account written by Scott Farrar, the Graham's grandson, his grandfather decided "if a gimmick were added for the children it would help bring in the parents." The image appeared on every menu, napkin, utensil, and dish used in the restaurants; the Grahams may have seen the grinning face as representing persons skilled in the art of "southern" cooking, a highly-regarded cuisine until then virtually unavailable in Utah and the Pacific Northwest. Today, Coon Chicken Inn artifacts and other stereotypical images of African Americans are highly collectible items.
See website: http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/links/chicken/ for more information about Coon Chicken Inn.
Provenance:
The collection was purchased by the Museum from Maxon and Adelaide Graham's grandson in 2009.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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.
Citation:
Coon Chicken Inn Records and Graham Family Papers, 1913-1973, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Page 13, business license, Salt Lake City, 1928 January; newspaper clipping and proposed restaurant location in Portland, Oregon; contract with Peterson Sign Company, Salt Lake City
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:
Coon Chicken Inn Records and Graham Family Papers, 1913-1973, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
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:
Coon Chicken Inn Records and Graham Family Papers, 1913-1973, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Pages 34-36, full-page advertisement for restaurant opening in Portland, Oregon Daily Journal, 1931 September 11; Portland restaurant exterior and kitchen; Salt Lake City restaurant interiors
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:
Coon Chicken Inn Records and Graham Family Papers, 1913-1973, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
The papers of California painter, printmaker, and art instructor Dorr Bothwell date from 1900-2006, and measure 10.6 linear feet and 1.72 GB. Found within the papers are biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, notes and writings, five diaries, art work and 19 sketchbooks, three scrapbooks, printed material, and print and digital photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of California painter, printmaker, and art instructor Dorr Bothwell date from 1900-2006, and measure 10.6 linear feet and 1.72 GB. Found within the papers are biographical material, correspondence, personal business records, notes and writings, five diaries, art work and 19 sketchbooks, three scrapbooks, printed material, and print and digital photographs.
Biographical material consists of biographical sketches, resumés, identity cards, award certificates, typescripts of autobiographical interviews, address books, and a file concerning UFOs, spirituality, and philosophy.
Correspondence consists of letters exchanged between Bothwell and her colleagues and friends discussing their art-related activities, travel, and birthday greetings. There are scattered letters from Ansel and Virginia Adams, Etel Adnan, Benjamin Chinn, Claire Falkenstein, and Emmy Lou Packard.
Personal business records include teaching contracts, contracts and royalty statements for the publication of Bothwell's book Notan, insurance records, income tax records, records concerning a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, estate records, card files, lists of art work, price lists, exhibition entry cards, receipts for the sale of art work, travel receipts, medical receipts, and consignment/sales records.
Notes and writings include three diaries, two travel journals, guest books, miscellaneous lists, schedules of classes for various organizations and art schools including the Ansel Adams Yosemite Workshop, typescripts of lecture notes, and miscellaneous notes. There are also scattered writings by Bothwell and others.
Seventeen sketchbooks, including several completed during Bothwell's travels, and one dated 1942 illustrated with daily drawings of her activities while preparing for World War II, are found within the papers. There are also miscellaneous drawings, collages, a serigraph It's Time for a Change, an etching by Martha Jackson, and a drawing by Charles Howard.
Three scrapbooks contain clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, programs, and photographs of art work. Scrapbook 3 contains materials concerning spiritualism and mysticism. Additional printed material consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, press releases, brochures for art classes, the sale of art work, travel, and camera equipment, reproductions of art work, picture postcards, programs, books, and miscellaneous commercial business cards.
Photographs are of Bothwell, her mother and brother, her studio/residences, miscellaneous friends and colleagues including her former husband, sculptor Donal Hord, miscellaneous events, and art classes conducted by Bothwell. There are also photographs of art work by Bothwell and others, as well as numerous photographs and slides of travel various forms in nature that Bothwell would incorporate into her art work.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 8 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1939-2001 (Box 1, 11, 13, 15; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1942-2002 (Box 1-3, 13; 2.3 linear feet)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1925-2006 (Box 3-4; 0.7 linear feet)
Series 4: Notes and Writings, 1949-1998 (Box 4, 11, 14, 15; 0.8 linear feet.)
Series 5: Art Work, 1920-1994 (Box 4-5, 11, 13, 16, 17; 1.5 linear feet)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1926-1979 (Box 5, 11, 12; 0.5 linear feet)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1923-2000 (Box 5-7, 12, 13; 1.8 linear feet)
Series 8: Photographs, 1900-2001 (Box 7-9, 10; 2.4 linear feet, ER01-ER04; 1.72 GB)
Biographical Note:
Dorr Bothwell (1902-2000) worked primarily in California as a painter, printmaker, and art instructor.
Doris Bothwell was born on May 3, 1902 in San Francisco, and later changed her first name to Dorr in order to more easily enter the art business. Bothwell began her art studies in 1916 with her parents' friend Anna Valentien, a student of Rodin. Between 1921 and 1922, she studied at the California School of Fine Art, and continued her studies at the University of Oregon at Eugene. After attending the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in 1924, she established her own studio in San Francisco from 1924 to 1927. Also during this time Bothwell, with eight other artists opened the Modern Gallery on Montgomery Street, mounting her first solo exhibition there in 1927.
Between 1928 and 1929, Bothwell traveled to American Samoa, where she created paintings and drawings, and documented tapa (barkcloth) drawings for the Bishop Museum of Honolulu. She then spent a year of study in Europe, returning to San Diego, California in 1931 and marrying sculptor Donal Hord. Four years later, they divorced and she moved to Los Angeles where she worked for the pottery manufacturer Gladding McBean, joined the post-surrealist group around Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg and opened the Bothwell-Cooke Gallery.
Between 1936 and 1939, Bothwell worked in the mural division of the Federal Arts Project of Los Angeles, and learned the art of serigraph printing. She designed dioramas and mechanized exhibitions for the Los Angeles County Museum. In 1940 she also created murals in the Manning Coffee Restaurant in San Francisco.
After teaching color and design at the California School of Fine Art in San Francisco from 1944 to 1948, Bothwell was awarded the Abraham Rosenberg Traveling Scholarship that financed study in Paris from 1949 to the fall of 1951. In 1952 she taught textile design for mass production at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.
Returning to San Francisco, Bothwell taught again at the California School of Fine Art from 1953 to 1958, and at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1959 to 1960. From 1960 to 1961 she took a sabbatical in England and France, creating paintings for an exhibition. In 1962 she was asked to teach at the new Mendocino Art Center and she taught there until 1983. She was also asked by Ansel Adams to teach design and composition for photographers at his Yosemite Workshop summer sessions, which she did from 1964 to 1977.
From 1966 to 1967, Bothwell documented indigo dying techniques, strip weaving, and pottery in Western Nigeria and Tunisia. In 1968, she published her book, co-authored with Marlys Frey, NOTAN The Principle of Dark-Light Design. The book was reissued in 1991. Bothwell continued her travels from 1970 to 1971, when she studied 12th century enamels in England, France, and Holland, and conducted a symposium, "Notan Design," for the London Educational Authority. In 1974, she traveled to Bali, Java, and Sumatra, making a slide documentary on batik, woodcarving, and folk design.
In 1977 Bothwell moved to Joshua Tree, California, from Mendocino in Northern California, but moved back and forth between the two studio/residences until 1992 when she moved to her last residence on the desert at Apache Junction, Arizona. From 1979 to 1980, she taught composition at the Victor School of Photography in Colorado and a design course at the Women's Art Guild in Kauai, Hawaii. Following a tour of China with a watercolor artists' group in 1982, Bothwell conducted workshops at the Mendocino Art Center. In 1985, she traveled to Japan.
Dorr Bothwell died on September 24, 2000 in Fort Bragg, California.
Provenance:
The Dorr Bothwell papers were donated in 1978 by the artist, and in 2002, 2009, and 2012 by the Dorr Bothwell Trust.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
The collection documents Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company, a Portland, Oregon company that manufactures, packages and distributes frozen Chinese food from 1950-present.
Scope and Contents:
The records of a Portland, Oregon company that made, packaged and distributed frozen Chinese food. The collection includes the incorporation papers of the business, correspondence, photographs, product packaging, advertising and marketing materials, and business records.
Arrangement:
The collection is divided into five series.
Series 1: Background and Biographical Materials, 1946-2005
Series 2: Business Records, 1931-2006
Series 3: Advertising, Packaging and Promotional Materials, 1956-[1995?]
Series 4: United States Department of Agriculture and Federal Food Administration Materials, 1959-2003
Series 5: Food Industry Materials, 1949-2006
Biographical / Historical:
Percy Wallace Loy (1920-2006) was born in Vancouver, Washington, to Kong (1867-1951) and Rose Loy (nee Fong), Chinese immigrants who were in the dairy business. Loy attended the Providence Academy in Portland, Oregon graduating in 1937. Loy enlisted in the Army (1943-1949) and became a navigator, bombardier, and pilot, serving during World War II. He retired as a lieutenant colonel, but was unable to find work with an airline after the war. He and his brother-in-law, Robert Wong, started the Kubla Khan Food Company, selling frozen Chinese entrees at a time when frozen foods had not yet caught on and the infrastructure to store, transport and distribute them didn't yet exist. The company popularized both frozen foods and Chinese food in the Northwest region of the United States. He was very active in the frozen foods industry in the Northwest, campaigning for the industry and working at convincing grocers of their profitability. He sold the manufacturing part of the company in the mid-2000s and died in 2006.
Though most food preservation practices (curing, smoking and canning) have their origins in Europe, the practice of freezing foods for consumer use was, for the most part, started and developed in America. Even today, frozen convenience foods are considered an American oddity and are not widely embraced in other countries.
In the 1920s Clarence Birdseye experimented with freezing food in small quantities, enabling them to reach a lower temperature faster. In the decades that followed, Birdseye tested and developed better packaging and ways of packing food more tightly inside the packaging. However, consumers remained skeptical about the safety and quality of this novelty, as were grocers about its profitability, in addition to concerns about the effects of the industrialization of food. It took about twenty more years to turn this situation around and to resolve problems with distribution and transport. Birdseye had to take huge risks to get there, beginning with enlisting the aid of a small number of stores, to which he supplied free freezers containing a variety of frozen foods sold on consignment, and hiring demonstrators to convince consumers that frozen foods were the future. Very slowly, frozen foods began to catch on. It wasn't until the 1950s, when frozen TV dinners were introduced, that frozen foods became popular with consumers.
Against this background, Percy Loy and Robert Wong started Kubla Khan in 1950 in the basement of a Chinese restaurant in Portland. Wong died a few years after the company was started. He supported his family by selling insurance for a short while, and then opened a small Japanese restaurant, eventually starting the Kubla Khan Company as a sideline, when he saw a hole in the market for frozen foods, the convenience of which he thought would appeal to consumers. He was active in getting freezers in stores that had not had them before.
While they were not the first to offer frozen Chinese food—Breyer's Ice Cream had its "Golden Pagoda" brand including frozen chow mein and chop suey—Kubla Khan had little other competition at the time, and most stores stored their frozen products in their ice cream cases. The introduction and popularity of TV dinners helped Kubla Khan's business thrive, as groceries added freezer cases to accommodate the TV dinners, and they now had space to add more frozen products. Kubla Khan kept up with the changing technology, but they held onto their cooking techniques, continuing to cook much of their food in woks or with steam, eschewing the automated, large batch vat cooking that other makers used. Loy said that this ensured uniform heating and an authentic taste. Mr. Loy built some of the equipment himself, with frozen food being so new that the machinery was not readily available in the Northwestern states. Kubla Khan exported its products to Asia, enabling the company to boast that it was so authentic it was served in the Orient. They also bottled their own sauces using their own recipes.
The Kubla Khan Company was not the largest Chinese food manufacturer, but it was a pioneer. They helped popularize something previously considered foreign and exotic—Chinese food. They helped popularize frozen food, something taken for granted now with probably (an unscientific estimate) 10% of the space in most grocery stores being devoted to frozen food. They did this not only with their products but with Mr. Loy's activism in promoting frozen foods. La Choy, by comparison, did not start making frozen foods until the 1960s.
Loy was a tireless activist in promoting frozen foods, campaigning for the industry and working at convincing grocers of their profitability. His goals were building consumer trust and making Chinese food accessible. He was also active in his community, trying to help other minorities start businesses. A strong believer in giving back to his community, he helped several colleges (Lewis and Clark, Willamette University and others) start up foreign exchange programs. He helped several former employees start their own businesses. He led the first trade delegation to China after Nixon's visit.
The Kubla Khan Company is still in business, but Mr. Loy sold the manufacturing part of the company in the mid-2000s. Loy married Irene F. Lee in 1949. The couple had six children children, Martin (d. 1958), David (d. 1965), Michael, Deborah, Marilyn, and Daria. Loy's daughter, Marilyn Loy now runs the company, which is limited to the import/export aspect.
Provenance:
Collection donated by Michael Loy and Daria Loy-Goto, 2013.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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:
Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company Records, 1931-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
This series contains information related to the food industry broadly. Materials are arranged chronologically and include product literature about packaging equipment, menu samples, publications about food processes and the restaurant business, buying guides, directories. and consumer analysis data compiled by the Seattle Times (1952 and 1954). Of note is the inclusion of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, The Essentials of Good Table Service and Waitress Training Manual for the Original Pancake House from 1953.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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:
Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company Records, 1931-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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:
Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company Records, 1931-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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:
Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company Records, 1931-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Social Security numbers are present and have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions.
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:
Kubla Khan Frozen Food Company Records, 1931-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Blanche Stuart Scott Collection, Acc. NASM.XXXX.0062, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Lee Ya-Ching Papers, NASM.2008.0009, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Letters found here are from friends and colleagues including Herman Cherry, Philip Guston, Hilaire Hiler, Jules Langsner, Urban Neininger, Charles Pollock, and Jackson Pollock. One letter from the Leonard Stark family contains a small photograph of Georgia O'Keeffe. Some of the folders contain letters from a single correspondent, and some contain a range of correspondents, all of whom are not listed in the folder title.
See Appendix for a list of correspondents from Series 2.
Arrangement note:
The letters are arranged alphabetically by name of sender.
Appendix: Correspondents from Series 2:
What follows is a complete list of correspondents from Series 2: Letters, which supplements the container list in the finding aid. This list also contains details about the letters sent by each individual listed.
Correspondents Identified by First Name Only
Ab: 1962 (1 postcard)
Alice: 1972-1974 (2 letters)
Barb: undated (1 postcard)
Carleen: 1982 (1 postcard)
Carlotta: 1992 (1 letter to Jenny Lee)
Carol: 1989 (1 letter)
Cathy: undated (1 postcard)
Charley: undated (1 letter)
Clary?: 1995 (1 Christmas card to Jenny Lee)
Clay: 1971 (1 postcard)
Diana: 1971 (1 postcard)
Dolores: 1989 (1 letter)
Doug, Sarah, Molly, and Sam: undated (1 letter)
E., D., and L.: 1990 (1 postcard)
Eddie: 1992 (1 illustrated Christmas card)
Edward: undated (1 postcard)
Ernie: 1980 (1 letter)
Grace?: 1972 (1 postcard)
Honey, Francis, Nick, and Carol: 1995(1 Christmas card to Jenny Lee)
Isabelle: undated (1 letter)
Jeanne: 1987 (2 postcards)
Jeff: undated (1 postcard)
Jeffery: 1979 (1 postcard)
Jennifer: 1987 (1 postcard)
Jim: 1976 (1 letter)
Jin: undated (1 postcard)
Joanna: undated (1 postcard)
Joyce: 1992 (1 postcard)
Kate: 1972 (1 postcard)
Ken and Freida: 1972-1986 (2 letters)
Marina and Bruce: 1987-1989 (1 Christmas card and 2 postcards)
Marion: 1978 (1 postcard)
Martin: 1989-1990 (2 postcards)
Michael: 1985 (1 postcard)
Moira?: 1980 (1 postcard)
Ninette: 1962 (1 postcard)
Patsy: 1985 (1 postcard)
Rene: 1977 (1 postcard)
Roberta: undated (1 postcard)
Robyn: 1988-1989 (2 letters)
Roger and Harriet: undated (1 illustrated postcard)
Ross: 1990 (1 letter)
Sevin?: undated (1 postcard)
Steve: undated and 1994 (4 postcards)
Tom: undated (1 postcard)
Tony: 1978 (1 letter)
Wolfgang: undated (1 postcard)
Correspondents Identified by Surname
Advanced Design: 1989 (1 letter)
Agee, Jon and Carol: undated and 1982-1991 (6 letters, including 2 transparencies and 2 illustrated letters)
Albert, Calvin: 1974 (one postcard with photograph of Albert)
Allan Frumkin Gallery, Inc.: see Frumkin: Allan Frumkin Gallery, Inc.
Allison, Ann: 1964-1976 (2 letters)
American Art and Antiquities: 1978 (1 letter)
American Iris Society: 1988 (1 letter)
American Journal of Archaeology: 1970 (1 letter)
American National Red Cross: 1947 (1 letter)
American Turkish Society: 1973 (1 invitation)
Ames, Arthur: 1938 (1 letter)
AOI Construction, Inc.: 1986 (1 letter)
Archaeological Institute of America, New York Society: 1979 (5 letters)
Archaeometry: 1979 (1 letter)
Archives of American Art: 1976-1991 (5 letters)
Archives of the New York School: 1989 (1 letter)
Art Dealers Association of America, Inc.: 1979 (1 letter)
Art Edifices Enterprises: 1976-1979 (2 letters)
Art for Mexico: 1986 (1 letter)
Art in America: undated (1 letter)
Artists for CORE: 1965 (1 letter)
Artists for SEDF
(Scholarship, Education and Defense Fund for Racial Equality, Inc.): 1967-1968 (3 letters)
Arts Commission of San Francisco: 1988 (1 letter)
Aruz, Joanna: 1972-1986 (4 letters)
Ashford: 1 undated photograph of children
Ashton, Dore and Matti: undated (1 illustrated postcard to Jenny Lee)
Atasoy, Sumer: undated and 1970-1972 (3 letters)
Auerbach, Dorthy: 1989-1990 (2 letters)
Australian National Gallery: see Graham, Lanier
Axe, Martin: undated and 1985-1987 (3 letters)
B., F.: 1964 (1 postcard)
Barger, Illia: 1989 (1 letter including a photograph of an art work)
Barnes Foundation: 1985 (1 letter)
Barnett: David Barnett Gallery: 1971-1973 (4 letters, including a photograph of art work by Kadish)
Barnoya, Miguel Benedict: 1982 (1 letter)
Baskin, David: 1991 (1 letter with illustrated envelope and 6 picture postcards)
Beckmann, Hannes: 1969 (1 letter)
Beeblitz, Patricia: 1972 (1 letter)
Bell, Leland: see Parsons School of Design
Benson, Elaine M.. (Benson Gallery): 1975 (1 letter and 1 postcard)
Kadish, Reuben, to Bromberg, Prof. (State University College, New Paltz, N.Y.): 1968 (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Constan, Eugene: undated (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Goldman, Shifra: undated (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Guggenheim, John: 1986-1987 (3 letters)
Kadish, Reuben, to Kadish family: 1990 (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Kadish, Ruth and Moishe: 1984 (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Kyle, Mr.: 1967 (2 letters)
Kadish, Reuben, to Lee, Jenny: 1987-1992 (66 letters)
Kadish, Reuben, to Mayer, Musa (Ingie): [1988] (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Mitchel, Julio: 1988 (1 postcard)
Kadish, Reuben, to Page, Lee: 1981 (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Pound, Brandy: undated (2 letters)
Kadish, Reuben, to Reed, Susan: 1992 (1 letter)
Kadish, Reuben, to Rodriguez family: undated and 1989 (2 letters)
Kadish, Reuben, to Spring, Bob: 1992 (1 letter)
Kaufman, B. John: undated (5 photographs of art work)
Kean College of New Jersey: 1981 (1 letter)
Kenkeleba House, Inc.: 1987 (2 letters and an exhibition announcement)
Kettenbach, Friedel: 1985 (1 Christmas card)
Klayman, Toby Judith: 1981 (1 letter)
Klinger, Randy: 1988 (1 letter)
Kohn, Gabe: 1959-1962 (6 letters)
Krafft, Jo: undated (1 letter)
Kroeplin, Jim: 1974 (1 letter)
Kupferman, Lawrence: 1943-1944 (6 letters)
Kyle, Thomas: see Kadish, Reuben; see Museum of Contemporary Crafts
L., Howard: 1980 (1 letter)
Lacy, Bill: see Lee, Jenny
Landmark Gallery, Inc.: 1977-1978 (2 letters)
Langsner, Jules: undated and 1937-1963 (36 letters, including a photograph of a railroad yard, and 9 photographs of Delhi, India)
Lebt?, Bill: 1967 (1 letter)
Lee, Jenny: undated and 1985-1992 (61 letters, including clippings, exhibition announcements, 2 books -- Dreams: Visions of the Night -- by David Coxhead and Susan Hiller, and -- Italian Renaissance Sculpture -- by John Pope-Hennessy, and 8 photographs of the Watts Towers; 7 letters are illustrated); see Kadish, Reuben. Letters to: Fox, George: 1987 (1 letter); Lacy, Bill: 1987 (1 letter); McNamara, Mary: 1987 (1 letter); Miller, Lee Ann (Cooper Union): 1987 (1 letter)
Leggist?, Gihuan: 1937 (1 letter)
Lehman: Herbert H. Lehman College: 1976 (1 letter)
Leong, Jim: 1990 (1 letter, including a resume)
Lesher, Derek: 1992 (1 letter)
Levine, Marsha: undated and 1973-1986 (12 letters)
Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1975- 1986 (2 letters)
Mexican Muralists in the United States: Their Work and Influence (NEH research project): 1980-1982 (7 letters)
Michigan State University: 1966 (1 letter)
Millburn Corporation: 1988 (1 announcement for New York Aegean Bronze Age Colloquium)
Miller, Lee Ann (Cooper Union): see Lee, Jenny
Mills, J. D.: 1984-1986 (3 Christmas cards)
Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali: 1989 (2 letters in Spanish)
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: 1959 (2 letters)
Mirski, Boris: 1945 (1 letter)
Mitchel, Julio: see Kadish, Reuben
Montgomery family: 1973-1986 (14 letters, including 19 photographs of family members and sculpture)
Moore, Lucile and Jim Al: 1985-1986 (2 Christmas cards)
Morgan, Dane D.: 1963 (1 letter)
Moss, Tobey C.: 1986 (1 letter)
Museu de Arte Moderna de Sao Paulo: 1959 (1 letter)
Museum of Contemporary Crafts: 1967 (1 letter)
Museum of Modern Art: 1963 (1 letter)
Mythic Arts Africa: 1987 (1 letter from Jenny Lee)
National Academy of Design: undated (1 letter)
National Gallery of Art: 1975 (1 letter)
National Geographic Society: undated (1 form letter)
National Museum of American Art: 1986-1990 (7 letters)
National Social Welfare Assembly, Inc.: 1967 (1 letter)
NBC News: undated (1 letter)
Neininger, Urban and Jean: undated and 1937-1989 (28 letters)
Nemanic, Todd: 1981 (1 exhibition announcement)
Newark Museum: 1968 (1 letter)
Newark Public School of Fine and Industrial Art: undated and 1956-1960 (4 letters)
Newbill, Al: 1976-1987 (4 letters)
New Jersey State Council on the Arts: 1989 (1 letter)
New Jersey State Museum: 1976-1991 (10 letters)
New York Civil Liberties Union: 1972 (1 postcard)
New York Studio School: 1971-1977 (5 letters)
New York University: 1963 (1 letter)
North Jersey Cultural Council: 1970-1974 (2 letters)
O'Connell, Hilda: undated and 1963-1990 (18 letters); see Kadish, Barbara
Odate, Gerlinde: 1966-1974 (2 letters, including one with an illustration)
O'Keeffe, Georgia: see Stark, Leonard
Oles, James: 1991 (1 postcard)
Oord, A. and B.: 1984 (1 postcard)
Oregon: University of Oregon: 1973-1976 (4 letters)
Pace, Stephen: 1976-1987 (1 letter and an exhibition announcement)
Page, Lee: see Kadish, Reuben
Panero, Lorenza (Laurie): 1989-1991 (1 letter enclosing a typescript "The Three Masters of Mexican Muralism and Their Impact on the Development of American Art", and 1 exhibition announcement in Spanish)
Parsons School of Design: 1991 (1 announcement for memorial for Leland Bell)
Pekarsky, Mel: 1992 (7 letters)
Perrone, Francis S., M.D.: 1972 (1 invoice)
Phillips, Bill and Helen: 1947-1981 (2 letters and a press release)
Pollock: see McCoy, Sande
Pollock, Charles and Sylvia: undated and 1972-1990 (18 letters)
Pollock, Jackson: 1944-1947 (5 letters)
Pollock-Krasner Foundation: 1988-1992 (6 letters)
Polyn, Winifred: 1989 (1 postcard)
Port Authority of N.Y. & N.J.: 1979 (1 letter)
Potter, Jeffrey: 1990-1991 (2 letters, including a typescript "A Note on Joseph Meert")
Pound, Brandy: 1976 (1 letter); see Kadish, Reuben
Preston, Joanna: 1969-1989 (11 letters)
Printmaking Workshop: 1976-1980 (4 letters)
Pritchard, Norman: 1976 (1 Christmas card)
Provost, Larry: 1990 (1 letter)
Pye, Elizabeth: 1970 (1 letter)
Queens College: 1969 (2 letter)
Racz, David: undated (1 postcard)
Rantz, Clark T.: 1979 (1 letter)
Rapee, George and Jody: 1992 (1 letter)
Reddy, Krishna: 1974-1980 (1 letter and 9 letters from other concerning Reddy, including one letter from Stanley William Hayter)
Reed, Susan: see Kadish, Reuben
Reim, Johannes and Lois Borgenicht: 1987 (1 birth announcement)
Renfro, Claudia: undated and 1988-1992 (7 letters, including an illustrated Christmas card)
Resika, Paul: 1989 (1 postcard)
Richards: 1990 (2 photographs of a man with a child)
Richardson, Louise and Joe: undated and 1985-1986 (1 letter and 3 Christmas cards)
Ringwood Manor Association of Arts: 1975 (1 letter)
Ripton, June and James: 1984-1986 (3 Christmas cards)
Rodriguez, Melinda and Nickolas: 1989-1991 (4 letters, including a photograph of Nickolas); see Kadish, Reuben
Roecker and Gnazzo: 1986 (1 postcard)
Root, William Pitt: see Masini, Donna
Ross, Tim: 1985 (illustrated New Year's announcement)
Ru, Ridley: see San, Tamar
Ruben, Richards: 1991 (1 wedding announcement)
Rubenfeld, Florence: 1989 (2 letters)
Rubinson, Karen S.: 1987 (1 letter)
Sacartoff, Elizabeth: 1946 (3 letters)
San, Tamar, and Ridley Ru: undated (1 letter)
San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest: 1993 (1 certificate for memorial trees for Reuben and Barbara Kadish)
Spanish Bay Galleries: 1991 (1 illustrated letter)
Spring, Bob: see Kadish, Reuben
Stable Gallery: 1958 (1 letter)
Stanzl, Gouter: 1970 (1 letter)
Stark, Leonard: undated and 1937-1966 (73 letters, including one with illustrations, one enclosing a cut-out silhouette portrait, one enclosing a photograph of a boy with a raccoon and one, dated 1947, enclosing a photograph of a film shoot with Georgia O'Keeffe)
Stewart, Jack: 1972 (1 postcard)
Stony Brook: 1990-1992 (6 letters)
Sun, Carol: 1990 (2 letters, including an exhibition announcement and clippings)
University of Oregon: see Oregon: University of Oregon
Unver, Huseyin: 1968 (2 letters)
Vergette, Helen: 1978 (1 postcard)
Vidal, Francine: 1986 (1 letter)
Vulliemoz, Yvonne: 1987-1995 (1 postcard and 1 Christmas card)
Waxman, Wendy: 1989 (1 letter)
Wayne, June: see Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Inc.
Weatherspoon Art Gallery: 1973 (1 letter)
Weeks, Leigh K.: 1974-1987 (2 letters)
Welles, Halsted (Hal): undated and 1962-1966 (3 postcards and a calling card)
Wibroe-Sanders, Suzi: 1989-1990 (2 letters)
Williams, Govaine: 1986 (1 letter)
Williams, Julian and Le: undated and 1977-1990 (1 letter, 1 wedding invitation, and 3 Christmas cards [2 with photos of microbes and a forest])
Wines, Gul and Suzan: 1986 (1 Christmas card)
Witkin, Joy: 1990 (1 letter)
Wong, Jimmy, and Songsri Chang: 1985 (1 Christmas card)
Wood, Betty: 1975 (1 letter and a postcard)
Woodward/White, Inc.: 1983 (1 letter)
Works Progress Administration - California: 1937 (1 letter)
Wu, Nancy: 1987 (6 letters)
Zogbaum, Wilfrid: 1960-1962 (2 letters)
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment. Microfilmed portion must be consulted on microfilm.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Reuben Kadish papers, 1851-1995, bulk 1913-1995. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
