Search Results

Creator:

International Salt Company  Search this

Costain, Harold Haliday  Search this

Rittase, William M., 1894-1968  Search this

Extent:

3.5 Cubic feet (11 boxes, 1 oversize folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photograph albums

Slides (photographs)

Photographs

Transparencies

Time books

Scrapbooks

Cashbooks

Annual reports

Ledgers (account books)

Financial records

Patents

Letters

Newsletters

Date:

1881-1993

bulk 1920-1929

Summary:

The collection contains business records and photographic materials documenting the International Salt Company. The business records include correspondence, account and ledger books, a payroll book, patent and trademark information, print advertising and marketing materials, and a salesman salt display kit. The photographic materials include a series of photographs by William M. Rittase, a series of photographs by Harold Haliday Costain, a small photograph album, snapshots, and slides. The images cover all facets of the salt manufacturing and packaging operations, and include photographs taken in New York State, Michigan, and Louisiana.

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains business records and photographic materials documenting the International Salt Company. The business records include correspondence, account and ledger books, a payroll book, patent and trademark information, print advertising and marketing materials, and a salesman salt display kit. The photographic materials include a series of photographs by William M. Rittase, a series of photographs by Harold Haliday Costain, a small photograph album, snapshots, and slides. The images cover all facets of the salt manufacturing and packaging operations, and include photographs taken in New York State, Michigan, and Louisiana.

The scrapbooks contain advertisements for the International Salt Company's Sterling Salt label and other leading salt companies, especially Morton's. Much of the ephemera consists of labels, but there are also small pamphlet cookbooks. The cookbooks, prepared and marketed by various salt companies, tout recipes for tasty dishes using specific salts and expound upon the merits of salt in general, especially the medical benefits. Other clever salt-related advertising appears in conjunction with maps, buttons, song books, calendars, and health exercises.

Series 1, Business Records, 1894-1937, consists primarily of financial materials--ledgers, cash books, monthly statements, timekeeping and payroll information--for the Avery Rock Salt Mining Company (A.R.S.M.Co.), Detroit Rock Salt Company, Detroit Salt Company, International Salt Company, and the Restof Mining Company. Additionally, there is one annual report for the International Salt Company (1957) and the newsletter Saltmaker, 1964.

There are two A.R.S.M.Co. ledgers, 1898-1907 and 1907-1922. The first ledger, 1898-1907, predates the founding of the International Salt Company, and it is likely that A.R.S.M.Co was absorbed by International Salt during a merger. Documentation recorded including inventories, merchandise, labor, surplus, insurance, office expenses, legal expenses, taxes, bills receivable, directors' committee fees, fuel, candles, oil, waste and packing, rental, repairs and maintenance, interest, labor, feed, outside salary account, Cuban consignment account, and loan account. Specific persons, such as superintendents F. Rundio and Sidney Bradford, are mentioned and specific companies including Restof Mining, Joy Morton Company, Havana Mill, G. Lawton Childs & Company, International Salt of New York and various others (pages 193-212), are listed with expenses.

The Detroit Salt Company (general ledger), 1911-1913, consists of one bound volume documenting the company's assets, liabilities, expenses, earnings, advance accounts, and old accounts.

Detroit Rock Salt Company (cash record), 1912 October-1913 January, consists of one bound volume documenting cash received and cash disbursed.

International Salt Company, Inc., Independent Salt Company Division (monthly statements), 1933 October-1937 December, consists of one bound volume of general ledger trial balance sheets organized chronologically. Detailed documentation includes general expenses, assets, capital assets, liabilities, special reserves, net worth, profit and loss statements, warehousing costs and tonnage purchased.

Restof Mining Company (time and payroll), 1894 July 1-1895 March 31, consists of one bound volume of 400 pages, documenting the time and payroll for employees. The volume contains the name of the employee, the number of days worked, hourly wage earned per day, the amount earned, advances, board due, store (supplies due), rent, and any balances due. A portion of the volume is severely water-damaged.

Series 2, Trademarks, 1881-1935, consists of copies of issued trademark declarations from the United States Patent Office. The trademarks are for company names, logos, salt containers and packages, and various salt products. The trademarks are arranged alphabetically by the name of the trademark. For example, Amaessa, a trademark for baking powder and salt is filed with other trademarks beginning with the letter "A." Additional materials consist of one file folder of correspondence and printed materials about patents, trademarks and copyright laws. The correspondence relates specifically to the ownership of certain trademarks by International Salt Company, and there is correspondence from John L. Ryon, assistant sales manager and W.T. Chisolm, vice-president of International Salt Company. There are compiled lists of brand names, trademarks, and package designs for which International Salt registered at the United States Patent Office, 1926-1927. There are two examples of small cloth bags branded with "Ideal Salt" and some packaging, such as "White Lily High Grade Salt" and labels such as "Purex Free Running Table Salt." The Peter J.L. Searing trademark for salt (No. 52,963) and Chicago Sawed Salt-Block Company (No. 15,174) provide examples of ethnic imagery. A trademark is a brand name. A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate the source of the goods/services. Although federal registration of a mark is not mandatory, it has several advantages, including notice to the public of the registrant's claim of ownership of the mark, legal presumption of ownership nationwide, and exclusive right to use the mark on or in connection with the goods/services listed in the registration.

Series 3, Photographs, 1934-1993, is divided into five subseries: Subseries 1, Harold Haliday Costain, 1934; Subseries 2, William Ritasse, circa 1934; Subseries 3, Loose Photographs, 1969-1993; Subseries 4, Slides, circa 1970s; and Subseries 5, Album (unidentified), undated.

Subseries 1, Harold Haliday Costain, circa 1934, consists of three photographs (approximately 10 1/2" x 13") black-and-white prints mounted to 16" x 20" boards. The prints are numbered #6, #42, and #44 and depict a salt mine and equipment used in salt manufacturing located in Avery Island, Louisiana.

Subseries 2, William Ritasse, circa 1934, consists of black-and-white prints (10" x 14") signed by Ritasse which are mounted on 18 1/2" x 20" boards. The photographs are arranged numerically from #350 to #480. Many of the photographs are captioned. American photographer William Rittase (1887-1968), active in the 1920s-1930s, is known for his industrial photography. Rittase's images provide insight into International Salt Company activities such as salt manufacturing, packaging operations, general factory processes, printing salt bags, can labeling, brine storage, exteriors of buildings, crushing salt, men in the salt mines, machine shop views, and equipment.

Subseries 3, Loose Photographs, 1969-1993, consists of black-and-white and color prints, as well as transparencies depicting salt mines and related activities. Some of the photographs document a visit by International Salt Company executives to the Jefferson Island, Louisiana salt plant.

Subseries 4, Slides, circa 1970s, consists of seventeen color slides documenting salt plants, equipment and salt miners.

Subseries 5, Album (damaged mine), undated, consists of twenty-two 4" x 6 1/2" black-and-white photographs documenting the damage to a salt manufacturing plant. The photographs are captioned, but there is no indication of the geographic location of the salt plant.

Series 4, Advertising and Marketing Materials, 1920-1948, consists of two scrapbooks (14" x 17" and 11" x 16") that contain primarily tear sheets, unbound periodical pages showing an advertisement as printed, or as a proof, newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, correspondence, pamphlets, price lists, recipes, labels, periodicals, and other ephemera.

The scrapbook, 1920-1931, consists primarily of advertisements and newspaper clippings related to advertising salt products, especially for Morton's Salt and Diamond Crystal Salt. Other companies represented include Colonial Salt Company, Carey Salt Company, Jefferson Island Salt Company, Kerr Salt Company, Mulkey Salt Company, Myles Salt Company, Ohio Salt Company, Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, Remington Salt Company, Star Salt Corporation, Union Salt Company, Worcester Salt Company, and Watkins Salt Company.

The scrapbook from 1945-1948 is devoted to advertisements for the International Salt Company and Sterling Salt, which promoted salt uses for the home (table salt, curing meats, and brines), industry (rock salt for winter weather) and agriculture (killing weeds). Many of the advertisements were part of the "Pass the Salt" campaign and were featured in publications such as Woman's Day, National Provisioner, Food Industries, Hide, Leather and Shoes, Chemical Previews, and Public Works. The scrapbook is divided into three sections: institutional, weed prevention, and Lixate, a process developed by the International Salt Research Laboratory for making brine. Many of the advertisements were prepared by J.M. Mathes Incorporated.

Also included is a traveling salt kit for Sterling Salt Company salesmen, undated, featuring small glass vials of sterling salt from mines in Detroit, Avery Island, Louisiana, and Restof, New York. Each vial notes the types of salts--purified, softener, iodized, medium flake, coarse flake, granular flour, and meat.

Series 5, Posters, circa 1920s, consists of oversize advertising posters for Worcester Salt Company. There is one set of labels from an exhibit titled "I Eat Rocks! Salt of the Earth."

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into five series.

Series 1, Business Records, 1894-1937

Series 2, Trademarks, 1881-1935

Series 3, Photographs, 1934-1993

Subseries 1, Harold Haliday Costain, circa 1934

Subseries 2, William Ritasse, circa 1934

Subseries 3, Loose Photographs, 1969-1993

Subseries 4, Slides, circa 1970s

Subseries 5, Album (damaged mine), undated

Series 4, Advertising and Marketing Materials, 1920-1948

Series 5, Posters, circa 1920s

Biographical / Historical:

The International Salt Company incorporated on August 22, 1901, and in 1902, the company purchased the stock and assets of the National Salt Company, which had failed. By 1934, International Salt was a holding company for six subsidiaries: Avery Salt Company (West Virginia), Detroit Rock Salt Company (Michigan), Eastern Salt Company (Massachusetts), Independent Salt Company (New York), International Salt Company, Inc. (New York), and Retsof Mining Company (New York). All of the subsidiaries operated rock salt mines and evaporated salt plants and distributed salt. In 1940, the International Salt Company decided to sell four of its subsidiaries--Avery Salt Company, Detroit Rock Salt Company, International Salt Company, Inc., and Retsof Mining Company.

John M. Avery discovered rock salt at Petite Anse, Louisiana in 1862. Petite Anse Island was renamed Avery Island in the late 19th century. Ownership and mining of salt at Petite Anse involved numerous parties until 1886, when New Iberia Salt Company took over operations. In 1896, the Avery family began operating the mine, and they founded the Avery Rock Salt Mining Company. In 1899, the International Salt Company leased the mine.

The Detroit Salt and Manufacturing Company was founded in 1906. The company quickly went bankrupt during construction of a shaft and was acquired in 1910 by the Watkins Salt Company, which incorporated the new organization under the name Detroit Rock Salt Company. The company experienced success and the International Salt Company purchased the mine circa 1914. In 1983, International Salt closed the mine's operations and in 1985, Crystal Mines, Inc., purchased the mine as a potential storage site.

In 1885 the Empire Salt Company of New York was renamed the Retsof Mine Company, and the Village of Retsof was founded near the mine shaft. During the next 110 years, the mine grew to become the largest salt-producing mine in the United States and the second largest in the world. Before the initial collapse in March 1994, the mine encompassed an underground area of more than 6,000 acres, and the mine footprint (outer edge of mined area) extended over an area of nearly ten square miles. At the time of the collapse, the Retsof Mine was owned by Akzo-Nobel Salt Incorporated (ANSI) and, during the winter of 1993--994 operated at full capacity to meet demands for road salt throughout the northeastern United States. The Retsof Mine ceased operations on September 2, 1995, and by December, twenty-one months after the initial collapse, the mine was completely flooded.

Related Materials:

Materials held at the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution Libraries, National Museum of American History

Trade catalogs from International Salt Company Inc., 1900s

Materials held at Other Organizations

Harvard University Archives

Ritasse, William M., 1894-1968. Photographs of Hardvard University campus and environs taken by William M. Ritasse, circa 1930.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs

Avery Rock Salt Mining Company, Plan. June 16, 1924 (AKZO No. 7-77-02) - Avery Island Salt Works, Akzo Salt Incorporated, Avery Island, Iberia Parish, LA

Salt Mine Village, Salt Workers' Houses No. 6, Avery Island, Iberia Parish, LA

Avery Island Sugarhouse, Avery Island, Iberia Parish, LA

State Library of Louisiana

Historic Photograph Collection contains images of salt mining at Avery Island, Louisiana.

University of North Carolina, Southern Historical Collection at the Louis Round Wilson Library

Papers for the Avery Family of Louisiana, 1796-1951

Provenance:

Tom Maeder donated the collection on June 13, 2009.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

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:

Salt  Search this

Salt workers  Search this

Salt mines and mining -- Michigan  Search this

Salt mines and mining -- New York  Search this

Salt industry and trade  Search this

Salt mines and mining -- Louisiana  Search this

advertising  Search this

Industrial photography -- 1990-2000 -- Texas  Search this

Mines and mineral resources -- Louisiana  Search this

Mines and mineral resources -- New York  Search this

Mines and mineral resources -- Michigan  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photograph albums

Slides (photographs) -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Transparencies

Time books

Scrapbooks

Cashbooks

Annual reports

Ledgers (account books)

Financial records

Patents

Letters

Newsletters

Citation:

International Salt Company Records, 1881-1993, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1158

See more items in:

International Salt Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fb5589f8-c9ba-4e1d-ac7d-1ce2b4585c34

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1158

Creator:

Nordic Ware Division, Northland Aluminum  Search this

Donor:

Dalquist, H. David  Search this

Dalquist, Dorothy  Search this

Extent:

28 Cubic feet (53 boxes and 25 oversize folders )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Photographs

Legal records

Catalogs

Financial records

Design drawings

Place:

Minneapolis (Minn.)

Date:

1940-2006

Summary:

Records of a family-owned manufacturing firm, best known for kitchenware products including the Bundt Pan and Micro-Go-Round. The collection richly documents the entrepreneurial spirit of the Minnesota firm and its history of product innovation through technical files, marketing materials, and administrative and financial records.

Scope and Contents:

The Nordic Ware collection consists of approximately twenty-eight cubic feet of records from the Northland Aluminum Company, most dealing with its Nordic Ware business. The Dalquist family recognized the importance of record keeping, and this collection documents very well the evolution of an entrepreneurial, family-owned American business from its earliest years.

Of particular interest for researchers may be the Pillsbury and Bundt Cake Pan dual marketing strategies, showcased mainly in Series 3, Marketing and Sales Records, 1948-2004, the introduction of ethnic cookware into American Culture through such dishes as the Rosettes and Timbales set and Taco dinner kit, the segmentation of product lines by price level to target consumers of differing incomes, and the issue of a trademarked term like "Bundt" becoming generic as seen in Series 6, Legal Records, 1962-1978. Series 4, Engineering Department Records, 1950-1994, provide in-depth documentation of the technical development of several of Nordic Ware's innovative products.

Series 1: Historical and Background Materials, 1940s-2006

These materials provide a history of Dave Dalquist as an entrepreneur and how this led to his ownership of Northland Aluminum Products and the Nordic Ware brand. There are histories put together by the company as well financial summaries for some years. The series contains The Nordic Ware Saga, a book edited and produced by the Dalquist family, and America at Home: A Celebration of Twentieth-Century Housewares. Both books have valuable background information on the company and how it fits into the housewares industry. There also are materials from the original business, Plastics for Industry. An undated marketing booklet, published about 1990, briefly describes the company's history and its product line and corporate structure. Additional company history is found in six installments written by Dave Dalquist under the title "From the Skipper" and covering the years 1946 to l985.

Series 2: David Dalquist Files, 1963-1993

David Dalquist, the president and founder of the company, kept these files in his office and home. Dalquist had no formal filing system and preferred to group records together as he used them. This order has been maintained as much as possible to the folder level. Several files contain information and notes from Dalquist's attendance at the National Housewares Shows and the meetings held there with his sales representatives. The annual Housewares Shows in Chicago were key events in this industry and Nordic Ware made them a high priority. The sales meetings materials include speeches Dalquist delivered. This series reveals Dalquist's involvement with every aspect of the company. It portrays an entrepreneur who began with an engineering degree, very limited capital, and no business experience. Dalquist built a multi-million dollar company while insisting on high ethical and business standards.

The several companies owned by the Dalquist family are documented in these files. There is a merger agreement between Northland Metal Finishers and Northland Aluminum. The records show the company went through several phases and had several brands besides Nordic Ware, including Minnesota Ware, DuNord, and Norcast.

Series 3: Marketing and Sales Records, 1948-2004 The Marketing and Sales Records focus mainly on the promotion of the Nordic Ware Brand and the sale and distribution of products, especially to the retail trade industry. There is evidence of how Nordic Ware presented its products to the industry and of other types of promotions to build brand awareness. These records are divided into three subseries: Subseries 1, General and Department Records, 1967-1995; Subseries 2, Promotional and Trade Sales Materials, 1958-2004; and Subseries 3, Public Relations, 1948-1992

Subseries 3.1: General and Department Records, 1967-1995

Dave Dalquist initially handled most of the company's marketing and sales, but as the company grew, a separate department was created. Among other things, this department created sketches of new product ideas that employees submitted as part of the New Product Idea meetings periodically scheduled by Dave Dalquist. Several files contain this artwork and a design notebook. There are also the files of Doug White, a Vice President of Marketing and Sales. Other art renderings, such as line art used in catalogs, are in this series.

Subseries 3.2: Promotional and Trade Sales Materials, 1958-2004

This subseries consists both of advertising geared towards the trade industry and that aimed at the consumer to promote brand image and sales. A 1970s scrapbook is a record of cross-promotional offers in which Nordic Ware and other firms advertised their products together in a single advertisement. The scrapbook also documents Nordic Ware products offered as sales premiums. The advertisements are organized by the brand co-featured in the advertisement. The Bundt Pan was the predominant Nordic Ware product in these advertisements. The Pillsbury file is especially important as it shows the building of the dual marketing arrangement which allowed Bundt Pans to be packaged with Pillsbury mixes. Nordic Ware received national publicity that it would otherwise have been difficult to generate. The Bundt Pan was integrated into magazine recipes and articles and included in mentions of other brands. These records document the remarkably brief time in which the Bundt Pan achieved national recognition.

The trade market was critical to Nordic Ware. The Sales Guides, 1982-2004, were given to regional sales representatives with information on sales promotions and incentives to representatives for sales of Nordic Ware products in specific markets. The Guides also have product descriptions, so that each representative was fully familiar with the products. Along with these guides, Nordic Ware put out trade catalogs, also found in this subseries. Although there is no master list of the catalogs, many have been hand-dated by Nordic Ware employees. Many of the models in the catalogs and the advertisements were members of the Dalquist family, neighbors, and other acquaintances.

Subseries 3.3: Public Relations, 1948-1992

These materials mainly document a series of campaigns created by Sara Jean Thomas, a public relations contractor. She worked with the marketing and sales department to build the Nordic Ware brand and to create a series of television and radio product promotions in the form of household hints. Several scripts are included here along with details of the overall campaigns. There also are files documenting the reach of these promotions. Other materials include a press kit for Chef Tell, a celebrity chef who represented Nordic Ware products for several years and who made appearances at its booth at the National Housewares Shows. New product press releases (with photographs) and general public relations files (1986-1989), along with the Marketing Communication Plans (1987-1989), give details on the planning of other public relations efforts. The trade press clippings scrapbook documents mentions of Nordic Ware and its products, competitors' advertising, and general developments in the house wares industry. Trade press clippings also are found in Series 8, subseries 4.

Series 4: Engineering Department Records, 1950-1994

The Engineering Department was vital to the success of Nordic Ware. Records in this series reveal the process by which a new product idea was developed, built, tested, and turned into a saleable product. Museum staff members selected the records in this series, occupying about five cubic feet, from a much larger group of files, roughly twenty-five feet in extent. The criteria for selection included substantive information on the design development of new products, especially those requiring substantial engineering work, and on product re-design to create cost efficiencies and resolve product problems.

Subseries 4.1: General Records, 1969-1992

These records deal with general departmental business and include incoming and outgoing correspondence and general files kept by individual engineers. They also provide operational information such as source for production materials, work orders processing, and treatment of employee issues in the department.

Subseries 4.2: Laboratory Notebooks, 1972, 1984-1993

Engineers in the department kept these notebooks mainly for developing design ideas and working out the technical logistics of bringing the designs into production. The notebooks also served as evidential records for patent disputes. The engineers signed and dated the pages of their notebooks as proof of when ideas were conceptualized and who recorded them.

Subseries 4.3: Product Files, 1976-1993, undated

These records originally were organized by product number, but no index to the numbering system accompanied the records so files of like products were grouped together. The Micro-Go-Round, Oven-Aire, and Wok are the most thoroughly documented. The records include blueprints at various stages of the products development, work orders for research and development, outside quotations, invoices, quality control tests and guidelines, memoranda to and from other company offices about product development, and other types of operational materials. Most of these products had multiple versions, and evidence of ongoing testing and modification is seen in the records.

These records document some of the innovation that made Nordic Ware an important presence in the housewares industry. The Micro-Go-Round was a particularly revolutionary product at the time, and the records show how the company recognized a need for the product and did what was necessary to develop it, although it had little or no experience with microwave technology. Micro-Go-Round records also are found in Subseries 5 of this series. The Oven-Aire required extensive development efforts to bring to fruition. The idea behind this product was to make conventional ovens cook more evenly and operate like a convection oven. The records include photographs of the original working model, tests done in some of the engineers' home kitchens, and comparison photographs of foods cooked with and without the device. Though the product never took off in the market, the invention and development process is documented here from the perspective of the several parties who worked on it. To a much more limited degree, records for some of the other products -- like the Popgun Popcorn Popper and the Supremer Ice Creamer --demonstrate the design and development process. There is even information about packaging design for some of the products.

Subseries 4.4: New Product Ideas Files, 1976-1993

These records document Nordic Ware's efforts to identify and develop a stream of new products and to involve employees in that process. They include product ideas submitted from outside the firm but primarily relate to New Product Meetings at which employees shared their own ideas. The meetings often included voting for the best ideas and for those that would be most feasible to manufacture. Most of the files contain original artwork, usually brought to the meeting by the marketing department. They also include lists of product ideas and who submitted them, ballots for the voting on the best ideas, and notes taken at the meetings. Several files have memoranda to the employees encouraging submission of ideas outside the annual meeting cycle. Related materials are found in Series 3, Marketing and Sales Records, 1948-2004, Subseries 1, General and Department Records, 1967-1995.

Subseries 4.5: General Research and Development, 1976-1993

This subseries mainly contains files on the development of microwave cookware products and the Micro-Go-Round. Dr. T.K. Ishii, a leading researcher in microwave technologies from Marquette University, served as a consultant to Nordic Ware. He advised on technical problems and explained processes to the Nordic Ware engineers to enable them to develop products. Other materials deal with the application and certification process for Underwriters Laboratories, an independent organization that tested products and certified them as meeting its safety standards.

Subseries 4.6: Patent Materials, 1950-1994

Many records in this subseries deal with the patent application process. An outside legal firm submitted Nordic Ware's applications and negotiated with the Patent Office. The records include correspondence surrounding patent disputes and sworn affidavits by engineers submitted as proof of their work. Several reference files of non-Nordic Ware patents are in this subseries. Many were sent by the law office to Nordic Ware engineers to keep them current on new developments.

Subseries 4.7: Trade Associations, 1977-1994

These records reflect the participation of Engineering Department staff in trade associations, especially The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. Lloyd Keleny and several others were involved with the Microwave Oven Cookware Committee. The Society was concerned with the absence of standards for microwave ovens and the resulting problem that cookware used in these ovens was not always effective. The Committee gathered data and encouraged the microwave industry to recognize that consistency was needed. There also are files from the Frankfurt International Housewares Fair, 1994. Nordic Ware tried to build its presence internationally, and fairs such as this were opportunities to meet foreign manufacturers and distributors. They also enabled the company to see what was happening on a global level.

Series 5: Financial Records, 1948-1982

These records include financial information for Nordic Ware and other Dalquist interests, including Maid of Scandinavia Company, when it was still joined with Northland Aluminum Products, and the Minnesota Brand of Cookware. The intermixing of financial reports, invoices and receivables, petty cash receipts, and bank statements for the various enterprises demonstrates the close relationship of all of the beginning operations of the Dalquist family. There are many examples of consolidated financial information in the records including the balance sheets, combined financial reports, income statements, and the audit reports. Of particular interest is the accounting ledger (1949-1950) for Plastics for Industry, the Dalquist brothers' original company. It has handwritten entries and shows the company's simplified bookkeeping system. It also provides important financial data on the startup capital and the progress in the first year of business.

Reports created by the research firm Dunn and Bradstreet contain information submitted by the Dalquists to prove their credit worthiness to lenders. Several loan agreements document the company's practice of borrowing money on future earnings in order to meet operating expenses and finance innovation. Machinery owned by Nordic Ware is listed in several factory inventories. The firm also leased machinery instead of buying in order to save money. Inventory summaries (1950-1978) detail the numbers and value of the unsold product then on hand.

Though Nordic Ware stock was never traded publically, there was an employee shareholder plan that included profit sharing. Records in this subseries document the evolution and operation of the plan, including one employee's case for a public offering of the company stock. At some point Dave Dalquist did consider making the company public but decided to maintain private ownership. The emphasis on taking pride and ownership in the company was often repeated in memoranda that Dalquist wrote to employees about stock options. The records show that he was very conscious of morale and high standards of work within the company.

Series 6: Legal Records, 1962-1978

The bulk of these records deals with trademark issues, especially Nordic Ware's creation, licensing, and protection of the "Bundt" mark. Included are copies of correspondence with the law firms that handled applications to the Patent and Trademark Office and correspondence from that office. Correspondence and legal papers document licensing negotiations with Pillsbury and others. In several instances Nordic Ware took legal steps when the Bundt Pan trademark was being misused.

Series 7: Recipes and Cookbooks, 1966-2004, undated

This series is comprised of a large selection of cookbooks and recipe files maintained by Dotty Dalquist and reflect her active role in business activities. She did much of her cooking and experimenting in a test kitchen in her own home and was integral to the preparation of foods to be photographed in Nordic Ware products. These photographs demonstrated the use of the products and were included in the advertisements, catalogs, and product or recipe brochures.

Subseries 7.1: Dotty Dalquist Recipe Files, bulk 1950s-1970s, mainly undated

Dotty Dalquist kept recipes, product booklets, notes, and other materials to aid in the development of her own recipes. She organized much of the material by food type, but she also had several files for specific Nordic Ware products. The Bundt Pan was a major product, and the files on it reflect that. As Nordic Ware sought new ways to promote the use of its products, Dalquist's development of new and inventive recipes was a major part of that effort.

Subseries 7.2: Bundt Pan Cookbooks, 1966-2004

Nordic Ware published several books by Dotty Dalquist to promote use of the Bundt Pan. Pillsbury and other firms also published their own books. Pillsbury incorporated its products into the recipes to promote the dual product relationship between the Bundt Pan and the Pillsbury brand of cake mixes. These books were sold in stores and added as premiums to go along with the purchase of the other products.

Subseries 7.3: Other Recipe and Public Relations Materials, 1970-1996, undated

Recipe contests and a cookbook were among the efforts to involve employees with the Nordic Ware products and to generate new recipes and ideas. These files include photographs and entries and correspondence about these employee activities.

A file of correspondence, mainly to and from Dotty Dalquist, concerns problems consumers encountered using specific recipes that she had published. Consumers also wrote about recipes they had tried on their own and could not get satisfactory results with a Nordic Ware product. Dalquist's problem-solving efforts were an example of the personal customer service in which Nordic Ware took pride.

Series 8: Non-Nordic Ware Reference Materials, 1940-2001, undated

The materials in this series were used by Nordic Ware as reference resources. They have been organized into subseries by type.

Subseries 8.1: Sponsored Cookbooks, 1943-1996, undated

Dotty Dalquist collected cookbooks published by a wide range of manufacturers and trade organizations. The cookbooks are arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the sponsor. Many companies, such as Pillsbury and General Foods, put out these kinds of books to promote their own brands. This may have influenced Dalquist's creation of her own Bundt Pan cookbook.

Subseries 8.2: Product Guides (some with recipes), 1940-1992, undated

These product guides, for appliances and other items used in Dotty Dalquist's kitchen, include use instructions and, often, recipes. Nordic Ware often included recipes in the print materials packaged with its products and associated with its advertising.

Subseries 8.3: Home and Food Related Ephemera, 1950-1980, undated

These materials include booklets of general household hints, recipe cards published by various organizations, and information on food processes.

Subseries 8.4: Periodicals, 1967-2001

Several scrapbooks in this subseries contain clippings from various trade publications. Some focus on Nordic Ware and Northland Aluminum Products in articles or advertisements while others contain industry, including competitors', product advertisements. There are several issues of trade periodicals with Nordic Ware related stories. Trade press clippings also are found in Series 3, Marketing and Sales Records, 1948-2004, Subseries 3, Public Relations, 1948-1992.

Subseries 8.5: Newsletters, 1961, 1973-1987, undated

Most of these newsletters were for reference use with Nordic Ware's microwave cookware projects. With its extensive line of these microwave products, there was an active effort to stay up to date with the field. The firm also tried to find different kinds of foods and recipes that could be prepared using a microwave oven.

Series 9: Photographs, 1940s-2006, undated

This series consists of a wide range of photographic prints re-housed in archival sleeves and assembled into a single binder. The photographs are arranged roughly by image content and document the Dalquist family and employees; factory and offices scenes, including a series of black and white images by Mel Jacobsen, a commercial photographer; and product displays at trade shows and other locations. The photographs also include a few images of Nordic Ware products and of baked foods and black and white images of plastic molds created by Plastics for Industry. Most of the photographs are undated and many are unidentified. There is a View Master viewer with one viewing card containing photographs assembled for Nordic Ware's sixtieth anniversary in 2006. Series 2, David Dalquist Files, includes five photographs of foods baked in Bundt Pans. Series 3, Marketing and Sales Records, Subseries 1, General and Department Records, 1967-1995, has photographs of a factory outlet store and product displays.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into nine series.

Series 1: Historical and Background Materials, 1940s-2006

Series 2: David Dalquist Files, 1963-1993

Series 3: Marketing and Sales Records, 1948-2004

Subseries 1, General and Department Records, 1967-1995

Subseries 2, Promotional and Trade Sales Materials, 1958-2004

Subseries 3, Public Relations, 1948-1992

Series 4: Engineering Department Records, 1950-1994

Subseries 1, General Records, 1969-1992

Subseries 2, Laboratory Notebooks, 1972, 1984-1993

Subseries 3, Product Files, 1976-1993, undated

Subseries 4, New Product Ideas Files, 1976-1993

Subseries 5, General Research and Development, 1950-1994

Subseries 6, Patent Materials, 1950-1994

Subseries 7, Trade Associations, 1977-1994

Series 5: Financial Records

Series 6: Legal records

Series 7: Recipes and Cookbooks

Subseries 1, Dotty Dalquist Recipe Files, 1950s-1970s, undated

Subseries 2, Bundt Pan Cookbooks, 1966-2004

Subseries 3, Other Recipe and Public Relations Materials, 1970-1996, undated

Series 8, Non-Nordic Ware Reference Materials

Subseries 1, Sponsored Cookbooks, 1943-1996, undated

Subseries 2, Product Guides (with some recipes), 1940-1992, undated

Subseries 3, Home and Food Related Ephemera, 1950-1980, undated

Subseries 4, Periodicals, 1967-2001

Subseries 5, Newsletters, 1961, 1973-1981, undated

Series 9: Photographs, 1940s-2006, undated

Biographical / Historical:

In 1946, the year he returned from Navy service in the Pacific, H. David (Dave) Dalquist (1918-2005) joined his brother Mark to launch a new manufacturing firm, Plastics for Industry, in Minneapolis. The two University of Minnesota graduates soon were making foundry patterns and industrial plastic products for area businesses, as well as aluminum consumer cookware. Among their earliest products were ebelskiver pans, krumkake irons, and rosette irons, essential kitchen tools for the area's large Scandinavian population. Their first employee, Donald Nygren, remained as head designer for many decades.

In 1950, the brothers bought Northland Aluminum Products, a small firm with a line of "Nordic Ware" products including griddles and steak platters. The same year, Dave Dalquist created a cast aluminum, fluted cake pan at the request of two local women, members of the Hadassah organization. The women sought to replicate a heavy mold used in Europe. Northland Aluminum registered the trademark "Bundt" for the new product and began to sell it to local department stores. (The women sold manufacturing "seconds" as a fund raiser for their group.) Mark Dalquist created a firm, Maid of Scandinavia, to market products by mail. It separated from Northland Aluminum in 1963. Over the years, Northland Aluminum increasingly used "Nordic Ware" to identify itself for marketing and public relations purposes.

Northland Aluminum created a subsidiary finishing and coating firm, Northland Color Anodizing Company, in 1962. In 1964, Northland became one of the first to license the use of Teflon from its inventor, DuPont, and non-stick products became an important part of the company's line. Northland also did coating work for many industries including medical, computer, and commercial food processing. For many years Northland also had a division to produce heads for video recording machines. Product sales reached $1,000,000 in 1964.

During the 1960s, Nordic Ware grew slowly, gradually increasing its product line to include specialty baking and cookware items and stove-top cookware. The company also expanded its production capacity and built its sales and marketing capabilities, including a national network of sales representatives working on commission. Dorothy Dalquist, Dave's wife, played a vital role in the company's history. She joined him at crucial annual sales conventions to demonstrate products, tested new products, and developed recipes for them in her home kitchen. Additionally, she represented the firm in public relations activities.

Although the Bundt Pan was only one of many Nordic Ware products, it became a national celebrity in 1966 when a Texas woman used it for her prize-winning Tunnel of Fudge Cake in the immensely popular Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. In 1970, Nordic Ware licensed the Bundt trademark to Pillsbury for use with a line of cake mixes. Customers received a cake pan at a small additional price with the purchase of the packaged mix. Although this pan was spun of light aluminum, not cast like the original models, the Pillsbury promotion was very successful. In addition to the classic Bundt design, the company began producing special designs, including a cathedral, a castle, a rose, a heart, and, in 2006, a stadium shaped pan. The Bundt Pan continues to be the most popular cake pan in America, and the company estimates it has sold sixty million pans over the past six decades.

Despite the steady popularity of the Bundt Pan, Dalquist and his firm knew that the spike in Bundt Pan sales resulting from the Pillsbury promotion was temporary, and they continued their strategy of seeking new products to buoy overall sales revenues. In 1978 Nordic Ware developed a "new thermoset plastic molding technology to create an extensive line of cookware designed to work in both conventional and microware ovens." In these same years, as microwave oven use rapidly spread, Nordic Ware developed its second celebrity product. Designed by the company's own engineers, the Micro-Go-Round was promoted in print and television advertising and is still its most successful product. Since then, Nordic Ware has introduced a wide range of new products, some of them successful (for example, nonstick Barbecue Grill Cookware), others not (including a device to create convection currents in a baking oven and a bicentennial cake platter). Northland Aluminum holds at least twenty-five patents for its products.

Today David Dalquist (born 1949) -- son of founder "Dave Dalquist" and, like his father, an engineer -- heads Nordic Ware. He has been involved with the company for his entire working life with major executive responsibilities since the early 1980s. David Dalquist's mother, Dotty, is on the Board of Directors and serves as Corporate Secretary. David's three sisters—Corrine, Linda, and Susan—are also involved in the business. The firm employs between 200 and 400 people and continues, as a point of pride, to manufacture its products in the United States. The family has refused numerous buyout offers. Nordic Ware has managed to design and market products for the large, low price retailers, including Wal-Mart, and for the upscale, specialty gourmet market. Williams-Sonoma, a leader in the latter field, has exclusive sales for a small number of new Nordic Ware products each year.

For its sixtieth anniversary, Nordic Ware produced a company history, H. David Dalquist, The Nordic Ware Saga: An Entrepreneur's Legacy (Kirk House Publishers, Minneapolis, 2006). The volume provides edited recollections of "Dave," many family members, and other employees drawn from oral history interviews. This finding aid is based largely on that information, other historical sources within the collection, and visits to Nordic Ware offices by National Museum of American History staff members Paula Johnson and Nanci Edwards (June 2006) and Paula Johnson and John Fleckner (August 2006).

Related Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds thirty-six objects from Nordic Ware (Accession # 2007.0034), including Bundt Pans in a variety of shapes, foundry patterns and molds for Nordic Ware products, a wood panel display of products manufactured by Plastics for Industry, three versions of the Micro-Go-Round, and other kitchenware products.

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Dorothy M. Dalquist and H. David Dalquist in 2007.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

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

Topic:

Ethnic food industry  Search this

Cookery, American  Search this

Kitchen utensils  Search this

Aluminum  Search this

Kitchen utensil industry  Search this

Baked products  Search this

Bakery equipment and supplies industry  Search this

Baking pans  Search this

Baking  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence -- 1950-2000

Photographs -- 2000-2010

Legal records

Catalogs

Correspondence -- 2000-2010

Financial records

Photographs -- 20th century

Design drawings -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Nordic Ware Collection, 1942-2006, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Processing of this collection made possible, in part, by a gift from Nordic Ware.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0980

See more items in:

Nordic Ware records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep894dc31f0-f3a9-457d-9097-4906863295b5

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0980

Company Name:

Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., Ltd.  Search this

Related companies:

Pillsbury Flour Mills Co.  Search this

Notes content:

OVERSIZE ; Unique ; Catalog cover advertising flour. On back of cover, advertisement for Bemis Bro. Bag Co., St. Louis, MO.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

1 piece; 1 box

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Foods and beverage products and processing equipment (including brewing; distilleries; beer; wine; etc.)  Search this

Topic:

Beverage industry  Search this

Distilleries  Search this

Food industry and trade  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_29210

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_29210

Company Name:

Nichols Engineering & Research Corp.  Search this

Related companies:

Pacific Foundry Co.  Search this

Notes content:

One envelope OVERSIZE ; "Nichols" refuse incinerators ; "Herreschoff" furnaces for roasting, calcining, and drying ; equipment for the chemical and process industries ; "VorTrap" classifiers for the removal of grit, sand, scale, sawdust, and gneral dirt from paper-making stock ; spray dryers ; food processing equipment.

Includes:

Trade catalog

Black and white images

Physical description:

25 pieces; 4 boxes

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

New York, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

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

Chemicals and chemical products  Search this

Foods and beverage products and processing equipment (including brewing; distilleries; beer; wine; etc.)  Search this

Foundries; supplies and equipment  Search this

Furnaces and boilers  Search this

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

Topic:

Advertising  Search this

Beverage industry  Search this

Boilers  Search this

Business  Search this

Chemicals  Search this

Commerce  Search this

Distilleries  Search this

Food industry and trade  Search this

Foundries  Search this

Furnaces  Search this

Industrial equipment  Search this

Machinery  Search this

Marketing  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_32137

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_32137

Names:

Cino, Joe, 1931-1967  Search this

Donor:

Dominic, Magie  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Ephemera

Magazines (periodicals)

Off off broadway

Photographs

Theater programs

Place:

Broadway (New York, N.Y.)

Greenwich Village (New York, New York)

Date:

1948-2023, undated

Summary:

The collection documents Caffe Cino in Greenwich Village, New York, founded in 1958 by Joe Cino as a coffee shop and art exhibition space. The collection has materials related to and written by author and artist Magie Dominic, Caffe Cino alumni and chronicler.

Content Description:

The materials consist of printed materials, photographs, scripts, advertisements, ephemera, and theater programs.

Arrangement:

Collection is unarranged.

Biographical / Historical:

An Overview with Personal Reflections, Timeline 1958-1968, and The Archives-Key Moments were supplied by donor, Magie Dominic in April 2024

An Overview with Personal Reflections by Magie Dominic

Early Years: 1931-1958

Joe Cino was born on November 16, 1931 in Buffalo, NY. His parents, Mary and Joseph were both Sicilian. There were four brothers, Gabby, Richard, Joe, and Steve. Joe's father, Joe Cino senior, died at a very young age and Mary worked to support the family. She worked at a candy factory at night and wrapped candy in tissue and throw it out the window for the boys to catch. As a child, Joe did little shows in the backyard for the neighbors.

Michael Smith, Village Voice critic, interviewed Joe in 1965 and asked him why he came to New York City. "The opportunity arose because four friends of mine were running away from home, and two of them had some money." (1948; Joe was sixteen; his friends were Tony Vaccaro, Angelo and Stephen Lovoulo (brothers). "I had to make a decision within two hours. It was snowing. My mother was visiting a neighbor, and she came home calling me as I was leaving the house. I ran into the street and jumped into a passing car. I heard my mother calling, and I said, "I'll be back soon, there's a note on the kitchen table." The note said, "I'm going to Rochester to visit some friends."

He arrived in New York City on February 7, 1948, during a blizzard, and broke. "I had a job within three days at the YMCA in Penn Station as a counterman for $110 a month. February to summer. I was making ice cream sodas at Howard Johnson's. Hotel Statler reservations department."

Eight weeks later, April 12, he sent a long, handwritten letter to his mother explaining why he'd run away and his dream to study acting and dance, "Dear Mom, Don't read this letter until tonite when you're relaxed—don't read it half-fast—go through it quite carefully. There are 12 pages (24 sides) Love "Junior"

"When I got the job at the Statler I enrolled in the Henry Street Playhouse and took courses in everything. I was there for about two years. I went home (Buffalo) in July. She (his mother) gave me her blessing. When I left at the end of the week everything was O.K. from then on."

In 1953 Joe was given a dance scholarship to Jacob's Pillow; danced with the Mary Anthony Dance Theater and toured with Maxine Munt and Alfred Brooks.

Michael Smith asked him when he got the idea of opening a café, "I started thinking about the café in 1954. I would talk about it with close friends. My idea was always to start with a beautiful, intimate, non-commercial, friendly atmosphere where people could come and not feel pressured or harassed."

He worked two jobs, studied, and saved for ten years. In the summer of 1958, his friend Ed Franzen saw a For Rent sign on 31 Cornelia Street. He called Joe and introduced him to the landlady, Josie Leema, who was leaning out an upstairs window. Joe said 'Oh you're Italian." Josie said, Yes, what are you. Joe said Sicilian. Josie said, "I don't have to come down," and threw him the key and gave him the first month's rent free if he did all the needed repair work. Josie was Joe's landlady for the Caffe's entire existence. She often brought down pots of soup when Joe was unable to pay the rent. Her reasoning was, if Joe didn't have rent money, he probably didn't have food money. Joe opened the Caffe Cino on a Friday in December 1958. There was room for about twenty mismatched ice cream parlor tables and chairs, and a tiny kitchen with his espresso machine. The room could accommodate about forty people.

MAGIE DOMINIC: PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

In 1962 I left my home in Newfoundland, as a teenager, like Joe Cino. I was 18 and studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In 1964 I moved to New York, worked in interior design, gave poetry readings in New York venues, stage managed productions at Lighthouse for the Blind and stage managed a play at La Mama. Ellen Stewart introduced me to Tom Eyen. Tom introduced me to Joe Cino. Joe asked me my sign, (Cancer) and we began a friendship and a dialogue that lasted in one form or another to this day. I entered the Caffe that day and never left. Joe was handsome, broad-shouldered, dark hair, a quick smile; his dark brown eyes were filled with passion. He could hold you with his eyes.

I stage managed for Lanford Wilson and Tom Eyen, created roles for new playwrights, created tiny collages for the Caffe walls and worked on the sets; created the large stars and flags for the Dames at Sea set and made Joe an apron from left over stars. I was assistant director to Marshall Mason; I occasionally ran to the store for groceries for the Caffe kitchen. There was no job description. We worked for free, passed the basket after each performance and if we collected fifty dollars by the week's end, and the production had five people, we received $10. each for a week's work. We would have worked for a dollar. We would have paid to be there. The Caffe Cino ceiling was a maze of intricate lighting equipment. Lights were dimmed, stage lights appeared on a tiny performance area, and the room opened like a chakra. The walls were collages with photographs, posters, and twinkle lights. Music ranged from opera to Shirley Temple to Kate Smith, belly dancing, Christmas carols and Billie Holiday. A curtain of crystals and bells stretched in front of the espresso machine; a musical explosion by Joe before each performance with the words, "It's magic time!" And each performance was dedicated to somebody's birthday.

Eventually there was a stage, a tiny eight-foot portable wooden platform. New playwrights emerged and used the free venue Joe offered. Joe would ask them their sign, (I think it was his way of reading people), give them a date, say, "This is your week," and politely refuse to read the script. Joe was generous to the extreme. People came to him for help - and he offered it.

For several years Joe operated the Caffe at night, while simultaneously working during the day as a typist for American Laundry Machinery Company. That salary probably sustained the Caffe. Every new playwright paving the way to the next century had roots there - Lanford Wilson, Tom Eyen, Sam Shepherd, John Guare, Robert Patrick, Doric Wilson, Paul Foster, H. M. Koutoukas, William Hoffman, among many, many others. Bernadette Peters, Marshall Mason, and Harvey Keitel began there. Performances were done for the room, with or without an audience. In the words of theater critic John Gruen, ― Caffe Cino presented the outrageous, the blasphemous, the zany, the wildly poetic, the embarrassingly trite, the childish, and frequently, the moving and the beautiful. A few years ago, someone asked me in an interview where the Caffe Cino administrative offices were located. I said they were in the kitchen, next to the expresso machine, because that's where Joe was standing. In the years following the Caffe's closing I wrote two books, co-edited a third with Michael Smith, gave several presentations on the Caffe, and raised a daughter. My artwork was exhibited in Canada and the United States, and my large fabric installation, The Gown, was presented at The United Nations. Two Caffe Cino people have fabric in the Gown, Robert Patrick and Jim Gossage. For many, the Caffe Cino was a second home. For others it was the only home they'd ever known. Awards received by those who began their careers at the Caffe Cino include the Pulitzer, the Emmy, the Grammy, the Tony, the Obie, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, the Robert Chesley Award, and the New York Innovative Theater Awards.

TIMELINE, PLAYWRIGHTS, KEY MOMENTS

"The one thing I never thought of was fully staged productions. I opened as the Caffè Cino Art Gallery, and we had openings every six weeks." Joe Cino

1958-1959 Primarily art exhibitions, poetry and readings of classic plays, Tennessee Williams, etc.

1960 First original play is written for the room, "Flyspray"' by James Howard. In the beginning there is no stage. Tables are moved aside, and actors perform in the space between tables. The photographer, Rowland Sherman, has his first exhibition, with mainly Caffe Cino people as his subjects.

1961 Original plays are now written for the room. Doric Wilson presents his first three plays. The Caffe receives "The Coffee Cup Award" from Show Business newspaper. Al Pacino makes his Off-Off Broadway début in the production of William Saroyan's Hello Out There. "It was a very important moment for me," Pacino, 2014, New Yorker Magazine.

1962 The official menu is designed by Michael Wiley. The $1. minimum includes a show, coffee, and pastry. The one dollar minimum is never changed. Dramatic lighting effects are achieved through the ingenious work of lighting designer John P. Dodd. Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. "The play was one of the most beautiful things we had at the Cino. I think it was the first time we had that kind of magic." Joe Cino

1963 One-week performances. Claris Nelson writes three original plays. Lanford Willson produces his first plays. Harassment from New York City inspectors.

1964 Two week runs begin with 14 performances weekly. Caffe Cino becomes eligible for the Obie Award. There is continued harassment from New York City inspectors. They categorize the Caffe as a cabaret and insist that Joe obtain a cabaret license and sell alcohol, the requirement for obtaining the license. Joe has a valid restaurant license, wants only a caffe with expresso, and wants nothing to do with liquor. He offers to pay for the cabaret license but refuses to serve alcohol. In an attempt to stop the fines, he changes the name of the Caffe Cino to the Caffe Cino Arts Club and issues membership cards, but the fines continued, and the name change is abandoned. It is a cafe without a category. The staging of Lanford Wilson's The Madness of Lady Bright is a breakthrough hit as the play deals openly about homosexuality. The Caffé has become well known for its plays dealing with gay subject matter. For the first time in New York, and perhaps in the country, LGBT people see depictions of themselves in a more multi-dimensional and realistic light.

1965 On the night of March 3, a fire caused by a gas leak, completely destroys the caffe interior. Edward Albee and H.M. Koutoukas organize a benefit to rebuild the Caffe. Several benefits are held throughout the city. The Caffe is rebuilt and reopens on May 18. The Caffe receives special Obie Award. Playwrights include Diane di Prima, H. M. Koutoukas, David Starkweather, Lanford Wilson, Jean-Claude van Itallie, John Guare, Mary Mitchell, Robert Heide, Tom Eyen, William M. Hoffman, Sam Shepard.

1966 In May, Dames at Sea, a 40-minute musical, opens on the tiny stage, is directed by Robert Dahdah and runs for three consecutive months. It is the first New York play for a teenage Bernadette Peters and, is probably the most successful play in Off-Off-Broadway history. Unfortunately, a producer moves Dames from the Caffe Cino to an Off-Broadway theater and Joe and the Caffe are never acknowledged for its creation.

1967 In January, Joe's lover is electrocuted in an accident in upstate New York and Joe is devastated. City fines and harassment increase. At the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, a group of non-Caffe Cino people begin to frequent the room, bring a darkness and quantities of drugs, and although they are not welcomed by most at the Caffe, they continue to frequent the room. On the night of March 31, alone in the room, Joe Cino tries to end his own life. He survives for three days but is pronounced dead at St Vincent's Hospital on Sunday, April 2. Joe Cino cherished life. He cherished his family; the arts; and cherished his magical Caffe. He is devastated by the death of his lover, by the years of unrelenting fines, by the years of harassment, by exhaustion, and is overpowered by a lethal supply of drugs offered to him. They are all contributing factors.

On April 10th at Judson Church, the memorial program cover is wordless. Only a black and white photo of Joe smiling, and wearing an apron made from left over "Dames at Sea" stars.

Four people, led by Charles Stanley - Ken Burgess, Robert Patrick, and Magie Dominic are joined by a few others and work to keep the Caffe open, following the schedule Joe had planned. An unexpected classic comic book production of Snow White. Charles Stanley is the magic mirror; Ken Burgess is all the magical forest creatures; Robert Patrick, playwright, is both Doc and the haunted forest; H.M. Harry Koutoukas, the Greek playwright, is the evil queen; Magie Dominic is Snow White. At every performance the dwarfs are different, and the number is always changing. City harassment and fines intensify. Michael Smith and Wolfgang Zuckerman take over management of the Caffe.

1968 City harassment and fines reach a breaking point. "The summonses cost $250 each. We could not get them to stop, and we could not afford to pay them. So in March, after a final, beautiful production of "Monuments" by Diane di Prima, directed by James Waring and Alan Marlowe, with lighting by John P. Dodd, the Caffè Cino closed for good." (Michael Smith) The Caffe Cino closes on March 17, 1968. Michael Smith, in the days after the Caffe's closing in 1968, takes pictures and programs from the Caffé walls and brings them to Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center.

THE ARCHIVES. KEY MOMENTS

1972. Off-Off Broadway Book by Albert Poland and Bruce Mailman, published with a chapter on Caffe Cino, research and scripts. 1977. Magie Dominic contacted photographer Jim Gossage, a main photographer of Caffe Cino and 1960s OOB theater, regarding existing Caffe Cino photographs. Together, they began assembling documentation. 1979. The newspaper Other Stages published a series of articles about Caffe Cino. 1979. Dorothy Swerdlove, Curator of the Billy Rose Theatre Division of New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (LPA) was shown Caffe Cino documentation by Magie Dominic, and established a 1985 exhibition date in the Astor Gallery, Lincoln Center. For the following six years, 1979-1985, and with the assistance of several Caffe Cino people; Ken Burgess - designer of Caffe show posters; the photographer Jim Gossage; the LPA curatorial staff and Richard Buck, Magie Dominic co-curated the exhibition Caffe Cino and Its Legacy. 1985 Caffe Cino and Its Legacy, March 5 - May 11, Astor Gallery, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center.

AIDS devastated the Caffe Cino people during the 1980s and into the 1990s. Over sixteen playwrights, actors and designers were lost.

2000: The Queen of Peace Room, memoir by Magie Dominic, published, with a chapter depicting Caffe Cino; and loss of people to AIDS; nominated for three literary awards. 2005. The New York Innovative Theatre Awards established The Caffe Cino Fellowship Award. 2005: Caffe Cino: The Birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway, by Wendell Stone, published. 2006. Bernadette Peters, in Legends of Broadway Compilation, related working on Dames at Sea at Caffe Cino. 2006 CUNY TV, Conversations with William M. Hoffman: Caffe Cino/Off-Off Broadway interviews. 2007. In The Life: Channel 13 TV, fifteen-minute documentary on Caffe Cino's impact on New York theatre and gay theatre in New York. 2007. Return to the Caffe Cino, co-Edited by Steve Susoyev and George Birimisa, published. 2008. Thirty-minute video by Library for the Performing Arts, documenting Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation's tribute to Caffe Cino's historic importance; plaque designed by playwright Robert Patrick installed. 2010. H.M. Koutoukas Remembered by His Friends, co-edited by Michael Smith and Magie Dominic, published. 2011. Caffe Cino documentation entered into Library for the Performing Arts permanent archives including the show posters designed by Ken Burgess. 2011. Fales Archives, NYU, enters Magie Dominic writing and art documentation into their permanent archives. 2016. New York Press Association awarded Second Place for Coverage of the Arts to The Villager newspaper for their story, "Magie Dominic - Magic Time at the Caffe Cino". 2017. Caffe Cino placed on The National Register of Historic Places for its significance to LGBT history. It was placed on The State Register of Historic Places the same year. 2019. Caffe Cino designated a New York City Landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. 2019: Lifetime Achievement Award from New York Innovative Theater Awards awarded to Magie Dominic for her contribution to the arts, and Caffe Cino archival work. 2022. Nov 16. A plaque honoring Caffe Cino's placement on The National Register of Historic Places installed on 31 Cornelia Street. It was also Joe Cino's 91st birthday. Research and documentation are ongoing. In 2017, the Cino family found among Mary Cino's papers, the 24-page letter Joe had written to her in 1948.

The Caffe Cino brought theatre into the modern era, created Off-Off Broadway, and from its humble, little eight foot by eight-foot wooden stage, forever altered the performing arts worldwide.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Magie Dominic, 2024.

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:

Experimental theater  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

Ephemera

Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century

Off Off Broadway

Photographs

Theater programs -- 20th century

Citation:

Magie Dominic Caffe Cino Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1596

See more items in:

Magie Dominic Caffe Cino Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8fafdcaf8-93f5-45c6-bb27-f93a1c883546

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1596

Creator:

Green, Mary E.  Search this

Former owner:

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

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry  Search this

Extent:

2.5 Cubic feet (6 boxes and 1 map-folder )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Manuals

Brochures

Posters

Pamphlets

Newsletters

Date:

1883-1980

Summary:

Over a period of approximately 25 years, Dr. Mary Eloise Green of Ohio State University collected a wide variety of materials pertaining to food preservation and home canning techniques. She acquired associated pamphlets, manuals, and recipe booklets from companies as well as governmental agencies.

Scope and Contents:

This collection contains printed materials on various aspects of food preservation, which includes canning, pickling, freezing, and other methods. Recipe books, instruction manuals, posters, brochures and pamphlets issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, by manufacturers of food products, and by manufacturers of canning and preserving products and devices; also newsletters published by bottle and jar collecting hobby groups. A large percentage of the publications in the collection were published during World War II, and relate to preserving food to ensure an adequate food supply during the war years.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1, Product Literature, 1880s-1970s

Series 2, Price Guides, 1970-1977

Series 3, General Publications, 1934-1980

Series 4, Posters, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Dr. Mary E. Green, a professor in the Food and Nutrition Division of the School of Economics at Ohio State University, studied and collected documentation and artifacts pertaining to the home preservation of food.

Related Materials:

Researchers should also consult the Louisan E. Mamer Rural Electrification Administration Papers, 1927-2002 (AC #862).

Separated Materials:

The Division of Work and Industry holds artifacts related to this collection (Accession #322793) including canning jars and food preservation devices.

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Mary E. Green on October 1, 1976.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

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:

Cookery, American  Search this

Frozen foods  Search this

Canning and preserving  Search this

Food industry and trade  Search this

Food conservation  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Food supply  Search this

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Manuals

Brochures

Posters

Pamphlets

Newsletters

Citation:

Food Preservation and Home Canning Literature Collection, 1883-1980, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1061

See more items in:

Food Preservation and Home Canning Literature

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ca0a037c-1e5b-4cab-9919-08704687dfe0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1061

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Torc Brewing Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Container

Media/Materials:

Metal can, plastic, ink

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured, printed

Dimensions:

12.4 x 20.3 x 13.3 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Augusta; Eau Claire County; Wisconsin; USA

Date created:

1987

Catalog Number:

26/9803

Barcode:

269803.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws692594481-65c5-473b-bfe8-93c6313cb663

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412355

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Pokagon Beverage Incorporated, 1923-ca. 1973  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured, printed

Dimensions:

20.3 x 5.7 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Angola; Steuben County; Indiana; USA

Date created:

circa 1960

Catalog Number:

26/9805

Barcode:

269805.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6ec1192e3-74fd-49ad-9a0e-0a63e6fe24c0

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412357

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Coca-Cola Bottling Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

19.7 x 6.0 x 2.5 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Mason City Junction; Cerro Gordo County; Iowa; USA

Date created:

circa 1950

Catalog Number:

26/9806

Barcode:

269806.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws66afa9eec-cd40-417a-9bd6-3252e136ccc5

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412358

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Bridgeville Bottling Works  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

20.3 x 5.8 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Bridgeville; Allegheny County; Pennsylvania; USA

Date created:

1960-1970

Catalog Number:

26/9807

Barcode:

269807.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6b5b01c85-2641-4b0d-95af-1cfd9aa2aa1f

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412359

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Coca-Cola Bottling Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, metal bottle cap/jar lid, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

24.8 x 6.0 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Springfield; Illinois; USA

Date created:

1983

Catalog Number:

26/9810

Barcode:

269810.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6a47d432c-31f0-4d7c-95ba-fa91eeb90351

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412362

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Northeast Oklahoma Bottling Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

24.8 x 5.7 x 2.5 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Miami; Ottawa County; Oklahoma; USA

Date created:

circa 1940

Catalog Number:

26/9814

Barcode:

269814.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws65815f9a3-a10c-492a-bf4a-75933fd4092b

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412366

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Maumee Beverages Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, enamel paint

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

23.7 x 6.0 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Fort Wayne; Allen County; Indiana; USA

Date created:

circa 1930

Catalog Number:

26/9819

Barcode:

269819.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6107a2da8-00b4-43d0-af57-16c91533a57c

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412371

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Mohawk Liqueur Corporation, 1933-  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, paper, ink

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

26.7 x 12.1 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Detroit; Wayne County; Michigan; USA

Date created:

circa 1950

Catalog Number:

26/9820

Barcode:

269820.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6af372e78-182b-4ac2-940e-3cd62e1e9af6

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412372

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Pokagon Beverage Incorporated, 1923-ca. 1973  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

24.1 x 6.4 x 2.5 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Angola; Steuben County; Indiana; USA

Date created:

circa 1965

Catalog Number:

26/9821

Barcode:

269821.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws65648d8b4-13aa-4de5-af12-16a4ab194119

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412373

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Pokagon Beverage Incorporated, 1923-ca. 1973  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

24.1 x 6.4 x 2.7 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Angola; Steuben County; Indiana; USA

Date created:

circa 1975

Catalog Number:

26/9822

Barcode:

269822.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws6beebbd0a-2b82-4174-acbf-5bc8801bc3b1

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412374

Culture/People:

Non-Indian  Search this

Artist/Maker:

Aspinock Mineral Spring Bottling Company  Search this

Previous owner:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Donor:

Lawrence R. Baca, Chaticks Si Chaticks (Pawnee)  Search this

Object Name:

Bottle

Media/Materials:

Glass bottle, ink

Techniques:

Commercially produced/manufactured

Dimensions:

24.4 x 6.4 x 2.7 cm

Object Type:

Food/Beverage Serving

Place:

Putnam; Connecticut; USA

Date created:

1940-1945

Catalog Number:

26/9823

Barcode:

269823.000

See related items:

Non-Indian

Food/Beverage Serving

On View:

NMAI, Washington DC: Potomac Atrium Ramp

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ws627878627-596a-43b4-954a-0cc48bcb2beb

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:NMAI_412376

Inventor:

Naxon, Irving , 1902-1989  Search this

Names:

Naxon Telesign, Inc. (Chicago, Illinois)  Search this

Manufacturer:

Naxon Utilities Corporation (Chicago, Illinois)  Search this

Donor:

Eisenberg, Eileen  Search this

Klein, Jewel N.  Search this

Naxon, Lenore D.  Search this

Extent:

.75 Cubic feet (2 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Correspondence

Newspaper clippings

Notebooks

Patents

Photographs

Trademarks

Date:

1925-2019

Summary:

Papers document Irving Naxon (1902-1989), an inventor best known for the Crock-Pot. Papers include photographs, patents, trademarks, correspondence, drawings and notes for many of Naxon's inventions.

Scope and Contents:

This collection documents a portion of the long and productive career of inventor Irving Naxon (1902-1989). Best known for inventing the slow-cooker that became the ubiquitous Crock-Pot, he was awarded many patents for various kitchen and household devices including an electric frying pan, a lidded turkey roaster, and a tabletop tub with an agitator for washing cloth diapers a Naxon also invented an electronic billboard system (the "telesign"), first used in Times Square. The archival materials offer insights into Naxon's business and advertising acumen, while also providing rich contextual material for understanding the revolution in countertop appliances for the home kitchen at a time when many more American women were employed outside of the home.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into four series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1925-2019

Series 2: Naxon Utilities Corporation, 1920s-1970s

Series 3: Naxon Telesign, Inc., 1938-1973

Series 4: Patent and Trademark Materials, 1932-1968

Biographical:

Irving Naxon was born Irving Nachumsohn (1902-1989) in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Julius Nachumsohn (1870-1905) and Tamora "Mary" Kassloski Nachumsohn (1874-1966), Jewish immigrants with roots in Germany and Lithuania. His father died when Irving was two years old, and the family moved to North Dakota and Canada, finally settling in Chicago. Naxon had two siblings, Meyer Nachumsohn (1898-1980) and Sadie Nachumsohn (1899-1963).

An electrical engineer by training, Naxon worked for Western Electric and was the company's first Jewish engineer. He was an inveterate tinkerer and inventor, and passed the patent bar exam himself, thereby eliminating the need to hire a patent lawyer. Naxon filed US Patent 2,187,888 on May 21, 1936, for a "Cooking Apparatus," or slow cooker. The patent was awarded on January 23, 1940, but the device wasn't put into commercial production until the 1950s. The idea for an electric slow cooker relates to stories about the inventor's great grandmother, who observed the labor restrictions of Shabbat by taking her cholent, a traditional stew of meat, potatoes, and beans, to the local bakery before sundown on Friday so it would cook slowly overnight in the residual heat of the bakery's oven.

By the time the slow cooker was brought to market, it was called the "The Boston Beanery," or "Naxon Beanery" and consisted of a ceramic crock fitted with a heating element that wrapped around an inner chamber, promoting even heat for cooking. Naxon advertised his slow cooker as "the All-Purpose Cooker," and even made a model that sported names of international dishes that could be made in the device. Naxon founded two companies, Naxon Utilities Corporation to manufacture his precision electrical devices, and Naxon Telesign, Inc., to focus on the telesign, an electronic sign that showed moving text resembling a news ticker and which Naxon leased to other companies.

Naxon retired in 1970 and sold his business to the Rival Manufacturing Company in Kansas City. Rival rebranded the Beanery as the "Crock Pot" and provided updated recipes developed by the company's home economists. Rival introduced the Crock Pot at the 1971 National Housewares Show in Chicago and sales took off. The Crock Pot appealed to consumers who wanted to come home at the end of a long day to a home-cooked meal without having to do much actual cooking. Crock Pot sales remain strong, despite a plethora of other kitchen appliances like the Insta-Pot which also minimize the amount of time and cooking technique required to turn out a home-cooked meal.

Naxon married Fern Dubin (1915-2008) in 1940 and, in 1945, changed the family name from Nachumsohn to Naxon due to anti-German sentiment in the United States. The Naxons had three daughters, Lenore Naxon, Jewel N. Klein, and Eileen Eisenberg.

Sources

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brief-history-crock-pot-180973643/

https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/from-humble-to-high-tech-a-slow-cookerhistory/

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/food/articles/jewish-inventor-of-slow-cooker-irving-naxon

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Edgecraft Corporation Records (NMAH.AC.1382)

Goya Foods, Inc. Collection (NMAH.AC.0694)

Kubla Kahn Frozen Food Company Records (NMAH.AC.1316)

Paul Ma Papers (NMAH.AC.1469)

Virginia Mericle Menu Collection (NMAH.AC.1212)

Nordic Ware Company Records (NMAH.AC.0980) Product Cookbook Collection (NMAH.AC.0396)

Charlotte Cramer Sachs Papers (NMAH.AC.0878)

Jane and Michael Stern Collection (NMAH.AC.1392)

Warshaw Collection of Business American Series: Food (NMAH.AC.0060)

Warshaw Collection of Business American Series: Kitchen Appliances and Utensils (NMAH.AC.0060)

A. Bernie Woods Papers (NMAH.AC.0962)

Division of Work & Industry

The Division of Work & Industry holds artifacts related to this collection. See accession 2023.0089 which includes the Naxon Boston Beanery, Naxon Flavor Crock, Turkey Roaster, and Automatic Chicken Fryer.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Lenore Naxon, Jewel N. Klein, and Eileen Eisenberg, 2023.

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:

Cooking  Search this

Inventions -- 20th century  Search this

Inventors -- 20th century  Search this

Kitchen appliances  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Newspaper clippings

Notebooks -- 20th century

Patents -- 20th century

Photographs

Trademarks

Citation:

Irving Naxon Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1592

See more items in:

Irving Naxon Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c8d1ed65-e39f-48dc-8846-e44d4966ad28

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1592

Physical Description:

metal (overall material)

Measurements:

overall: 69 3/4 in x 40 1/2 in; 177.165 cm x 102.87 cm

Object Name:

weathervane

Date made:

1960s

Related Publication:

Sewer, Andy; Allison, David; Liebhold, Peter; Davis, Nancy; Franz, Kathleen G.. American Enterprise: A History of Business in America

Credit Line:

Gift of Kentucky Fried Chicken

ID Number:

2014.0120.01

Accession number:

2014.0120

Catalog number:

2014.0120.01

See more items in:

Work and Industry: Retail and Marketing

Food

Advertising

American Enterprise

Exhibition:

American Enterprise

Exhibition Location:

National Museum of American History

Data Source:

National Museum of American History

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ae-24dc-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmah_1464272

Variant company name:

Founded in 1849 in Brooklyn, NY. http://www.pfizer.com/about/timeline.jsp  Search this

Company Name:

Chas. Pfizer & Co. Inc.  Search this

Related companies:

Pfizer Inc. ; Warner-Lambert ; Parke-Davis ; J.B. Roerig and Co. ; SmithKline Beecham ; Agouron Pharmaceuticals ; Searle ; Monsanto ; Upjohn Co. ; Pharmacia ; Pharmacia & Upjohn ; SUGEN ; Pfizer Laboratories ; Roerig  Search this

Notes content:

Trade lit related to Pfizer, the world's largest research-based biomedical and pharmaceutical company. Pfizer's 100th Anniversary book, published 1949 ; Booklet "Pfizer Science for Brewery Progress" ; Technical report of stainless steel clad aluminum for cookware, utensils and appliances ; Booklet about non-caloric synthetic food sweeteners calcium and sodium cyclamates and calcium and sodium saccharin ; Marketing kit to industrial clinics and dispensaries that contained order forms for antibiotic Candettes, Toclase expectorant compound and Tyzine nasal solution with information about those products and topical antibiotic ointments for skin and eyes and Bonamine for motion sickness ; Technical reports from Pfizer's agricultural division, issues 1-6, 100-100B, 104, 107-114 (dated May 1965-May 1967) regarding antibiotics for chickens, dairy cows, calves, mink, turkeys, swine, beef cattle and bees plus vitamins and minerals for horses, livestock and poultry ; 1983 pamphlet on "Pfizer and Third World Health Issues" ; 1956 Annual Shareholder's Report ; 1982 speech by Pfizer Inc. President Gerald D. Laubach entitled "The Chemical Basis for Modern Therapeutics" ; story of Pfizer's research reprinted from "Inight" July 1989 Issue 14 ; review of current (as of Winter 1959-1960) developments in vitamins, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals in the company's sales division publication "In Brief" ; flyer advertising a 1989 cruise sweepstakes for Bonine anti-motion-sickness pills ; Pamphlets from 1930s: "Quality Chemicals", "Fourteenth Exposition Chemical Industries 1933", "Chemicals December 1933" ; intravenous "Terramycin" antibiotic ; "Spectrum" issues (Spring 1964 ; Fall 1965) ; Navane ; Procaine Penicillin G Crystalline for Aqueous Injection-Pfizer ; Dihydrostreptomycin Sulfate-Pfizer

Includes:

Trade catalog, manual and histories

Black and white images

Color images

Physical description:

49 pieces; 2 boxes

Language:

English

Type of material:

Trade catalogs

Trade literature

Place:

New York, New York, United States

Date:

1900s

Topic (Romaine term):

Biotechnology and biochemical equipment and supplies  Search this

Chemicals and chemical products  Search this

Drugs; pharmaceuticals and patent medicines  Search this

Foods and beverage products and processing equipment (including brewing; distilleries; beer; wine; etc.)  Search this

Livestock and fisheries  Search this

Printing; publishing; paper and bookselling (including type specimens)  Search this

Veterinary and pet supplies  Search this

Topic:

Animal industry  Search this

Beverage industry  Search this

Biochemical engineering  Search this

Biotechnology  Search this

Book industries and trade  Search this

Chemicals  Search this

Distilleries  Search this

Drugs  Search this

Fisheries  Search this

Food industry and trade  Search this

Livestock  Search this

Patent medicines  Search this

Pet supplies  Search this

Pharmacy  Search this

Printing machinery and supplies  Search this

Publishers and publishing  Search this

Veterinary instruments and apparatus  Search this

Veterinary medicine  Search this

Record ID:

SILNMAHTL_31594

Location:

Trade Literature at the American History Museum Library

Collection:

Smithsonian Libraries Trade Literature Collections

Data source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:SILNMAHTL_31594