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Creator:

Joseph Enterprises, Inc. (San Francisco, California)  Search this

Pedott, Joseph, 1932-2023  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Design drawings

Photographs

Packaging

Date:

circa 1976-2005, 2008

Summary:

Papers relating to products developed and marketed by Joseph Enterprises, Inc., including the Chia Pet and the Clapper. The collection includes internal business documentation including correspondence, design drawings, and photographs. Print advertising and packaging samples as well as audiovisual materials make up an important part of the collection. The video collection includes commercials for the Chia and Clapper products as well as clips of product mentions in popular entertainment. In addition, there are two recorded oral history interviews with Joseph Pedott.

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents the Chia Pet, the Clapper, and other products of Joseph Enterprises, Inc. Other materials include packaging and advertising campaigns by Joseph Pedott Advertising & Marketing for other companies. While fragmentary and limited in extent, these materials illustrate the progress of Joe Pedott's career from a one-man advertising agency to a modest scale, enduring marketing business. The papers include early advertising work for small local clients and for a national client (Eversharp/Parker Pen) and well as early television for a variety of retail products. There is little on unsuccessful products, often just a few advertisements. The materials are complemented by the oral history interviews.

Arrangement:

Collection organized into eight series.

Series 1: Oral History Interviews, September 2004, April 2008

Series 2: Chia Pet, 1981-2005, undated

Series 3: The Clapper, 1976-1985, undated

Series 4: Scribe Ett, 1981, 1984, undated

Series 5: Eversharp Pen Company, undated

Series 6: Various Products, 1985, undated

Series 7: Newspaper Clippings, 1989-2004, undated

Series 8: Audiovisual Materials, 1979-2005, undated

Subseries 8.1, Commercials, 1979-2005

Subseries 8.2, Promotions, 1996-2001

Biographical / Historical:

Joseph Pedott (1932-2023) was born April 14, 1932 in Chicago. He attended the University of Illinois, where he and friend Daryl Peters, began the advertising company, Pedott & Peters. They successfully began producing commercials for automotive and retail companies and made a large amount of money by the time they reached the age of twenty-one. After making a bad business investment the partners focused on completing college. They began building up the company upon graduation.

Pedott and Peters worked together for several years before deciding to dissolve the partnership. Pedott then began working for R. Jack Scott, a Chicago advertising agency. Pedott worked for Scott for just over two years and during that time, out-performed those with more experience in the advertising field. Pedott left Chicago for San Francisco in 1956. He worked briefly at a small firm on commission before forming his own agency, Joseph Pedott Advertising & Marketing. Pedott's firm was innovative in advertising techniques. The company was the first to use "dealer tagging," a technique used at the ends of television commercials. During the last five seconds of the commercial consumers would learn where the advertised item could be purchased.

While attending a Chicago house wares show Pedott noticed the Chia Pet. He spoke with the product owner and learned that while the product was selling well, the owner was losing money on every Chia sold. Pedott bought the name and concept and reworked the manufacturing of the product after a trip to Mexico to witness first hand how the Chias were made. Later pedott moved Chia manufacturing to China. Pedott created a new company, Joseph Enterprises, Inc., (JEI) to manufacture the Chias. Joseph Pedott Advertising ran the advertising campaigns for all of JEI's products while continuing to work for non JEI clients.

After improving the quality of the product, the "new" Chia arrived on the market in 1982 and quickly expanded throughout the country, sold largely at drugstores. Today, the Chia Pet has large name recognition among the American public and continues to be a popular gift, especially at Christmas time. The line has expanded beyond the original ram and bull shapes to include a variety of animals (pig, elephant, kitten, dinosaur, etc.) as well as famous cultural icons such as Jerry Garcia, Bugs Bunny and various Looney Tunes characters, and Homer and Bart Simpson. In addition, the Chia Herb Garden entered the market in the mid-1990s.

Pedott's other success, the Clapper, came about through the advertising campaign for the Great American Turn On. Pedott discovered that the original product did not work properly and felt the owners were cheating their customers. JEI bought the product, including the patent, and reworked the electrical wiring to ensure that the company was selling a high quality product. As with the Chia Pet, The Clapper and its advertising, like the Chia, are familiar to a large number of Americans.

Note: Material for this section was taken from Joe Pedott Oral History Interview Abstract, September 20, 2004, Joseph Pedott Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials:

Materials in the National Museum of American History

The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds artifacts related to this collection (Accession # 2005.3116) that include:

1. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet dog

2. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet ram

3. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia pet bull

4. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia-saurus

5. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Chia Shrek character

6. Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Donkey from Shrek

7. Chia Pet Handmade Clay Decorative Planter with Chia Seeds, Jerry Garcia Chia

8. Bigmouth: A portable, plastic garbage bag holder

9A. CD Mobile antenna with packaging

9B. CB Mobile monitor with box

10. Video recorder with packaging

11. Metal detector with packaging

12. Pen set with frame and packaging

13. Light switch with box

14. Light switch with packaging

15. Jar lid opener with box

16. Tapeless measure with packaging

17A. Pen, engraving

17B. Pen, engraving with packaging

17C. Pen, engraving with packaging

17D. Pen, engraving with packaging

18A. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18B. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18C. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18D. Knife, Pumpkin cutter

18E. Knife with packaging

18F. Pumpkin cutter with packaging

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Joseph Pedott, 2005.

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:

Novelties  Search this

Toys  Search this

Popular culture  Search this

Marketing  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Design drawings

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Packaging

Citation:

Joseph Pedott Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0898

See more items in:

Joseph Pedott Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c1a7ec84-0a30-48f5-9447-f102700bd4b4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0898

Creator:

Santamaria, Mongo, 1917-  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (4 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Articles

Passports

Photographs

Manuscripts

Concert programs

Date:

1950s-1996

Summary:

Collection includes music manuscripts, articles and clippings, concert programs, passports, and photographs.

Scope and Contents:

This collection documents, mostly in photographs, the musical career of Mongo Santamaria. Other materials include music manuscripts, magazine and newspaper articles, flyers, posters, and passports.

Series 1, Photographs, circa 1950s–1990s, includes primarily black and white and some color images of Mongo Santamaria. There is a photograph of Santamaria with the first Congo he brought from Cuba to the United States. Of particular interest is Santamaria performing with Tito Puente and Cal Tjada's bands. Some of the earlier photographs document performances at the Palladium Nightclub and Apollo Theatre. There are publicity photographs of Santamaria and his band created by the recording studios. The photographs also include award ceremonies, bar scenes and concert appearances. The materials are arranged in chronological order.

Series 2, Music Manuscripts, 1958-1985; undated, includes music created by Santamaria and music performed by him but written by other composers. Escena Afro-Cubanas composed and arranged by Valerie Capers (1985), Just Say Good-by by Rodgers Grant, Mambo Olga Pachanga by Nicolas Martinez (1961) and Peace by Horace Silver are included among these materials. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by title.

Series 3, Personal and Background Information, 1945-1996; undated, include a profile of Santamaria and other musicians written in Japanese. There are also magazine articles documenting the development of Santamaria's career and his public appearances. Articles from the Miami Herald and the Chicago Tribune are also included among the materials. Personal items consist of Santamaria's Cuban and American passports. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by type.

Series 4, Performance Materials, 1977-1996; undated, includes the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Certificate to Mongo Santamaria and his Latin-Jazz Orchestra in recognition of nomination for the Best Tropical Latin Performance for Free Spirit, Espirito Libre, 1985. There are also flyers and an entertainment guide, some in Spanish, advertising public appearances for concert performances. A program in French for a jazz festival in Vienna includes profiles of the performers. There are posters including a black and white drawing of jazz musicians by Robert Leonard (1985) and appearances at the Miami Jazz and Heritage Festival, Apollo Theatre, Oberlin College and the Blue Note. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order by type.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into 4 series.

Series 1: Photographs, circa 1950s-1990

Series 2, Music Manuscripts, 1958-1985 and undated

Series 3, Personal and Background Information, 1945-1996 and undated

Series 4, Performance Materials, 1977-1996 and undated

Biographical / Historical:

Cuban-born percussionist, composer, arranger, and bandleader.

Related Materials:

The materials in this collection complement the Latino Music Collection, Tito Puente Papers, Chico O'Farrill Papers, Dizzy Gillespie Collection and Paquito d'Rivera Music Manuscripts and Photograph.

Provenance:

Donated to the Archives Center by Mongo Santamaria's daughter, Nancy Anderson.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Fees for commercial reproduction. Reproduction restricted due to copyright or trademark.

Topic:

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Drummers (Musicians)  Search this

Musicians -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Articles

Passports

Photographs -- 1950-2000

Manuscripts -- Music -- 20th century

Concert programs

Citation:

Mongo Santamaria Papers, 1965-2001, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Nancy Anderson.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0893

See more items in:

Mongo Santamaria Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep86da90852-d80c-4f01-b373-10272925814e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0893

Creator:

Waring, Frank H., 1925-  Search this

Collector:

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

Names:

RHM Consultants, Inc.  Search this

Virginia and Maryland Railroad Company  Search this

Waring Group, Inc.  Search this

Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company  Search this

Extent:

4 Cubic feet (4 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Blueprints

Reports

Date:

1912-1997

Summary:

Collection documents transportation analyst, consultant and planner Frank H. Waring and his consulting firm The Waring Group, Inc.

Scope and Contents:

Papers include reports, proposals, studies, and blueprints for projects on which Waring worked during the course of his consulting career. The subject matter includes railroad tariffs and rail abandonment to coal transportation. There are three blueprints, two photographs of Cloverdale and Colpitts annual dinner at the University Club and a roster of officers and members for the Traffic Club of New York.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into nine series.

SPapers are arranged into nine series.

Series 1, The Waring Group Inc., Business Plans, 1976-1989

Series 2, Project Reports, 1949-1989

Series 3, Proposals, 1979-1988

Series 4, Studies, 1979-1983

Series 5, Other, 1964-1987, undated

Series 6, Blueprints and Maps, 1912-1991

Series 7, Subject Files, circa 1923-1997

Series 8, Photographs, circa 1931-1935, 1963, 1965

Series 9, Miscellaneous, 1951-1996

Biographical / Historical:

Transportation analyst, consultant and planner Frank H. Waring (b. 1925-) has over fifty years of experience in railroad transportation management and in general transportation consulting. Waring was employed by the Virginia and Maryland Railroad Company (VAMD) and the Maryland and Delaware Railroad Company (MDDE) where he served as Vice President both companies. Also, Waring worked for the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia Company (DMV). Waring founded an independent firm RHM Consultants, Inc. in January 1981 to dedicate more of his time to diverse consulting projects and to become less involved with the Delmarva Railroads. In September 1981, Waring's employment with VAMD and MDDE was terminated and he became a fulltime consultant. In 1983, the name of the firm was changed from RHM Consultants, Inc. to The Waring Group, Inc. In 1987, Printo, Kane Research, Inc. (PKRI) acquired the Waring Group.

Provenance:

Donated by Frank H. Waring to the Archives Center in 2005.

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:

Railroads  Search this

Railroads -- 20th century  Search this

Transportation -- History  Search this

Genre/Form:

Blueprints -- 1950-2000

Reports

Citation:

Frank H. Waring papers, 1912-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0895

See more items in:

Frank H. Waring Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ba6a1c4f-e5a8-44bb-a701-c2b4d7ae9eab

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0895

Collector:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History  Search this

Producer:

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

America's Jazz Heritage  Search this

Smithsonian Institution. Traveling Exhibition Service  Search this

Funder:

Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation  Search this

Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund  Search this

National Endowment for the Arts  Search this

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Interviewee:

Adams, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Aguabella, Francisco, 1925-  Search this

Akiyoshi, Toshiko, 1929-  Search this

Alvarado, Alfredo  Search this

Anderson, Chris, 1926-  Search this

Armenteros, Alfredo "Chocolate", 1928-2016  Search this

Armstrong, Howard, 1909-2003  Search this

Ashby, Harold  Search this

Atkins, Clarence, 1921-  Search this

Avakian, George, 1919-  Search this

Baker, David, 1931-  Search this

Bank, Danny, 1922-  Search this

Barker, Danny, 1909-  Search this

Barker, Louise, 1913-  Search this

Barron, Kenny  Search this

Bass, Fontella  Search this

Bates, Peg Leg, 1907-  Search this

Bauza, Mario, 1911-  Search this

Belli, Remo  Search this

Bellson, Louis  Search this

Benson, George, 1943-  Search this

Berger, Ed  Search this

Bert, Eddie, 1922-  Search this

Betts, Keter, 1928-  Search this

Bey, Chief (James), 1913-  Search this

Bishop, Walter, 1927-  Search this

Brooks, Cecil  Search this

Brown, Oscar, Jr., 1926-  Search this

Brown, Velzoe, 1910-  Search this

Brubeck, Dave  Search this

Bryant, Ardie, 1929-  Search this

Bryant, Clora  Search this

Bryant, Ray, 1931-  Search this

Bufalino, Brenda, 1937-  Search this

Bunnett, Jane  Search this

Burns, Ralph, 1922-2001  Search this

Burrell, Kenny  Search this

Butts, Jimmy, 1917-  Search this

Byrd, Charlie, 1925-  Search this

Calloway, Cab, 1907-1994  Search this

Camero, Candido, 1921-  Search this

Carbonell, Luis  Search this

Carrington, Terri Lyne  Search this

Carter, Benny, 1907-2003  Search this

Carter, Ron, 1937-  Search this

Casey, Al, 1915-  Search this

Cheatham, Doc, 1905-1997  Search this

Cheatham, Jeannie, 1917-  Search this

Cheatham, Jimmy, 1924-  Search this

Claxton, William  Search this

Cobb, Jimmy, 1929-  Search this

Cohen, Martin, 1939-  Search this

Collins, John, 1913-  Search this

Columbus, Chris, 1902-  Search this

Conover, Willis, 1920-  Search this

Costello, Diosa  Search this

Cruz, Alfredo  Search this

Cruz, Celia, 1924-2003  Search this

Cugat, Xavier, 1900-  Search this

D'Rivera, Paquito, 1948-  Search this

De Franco, Buddy, 1923-  Search this

DeJohnette, Jack  Search this

Dejan, Harold, 1909-  Search this

Del Puerto, Carlos, 1951-  Search this

Di Novi, Gene, 1928-  Search this

Diaz Ayala, Cristobal  Search this

Donegan, Dorothy, 1922-  Search this

Driggs, Frank, 1930-  Search this

Dudley, Bessie, 1902-  Search this

Edison, Harry, 1915-  Search this

Egũes, Richard, 1923-2006  Search this

Farmer, Art, 1928-  Search this

Favors, Malachi  Search this

Fernandez, Rosita, 1918-2006  Search this

Fernandez, Ruth  Search this

Finegan, Bill, 1917-  Search this

Flynn, Frank (Marimba player)  Search this

Foster, Frank, 1928-  Search this

Fournier, Vernel, 1928-  Search this

Freeman, Von, 1922-  Search this

Fuller, Curtis, 1934-  Search this

Fuller, Gil, 1920-  Search this

Gensel, John  Search this

Gilbert, Peggy  Search this

Golson, Benny  Search this

Gonzalez, Celina  Search this

Goodson, Sadie, 1904-  Search this

Green, Urbie  Search this

Guerrero, Felix, 1916-2001  Search this

Guines, Tata  Search this

Hamilton, Chico, 1921-  Search this

Hampton, Slide  Search this

Harris, Joe  Search this

Harrison, Nelson  Search this

Haynes, Roy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Jimmy, 1926-  Search this

Heath, Percy, 1923-2005  Search this

Hemphill, Julius, 1938-  Search this

Henderson, Bill, 1930-  Search this

Henderson, Luther  Search this

Hendricks, Jon, 1921-  Search this

Hentoff, Nat  Search this

Hill, Roger, 1928-  Search this

Hinton, Milt, 1910-2000  Search this

Holman, Bill, 1927-  Search this

Horn, Shirley, 1934-  Search this

Humphries, Roger  Search this

Hutcherson, Bobby  Search this

Jarvis, Jane, 1915-  Search this

Jimenez, Flaco  Search this

Johnson, J.J., 1924-  Search this

Jones, Elvin  Search this

Jones, Hank, 1918-2010  Search this

Jones, Jonah  Search this

Jones, Quincy, 1933-  Search this

Jordan, Kidd, 1935-  Search this

Jordan, Sheila, 1928-  Search this

Keepnews, Orrin, 1923-  Search this

Kimball, Narvin, 1909-  Search this

Klein, Manny, 1908-  Search this

Konitz, Lee  Search this

Lateef, Yusef, 1920-  Search this

Laws, Hubert  Search this

LeGon, Jeni, 1916-  Search this

LeRoy Neiman  Search this

Leonard, Herman, 1923-2010  Search this

Levy, John, 1912-2012  Search this

Lewis, Edna, 1907-  Search this

Lewis, Ramsey (1935-2022)  Search this

Liebman, Dave  Search this

Lincoln, Abbey, 1930 -  Search this

Liston, Melba  Search this

Livelli, Vincent  Search this

Longoria, Valerio, 1924-2000  Search this

Lopez, Israel, 1918-  Search this

Lucie, Lawrence, 1907-  Search this

Lutcher, Nellie, 1912-  Search this

Lynton, Charles, 1904-  Search this

Mandel, Johnny  Search this

Manning, Frank, 1914-  Search this

Marsalis, Delfeayo  Search this

Marsalis, Ellis  Search this

Marsalis, Jason  Search this

McGettigan, Betty  Search this

McIntosh, Tom, 1927-  Search this

McKibbon, Al, 1919-  Search this

McKusick, Hal, 1924-  Search this

McPartland, Marian  Search this

Mendoza, Lydia  Search this

Miller, Eric  Search this

Miller, Norma, 1919-  Search this

Mondello, Toots, 1911-  Search this

Moody, James, 1925-  Search this

Morgenstern, Dan  Search this

Murray, Albert, 1916-  Search this

Myers, Amina  Search this

Nicholas, Fayard, 1918-  Search this

Nicholas, Harold, 1924-  Search this

Norvo, Red, 1908-1999  Search this

O'Brien, Peter F.  Search this

O'Farrill, Chico, 1921-2001  Search this

Owens, Jimmy, 1943-  Search this

Palmier, Remo, 1923-  Search this

Peraza, Armando, 1924-  Search this

Perez, Graciela  Search this

Peterson, Oscar, 1925-  Search this

Puente, Tito  Search this

Pullen, Don, 1941-  Search this

Rachell, Yank  Search this

Ray, Carline, 1925-  Search this

Reed, Leonard, 1907-  Search this

Richards, Red, 1912-  Search this

Rivers, Sam  Search this

Robinson, Charles  Search this

Robinson, Les, 1912-  Search this

Rogers, Shorty, 1924-  Search this

Rollins, Sonny  Search this

Ross, Annie, 1930-  Search this

Royal, Marshall, 1912-1995  Search this

Rugolo, Pete, 1915-  Search this

Russell, George, 1923-2009  Search this

Rutherford, Rudy  Search this

Sager, Jane, 1914-  Search this

Santamaria, Mongo, 1917-  Search this

Scott, Jimmy  Search this

Settle, Cucell, 1914-  Search this

Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004  Search this

Slyde, Jimmy, 1927-  Search this

Smith, Hale G.  Search this

Smith, Johnny  Search this

Stoll, Jerrold "Jerry" Keith , 1923-2004  Search this

Taylor, Arthur, 1929-  Search this

Taylor, Billy  Search this

Teagarden, Norma, 1911-  Search this

Terry, Clark  Search this

Thielemans, Toots  Search this

Tinney, Al, 1921-  Search this

Toro, Yomo  Search this

Tucker, Bobby, 1923-2008  Search this

Tyner, McCoy  Search this

Valdes, Bebo, 1918-  Search this

Valdez, Carlos, 1926-  Search this

Valdez, Chucho, 1941-  Search this

Valentin, Val, 1920-  Search this

Valeria, Chuy  Search this

Van Gelder, Rudy  Search this

Van Lake, Turk, 1918-  Search this

Viola, Al, 1919-  Search this

Walton, Cedar, 1934-  Search this

Wein, George  Search this

Wess, Frank, 1922-  Search this

Weston, Randy, 1926-  Search this

White, Andrew, 1942-  Search this

Wilder, Joe, 1922-  Search this

Willcox, Spiegle, 1902-  Search this

Williams, Claude, 1908-2004  Search this

Williams, John, 1905-  Search this

Wilson, Gerald, 1918-  Search this

Wilson, Nancy, 1937-  Search this

Wofford, Mike  Search this

Woods, Phil  Search this

Ybarra, Eva  Search this

Yoshida, George, 1922-  Search this

Young, Al (Saxophinist)  Search this

Young, Lee, 1917-  Search this

Young, Webster, 1932-  Search this

Interviewer:

Baker, Lida  Search this

Bluiett, Hamiett  Search this

Brower, William  Search this

Brown, Anthony  Search this

Burstein, Julie  Search this

Carner, Gary  Search this

Cole, Tom  Search this

Coleman, Steve  Search this

Corporan, Hector  Search this

Crease, Bob  Search this

Dantzler, Russ  Search this

Elie, Lolis  Search this

Fernandez, Raul  Search this

Fochios, Steve  Search this

Frank, Rusty  Search this

Geremia, Paul, 1944-  Search this

Haddix, Chuck  Search this

Harris, Barry  Search this

Holley, Eugene  Search this

Jackson, Reuben  Search this

Jenkins, Willard  Search this

Kimery, Kennith  Search this

Kirchner, Bill  Search this

Levin, Floyd, 1922-2007  Search this

Lopez, Rene  Search this

McDaniel, Ted  Search this

McDonough, John  Search this

Murphy, Molly  Search this

Newton, James  Search this

O'Meally, Bob  Search this

Ouelette, Dan  Search this

Pelote, Vincent  Search this

Placksin, Sally  Search this

Porter, Lewis  Search this

Pullman, Peter  Search this

Ritz, David  Search this

Rodrique, Jessie  Search this

Schoenberg, Loren  Search this

Schwartz, Scott  Search this

Smith, Ernie  Search this

Sneed, Ann  Search this

Stitt, Katea  Search this

Talbot, Bruce  Search this

Tucker, Sherrie  Search this

Watson, Matt  Search this

White, Michael  Search this

Whitfield, Weslia  Search this

Willard, Patricia  Search this

Williams, James  Search this

Wong, Herb  Search this

Yamazaki, Paul  Search this

Zimmerman, James  Search this

Extent:

39 Cubic feet (58 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history

Audiotapes

Interviews

Date:

1992-2014

Scope and Contents:

Audiotapes, CDs and digital files: an ongoing project to interview and preserve the memories of people important in the jazz world, including jazz musicians, singers, dancers, producers, arrangers, and others. A list of interviewees and interviewers follows.

The following is a list of the individuals who conducted the interviews.

1. Brown, Anthony

2. Baker, Lida

3. Burstein, Julie

Interviewer

2. Bluiett, Hamiet

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1, DAT and CD Original Interview Recordings, 1992-2012

Series 2, Cassette Reference and Master Interview Tapes, 1992-2012

Series 3, Audio CD Reference Copies, 2000-2012

Series 4, Video/CD, 1994-2012

Series 5, Transcripts and Abstracts, 1992-2014

Series 6, Supplemental Documentation, 1992-2012

Biographical / Historical:

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program, a project of "America's Jazz Heritage, A Partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution" initiative was created in 1992. More than 150 in-depth oral history interviews were conducted from 1992 through 2002. The collection was transferred to the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History in 2000. Now part of the National Museum of American History's American Music History Initiatives, the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program continues to conduct interviews as funding is available.

The Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program was established to document significant jazz musicians, performers, producers, and business associates in their own words and voices. Program staff contacted and worked with potential interviewees to arrange for interviews. Each interview was conducted by a jazz authority and was recorded on digital audiotape by a professional audio engineer. The interviews averaged 6 hours in length and covered a wide range of topics including early years, initial involvement in music, generally, and jazz specifically, as well as experiences in the jazz music world, including relationships to musicians. The original DAT interview tapes were then dubbed to audiocassettes and CD to create protection and access copies. More recent interviews have been recorded using fully digital technology and the interviews are preserved and made availbel as digital files.

A number of the interviews were conducted as part of the Ella Fitzgerald Oral History Project of the Jazz Oral History Program. Funded by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation, these interviews focus on the life and work of Ella Fitzgerald. The National Endowments for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program continues to support new interviews with NEA Jazz Masters.

For more information about jazz concerts, education, collections, Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Jazz Master orchestra, visit Smithsonian Jazz.

Provenance:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must use reference copies.

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. Release forms exist for most interviews.

Topic:

Dancers  Search this

Music -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Musicians -- United States  Search this

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Genre/Form:

Compact discs

Sound recordings

Oral history -- 1990-2000

Audiotapes -- 1990-2000

Interviews -- 2000-2010

Interviews -- 1990-2000

Citation:

[Interviewee name] Interview, Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection, 1992-2014, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

The interviews were made for the Smithsonian Institution under the auspices of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program and supported by America's Jazz Heritage, funded by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Oral Histories Program. Additional interviews were conducted with support from the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0808

See more items in:

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep89ce666f6-61ae-465c-b2e7-262c9c4d7bfe

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0808

Musician:

Armenteros, Alfredo "Chocolate", 1928-2016  Search this

Donor:

Armenteros, Jr., Alfred  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (3 boxes, 2 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

1920-2016, undated

Summary:

Collection documents the life and career of Cuban trumpet player Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros. Included in the collection are correspondence, photographs, music manuscripts, clippings, awards and programs.

Scope and Contents:

Collection documents the life and musical career of Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros. The materials consist primarily of black-and-white and color photographs of Armenteros, his family and friends. There is correspondence including both incoming and outgoing letters, postcards, and greeting cards. Throughout his career Armenteros was recognized by the Latin American community and this is best reflected the awards and citations he received. Music manuscripts, performance agreements, and promotional materials for concerts can also be found among these materials. The collection is arranged into two series. Series one is Armenteros's personal papers. Series two contain performance materials. relating to Armenteros's performances.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1, Personal Papers, circa 1920-2016, undated

Series 2, Performance Materials, 1975-2016, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros was a trumpeter, composer, arranger, and producer known for his Afro-Cuban musical style. He was born on April 4, 1928, in Ranchuelo, in the Villa Clara province of central Cuba. In 1949, Armenteros moved to Havana to begin his musical career, which spanned almost seven decades. Armenteros worked with many New York-based Latin artists and bands including Mongo Santamaria, Graciela, Osvaldo "Chi Hua Hua" Martínez, Lou Pérez, Roberto Torres, Ismael Rivera, and Israel "Cachao" López. He died on January 6, 2016 in a nursing home in Mohegan Lake, New York at the age of eighty-seven.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History Collections

Graciela Papers (NMAH.AC1425)

Chico O'Farrill Papers (NMAH.AC0892)

Paquito D'Rivera Papers (NMAH.AC0891)

Mongo Santamaria Papers (NMAH.AC.0893)

Leonard Gaskin Papers (NMAH.AC0900)

Division of Music, National Museum of American History

Accession Number: 2017.0214

Includes six passes, one parade ribbon, three awards, two framed records, and one trumpet made by Holton and engraved "A.A. Chocolate."

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Museum by Alfred Armenteros, Jr. in 2017.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.

Rights:

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

Citation:

Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1430

See more items in:

Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8c130e389-ba00-433b-a549-28bd8450c17b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1430

Creator:

Northlight of Colorado, Inc.  Search this

Jacobson, Jake  Search this

Extent:

8 Prints (framed)

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

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Photographs

Sound recordings

Inkjet prints

Iris prints

Ink jet printing

Compact discs

Digital images

Cd-roms

Color prints (photographs)

Date:

1996-2000

Summary:

Collection consists of photoprints and other materials created by Jacob Jacobson for the "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of photoprints and other materials created by Jacob Jacobson for the "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" exhibition circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004. The materials are arranged into two series.

Series 1: Iris (Inkjet) Digital Photoprints, dates, consists of eighty six color Iris (inkjet) items. The subjects are primarily individual musicians and craftsmen, although several instrument companies are included, notably the venerable Selmer Company of Elkhart, Indiana, which has manufactured band instruments for many decades. These digital prints were made from Jacobson's 35mm color transparencies (although print number one is monochrome, rather than full color). The prints are from a limited edition of 350, and are signed by the photographer in the lower right beneath the image, and numbered on the lower left. Some prints bears Northlight Atelier blind stamp in the margin and an identifying label with the print number and subject's name is affixed to each print on the verso at the bottom. Most of the prints have an image size of 20" in the long dimension and from approximately 13-1/4" to 14-1/4" on the short side; on heavy, textured archival paper, ranging in size from about 16"x 23" to 19"x 24". Eight larger prints, with image sizes of approximately 21-22" x 31-32" in size, were received matted and in 28" x 40" frames. Some representative image and print sizes are included. Most prints are in one large flat box; prints in the "folder" are stored separately because the paper is slightly too large for the box. The large framed prints are necessarily stored separately and are less accessible.

Series 2: Other Materials, dates, includes a loose-leaf notebook containing inventory of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) exhibit prints with titles and thumbnail images for identification (except item 55, which is omitted), plus a CD-ROM containing the images in pocket. Note that the images for numbers 81 and 85 in the notebook are reversed. There is also a compact disk in plastic jewel case of the same name ("Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America"), which contains sixty tracks of instrument makers playing their instruments and interviews with some of them. Compact disk in plastic jewel case, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America; Music and Interviews Recorded Live; Taken from the Book..." (produced by Northlight). Containing music and selected interviews with instrument makers, produced for commercial distribution by Northlight Atelier; 60 tracks. Compact disk in plastic jewel case, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America; Music and Interviews Recorded Live; Taken from the Book..." (produced by Northlight). Containing music and selected interviews with instrument makers, produced for commercial distribution by Northlight Atelier; 60 tracks.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into two series.

Series 1, Iris (Inkjet) Digital Photoprints

Series 2, Other Materials

Biographical / Historical:

"Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of America" was an exhibition of photographs by Jake Jacobson, circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), from April 2000 to early 2004 to at least fourteen venues. The first site was April 8, 2000, at the Georgia Mountains History Museum, and the last venue for the show was the Elkhart County Historical Museum, Bristol, Indiana, ending April 6, 2004. Selections from the exhibition were on view from June 4 to 8, 2001, in the Rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building, and it was shown in the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries building, March 2-April 28, 2002.

The field work for the project was begun in 1996, culminating in 1998. "Traveling coast to coast, in an extensive two-year journey across the United States, Jake Jacobson and research collaborator Trisja Malisoff recorded the images, words, and music of over 300 contemporary musical instrument makers. Documenting the diversity of American music, Jacobson's photographs reveal a complex, living tradition-a heritage that draws upon Latin, Native American, European, African and Asian music influences."

Following this project, Jacobson engaged in a related photographic documentation, "Heart & Hands: Musical Instrument Makers of China." He has established a "Heart & Hands Foundation." Music has been an important part of Jacobson's life throughout his career as a photographer, printmaker, and jazz musician. During the mid-1960s he operated a backyard print shop, producing rock concert posters. As an advertising and editorial photographer, he pioneered new techniques for special effects and printmaking. His continuing passion for photographing musical artists is evident in the portraits in the "Heart & Hands" project.

A graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography, Jacobson has taught photography at UCLA and Cypress College in Orange County. A longtime practitioner and teacher of Yoga, he is the owner of the Center for Yoga in Los Angeles. He operated a "state-of-the-art" photography, printmaking, and video production studio, Northlight of Colorado, in the mountains near Telluride, Colorado, before relocating the Northlight Atelier to Santa Barbara, California, in 2003.

Another project of Jacobson's is entitled, "Oh, Baby--Celebrating Birth Rites around the World."

Provenance:

Collection donated by Mr. Jacobson.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves.

Technical Access: Do not use original

Rights:

Jake Jocobson retains copyright. 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:

Musical instruments -- 20th century  Search this

Musical instrument makers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Inkjet prints -- 1990-2000

Sound recordings -- Compact disks

Inkjet prints

Photographs -- Digital prints -- 20th century

Iris prints

Ink jet printing

Compact discs

Digital images

CD-ROMs

Color prints (photographs)

Citation:

Jake Jacobson "Heart & Hands" Color Iris Photoprints, Archives Center, National Museum of American History,

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0866

See more items in:

Jake Jacobson "Heart & Hands" Color Iris Photoprints

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8e49666db-ef2c-40a1-ad9a-ee43e0d5f3e7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0866

Creator:

Sachs, Charlotte Cramer, 1907-2004  Search this

Names:

Cramanna  Search this

Cramarc  Search this

Crambruck Press  Search this

Cramer Products Company  Search this

Joy Originals  Search this

Joy Products  Search this

Sachs, Alexander  Search this

Samuels, Donald  Search this

Extent:

4 Cubic feet (13 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Awards

Business records

Clippings

Correspondence

Notes

Patents

Patent applications

Photographs

Sheet music

Date:

1905-2002

bulk 1940-2002

Summary:

Papers relating to Charlotte Cramer Sachs's life and career as an inventor mainly of food and household-related products: correspondence, photographs, business papers, awards, patents, printed materials, notes, and miscellany. The collection primarily consists of invention-related marketing materials including invention samples and prototypes, notes, clippings, business correspondence, and customer account records.

Scope and Contents:

The records are divided into two series. Series 2 is further divided into eight subseries.

Series 1 documents the inventor's creativity through her artistic, literary, and musical records. Also included are awards and certificates received and materials related to her childhood home. This series contains few photos of Cramer Sachs herself, although a print of one of her paintings, "Portrait of a Lady," circa 1953, seems to be a self-portrait. There are no photos of her husband or daughter in the collection. Also missing is any information related to the inventor's formal education, childhood, the circumstances of her departure from Berlin, marriage, and family life.

Materials in Series 2 constitute the bulk of the collection and are primarily comprised of marketing ephemera, with very few financial and production records. This series gives a broad outline of Cramer Sachs's many inventions documenting Joy Products and wine-related inventions in the most depth.

Series 1: Creative and Artistic Papers, 1933-2002

These records include sheet music, songbooks, stories, and poetry of the inventor's own creation; photographic prints of her artwork; art exhibition materials; publishing company (Crambruck Press) records and published materials; childhood residence ("Haus Cramer") materials, and awards and certificates unrelated to inventions. Artwork and songs make up the bulk of the materials, and are arranged alphabetically by subject. Records in this series provide a context for Cramer Sachs's career as an inventor, although they do not reveal extensive information regarding her personal life or history.

Records relating to artwork include press releases, exhibition photographic prints and negatives, promotional materials, newspaper clippings, notebooks compiled by Cramer Sachs, as well as donation records of artworks given by the inventor to The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

Crambruck Press publishing company is a combined name which incorporates the inventor's surname, Cramer and mother's maiden name, Bruck. These records include a pre-publication notice and order form for a Crambruck Press publication, correspondence from a donor, as well as three Crambruck Press publications: From Boring Dinosaur to Passionate Computer by Livingston Welch, 1968; Poems by Helen H. Shotwell, 1970; and In Search of Harmony by Charlo, 1964.

Haus Cramer materials include photographs, newspaper clippings (many of them in German), correspondence between Cramer Sachs and Stanford University, and floor plans of the house designed in 1912 by German architect Hermann Muthesius. A framed black-and-white photographic print of Haus Cramer is fragile and is housed in a sink matte, box 9.

Poetry materials, songs, and stories are contained in bound books, published songbooks, original sheet music, and copyright records for song words, manuscripts written by Cramer Sachs, as well as correspondence records related to her writings. The song "With Love From New York" was used in the marketing of "Joy New Yorkshire Pudding Mix," and the records contain a vinyl recording which doubles as a marketing piece. Allusions to her husband, Alexander Sachs, and daughter, Eleanor, are found in some of her songs and stories.

Translation materials are comprised of correspondence (mostly in German), as well as Cramer Sachs's complete English translation of the "Stoffel Flies Across the Ocean" story, originally written in German by Erika Mann, circa 1932.

Series 2: Invention Records, 1905-2002

Invention Records contain information related to Cramer Sachs as an inventor and are divided into eight subseries. Materials include: patent related records; samples and prototypes; marketing and advertising materials; newspaper and magazine clippings; business correspondence records; customer account records; Wine Museum materials; and patent searches. These present a broad overview of Cramer Sachs's many inventions, although the majority of information is concentrated in the Household/Office, Food Products, and Wine-related series. Records are arranged chronologically by invention. The final subseries contain patent searches requested by the inventor.

Subseries 2.1: Cramer Products Company and Affiliate Company Records, 1942-2002

Materials include financial records, business correspondence, company awards and certificates, real estate materials, license agreements with outside inventors, a promotion prospectus for the company, and three company stamps (three dimensional). Also included are records of an invention for which Cramer Sachs sought copyright, "Orthodontic Device," 1954, and those having to do with products distributed—not invented—by Cramer Products Company, "Forster Longfresh," 1985. In addition, there are black-and-white photographic prints of an office opening which include images of Cramer Sachs in 1967. These records are arranged chronologically.

Subseries 2.2: Household/Office Records, 1913-1972

These records relate to seven different inventions, each with varying degrees of information. "Combination Key and Flashlight," 1940 was an improvement on previous patents and therefore consists of the earlier patent materials (1913 and 1938), Cramer Sachs's patent application materials, an official, sealed patent application (1940), prototype drawings, correspondence records related to manufacturing and distribution, photographic prints, and a newspaper article. "Cozi-Crib," 1958 and 1968, and "Joy Originals Log Cabin Furniture Set," 1957, records include marketing materials whereas "Holdit," 1972, and "Party Platter," 1962, are minimally represented by one or two photographic prints. "Gaitray" materials consist of four product samples. Materials for "Miracle Knee Tray," circa 1953 include marketing ephemera, a photograph, and two product samples. A prototype for the "Traypron," 1954, is also included. These records are arranged alphabetically by invention name.

Subseries 2.3: Food Products, 1940-1969

Records in this subseries are mostly comprised of Joy Products prepared mix materials. Two exceptions are the small, fragile recipe book, 1940, and the "Caviodka," 1962, records. Business correspondence materials contain those from a food and equipment consultant, the Colgate-Palmolive Company, and Arthur Colton Company, in addition to those relating to the incorporation of Cramer Sachs's "baking mix manufacturing plant" (1945). There are numerous packaging samples of various Joy Products, along with handwritten recipes and notes. An example of early packaging for Joy Products "Early American Muffin Mix" is in flat box 10. This subseries also includes customer surveys and comments, marketing plans and proposals, advertisements, and a marketing portfolio compiled by the inventor. A scrapbook contains Joy Products newspaper clippings, advertisements, marketing ephemera, and photographs of store displays. The scrapbook pages are extremely brittle and are housed in sleeves. Preservation copies are available for research use. These records are arranged chronologically.

Subseries 2.4: Pet Accessories, 1953-1954

This subseries consists of materials relating to three inventions: "Bonnie Stand," circa 1953-1954; "Guidog," 1953; and "Watch-Dog," 1953. Records include photographic prints, marketing materials, printing blocks (for "Bonnie Stand"), as well as a declaration of invention for, and a product sample of, "Watch-Dog." These records are arranged alphabetically by invention name.

Subseries 2.5: Games, 1961-1969

The inventor created two games: "Domi-Notes," circa 1961 and "Musicards," circa 1969. "Domi-Notes" materials include an order form citing the distributor as G. Schirmer, Inc. and the addressee as Walter Kane and Son, Inc., and three games two in cardboard boxes, (fragile) and one housed in the original hard plastic case. Records relating to "Musicards" consist of two game samples including directions for playing.

Subseries 2.6: Wine-Related, 1966-2002

Wine-related records cover twenty distinct inventions and range from specialty cabinets—which make-up the bulk of the materials—to bottle accessories such as the "Bottle Bib" and the "Cramanna Bottle Ring." The type and number of records vary, with the majority concentrated in the "Cool-Safe," "Cramarc Multiple Cabinet," "Modern Wine Cellar," and "Well Tempered Systems" folders. Records in invention-specific folders are arranged alphabetically and include marketing materials, press releases, photographic prints and some negatives, cabinet drawings, brochures, order forms, correspondence, as well as product samples of "Bottle Bibs."

Customer account records are arranged alphabetically and consist of billing statements, invoices, receipts, blueprints, correspondence, cabinet drawings, customer feedback, bills of lading, and memoranda. Letters from David H. Wollins laud Cramer Sachs's cabinet as "the finest home wine storage system in the world." Examples of how the inventor handled an unsatisfied customer can be found in the Col. Charles Langley folder.

Miscellaneous wine-related materials follow the customer account records. Included are advertising ephemera, photographs, and newspaper clippings originally assembled into a binder by Cramer Sachs. Taped to the inside front cover was a cut-out from a magazine advertisement which reads, "If you stick with the herd, you could end up as a lamb chop." Miscellaneous materials also include unlabeled cabinet drawings, photographic prints, competitor materials, photocopies from Grossman's Guide to Wines, Spirits, and Beers, as well as marketing materials and newspaper clippings covering a range of wine-related inventions. These records are arranged alphabetically by subject.

The final section of the wine-related subseries documents the development and eventual dissolution of The Wine Museum of New York. Records are arranged chronologically and include a provisional charter; an extension of the provisional charter; a newspaper clipping; outreach correspondence; a binder of wine museum materials including brochures, event invitations, exhibition opening cards, board member profiles, a press release, and newspaper clippings; wine museum exhibition information; and records related to the dissolution of the museum.

Subseries 2.7: Temperature and/or Humidity Controlled Devices, 1968-2002

This subseries documents the inventor's temperature and/or humidity controlled inventions that do not relate to wine. Cramer Sachs created the "Well Tempered Cabinet" for both wine and musical instruments; it is documented in this and the wine-related subseries. These records cover eight distinct inventions which range from specialty cabinets for musical instruments, furs, and cigars to devices designed to cool the body. Records relate to marketing, invention-specific business correspondence, confidential information and competition agreements, and include photographic negatives and prints. Miscellaneous cabinet drawings, cigar-related materials, and newspaper articles are also included. Records are arranged alphabetically by invention name followed by miscellaneous materials.

Subseries 2.8: Patent Searches, 1905-1980

Records in this subseries include correspondence as well as copies of several patented inventions for which Cramer Sachs requested information.

Arrangement:

Tha collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1: Creative and Artistic Papers, 1933-2002

Series 2: Invention Records, 1905-2002

Subseries 2.1: Cramer Products Company and Affiliate Company Records, 1942-2002

Subseries 2.2: Household/Office, 1913-1972

Subseries 2.3: Food Products, 1940-1969

Subseries 2.4: Pet Accessories, 1953-1954

Subseries 2.5: Games, 1961-1969

Subseries 2.6: Wine-related, 1966-2002

Subseries 2.7: Temperature and/or Humidity Controlled Devices, 1968-2002

Subseries 2.8: Patent Searches, 1905-1980

Biographical / Historical:

Charlotte Cramer Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany on September 27, 1907. Her father, Hans Siegfried Cramer, worked as a businessman for a successful grain import and export company whose innovative enterprises included the import of soy beans from Eastern Europe. In 1903, Hans married Gertrud Bruck, one of the first women to attain her Abitur, somewhat similar to an American high school diploma, at age eighteen. Bruck's formal education ended there, as her wish to attend university was thwarted by her father Adalbert, a judge who insisted that she remain at home. The couple settled in Berlin and had two children—Frederick H., born March 2, 1906, and Charlotte. From 1913 to 1924 The Cramers lived in the Berlin Dahlem suburb occupying "Haus Cramer," a villa built in 1912 to their specifications by German architect Hermann Muthesius.

On September 12, 1924, Cramer Sachs married Donald Samuels, a top executive of the Manhattan Shirt Company and moved to New York from England where their daughter Eleanor was born on June 11, 1926. Several years later, the couple divorced. Mother and daughter lived together in London for a few years before moving back to New York around 1936. Charlotte's parents relocated to New York at the same time, after a brief stay in London following their flight from Berlin after Hitler's rise to power. In August 1945, Charlotte Cramer married Alexander Sachs, a leading economist who had introduced Albert Einstein to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and acted as advisor to the President.

Although she established her business career in America, Cramer Sachs retained fond memories of the house and extensive grounds in Dahlem. In 1977 she composed the song "A Salute to Berlin" to commemorate the designation of Haus Cramer as one of the city's historic landmarks. In 2000, she donated a painted portrait of herself from the time she had lived in Haus Cramer to the villa's new owner, Stanford University. The house retains additional significance in the context of this collection because Cramer Sachs credited its wine cellar—unusual in that it provided a separate, climate controlled environment for red and white wines—as an inspiration for her line of custom-built, vibration-free wine storage devices, which would later make Cramer Products Company a household name among wine connoisseurs.

While she did not attend university her pursuit of learning continued throughout her life as she studied poetry, musical composition, and the fine arts. Cramer Sachs often told her niece, Lilian Randall, that she wished she had received further education, although her public art exhibitions, poetry awards, numerous original songs, the establishment of Crambruck Press (her own publishing company), as well as language fluency in French, English, and German, are testaments to this inventor's intellectual curiosity and development. Evidence of Cramer Sachs's entrepreneurial spirit surfaced in her early thirties with her first patent: Improvements in Combined Key and Flashlight, July 16, 1940, patent number 2,208,498.

In 1940, Cramer Sachs completed courses from the New York Institute of Dietetics, an effort spurred by the onset of her daughter's diabetes. With financial assistance from her parents in the early 1940s, Cramer Sachs developed Joy Products prepared mixes, marking the beginning of a successful career in inventing. "We were a pioneer in that field," said Cramer Sachs of her baking mix manufacturing company, an operation that consisted of a Bronx neighborhood factory employing ninety workers. The enterprise began with corn muffin and popover mixes and expanded into frostings, puddings, and breads. Newspaper clippings from the time promoted Joy packaged mixes as ideal gifts for "the boys overseas" who were in locations where it was "impossible to get together the makings of a cake." Cramer Sachs refused an early offer to sell her mix formulas which were subsequently copied and exploited by larger, more powerful companies. Joy Products, whose name was chosen to express the inventor's delight in creativity, remained in business as a modest one-woman operation for over twenty years before succumbing to competition.

Cramer Sachs created another highly successful invention, the specialty wine cabinet, more than twenty years after she founded Joy Products. In addition to her memories of visits with her father to the wine cellar in her family's German villa, further motivation came from an interest—though she hardly drank it at all—in wine and recognition that "standard cooling and refrigerating appliances [were] too cold for wines." Reportedly, Cramer Sachs "started looking for [an appropriate device] and could not find one," and thus the impetus to invent took shape. The "Modern Wine Cellar," 1966, was an early example of over twenty wine-related inventions, most of them storage devices. A mention of her product in Grossman's Guide to Wines, Spirits, and Beers, increased demand among wine lovers and may have prompted Cramer Sachs to state that she "should find a good market" for her newest invention line. Testimony from David H. Wollins, a successful New York lawyer and customer of Cramer Sachs, lauded the cabinet as "the finest home wine storage system in the world." She framed his letter and hung it in her office at 381 South Park Avenue, her base operation where she employed one or two part-time helpers from the 1960s until her death in 2004.

The inventor took great joy in music, expressed in her own numerous compositions and her creation of the games "Domi-Notes" and "Musicards" in 1961 and 1969. Her fondness for music also prompted the expansion of her specialty cabinets to include temperature and humidity controlled devices for storing a variety of items, most notably the "Well Tempered Cabinet for Musical Instruments," which Cramer Sachs first designed for legendary violinist Isaac Stern. Soon the inventor began producing similar cabinets for the storage of cigars, furs, and documents.

Described by her niece as "shy with people but a great admirer of talent, intellect, and humanity," Cramer Sachs also "harbored a great love for animals." She invented several pet accessories in the early 1950s, including: "Watch-Dog," a dog collar with a time piece; "Bonnie Stand," a holder fashioned to accommodate disposable food bowls; and "Guidog," an early version of a retractable dog leash.

In 1972, Cramer Sachs suffered the loss of her only child, Eleanor, and in the summer of the next year her husband Alexander passed away. She continued her "business of creating new product ideas" for the remainder of her life. The most recent invention materials represented in the collection are those for the "Conservator" from 2002, a temperature and humidity controlled device with compartments to store a variety of items. In her last telephone conversation with her niece, on March 10, 2004, Cramer Sachs expressed her hope that she would feel "strong enough to get to the office the next day or so." The inventor died the following day at the age of 96.

Patents issued to Charlotte Cramer Sachs:

United States Patent: 2,208,498, "Combined Key and Flashlight," July 16, 1940

United States Patent: 2,509,423, "Wedge Heel Shoe," May 30, 1950

United States Patent: 2,808,191, "Lap Tray," October 1, 1957

United States Patent: Des. 363,618, "Cabinet," October 31, 1995

Related Materials:

Materials in Other Organizations

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Related materials on husband Alexander Sachs's political and professional life found in the Papers of Alexander Sachs

Art Gallery of Ontario, E. P. Taylor Research Library and Archives, Toronto Ontario, Canada

Correspondence between Cramer Sachs and Sam and Ayala Zacks dating from the 1970s and relating to Zionist art found in the Sam and Ayala Zacks Fonds.

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Drawings & Archives Collections Haus Cramer architectural records and papers, 1911-2004, (bulk 1911-1955)

This collection primarily contains original and reprographic architectural records, photographs, correspondence and personal and professional records related to the design, construction, and ownership of the Haus Cramer in Dahlem, Berlin, Germany, designed by German architect Hermann Muthesius in 1911-1913 for Hans and Gertrud Cramer, with later additions by Muthesius and other architects. A significant portion of the collection also documents the Cramer family's efforts to obtain restitution after World War II for the seizure of the house in the 1930s. Also included are records documenting the restoration and reuse, an effort led by noted architectural historian Julius Poesner.

Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections

Cramer papers, 1938-1954

Cramer, Frederick Henry, 1906-1954; historian and college teacher. Mount Holyoke College faculty member, 1938-1954. Papers consist of writings, biographical information, and photographs; primarily documenting his scholarly activities and his interest in automobile racing.

German Historical Institute

Charlotte Cramer Sachs in the Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present.

The collaborative research project Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present sheds new light on the entrepreneurial and economic capacity of immigrants by investigating the German-American example in the United States. It traces the lives, careers and business ventures of eminent German-American business people of roughly the last two hundred and ninety years, integrating the history of German-American immigration into the larger narrative of U.S. economic and business history.

Provenance:

The papers were donated to the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History in the spring of 2005 by Lilian Randall (niece), Erich Cramer (nephew), Aileen Katz (niece), Elisabeth Weissbach (niece), and John Cramer (nephew).

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research use. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.

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:

Baked products  Search this

Food mixes  Search this

Inventors -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Wine -- Storage  Search this

Women inventors  Search this

Women inventors -- 20th century  Search this

Works of art  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

Awards

Business records -- 20th century

Clippings -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Notes

Patents

Patent applications

Photographs -- 20th century

Sheet music

Citation:

Charlotte Cramer Sachs Papers, 1905-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0878

See more items in:

Charlotte Cramer Sachs Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep80e9d7739-dea1-4c9b-82cb-6fcf17e24b00

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0878

Creator:

Chase, Ernest Dudley, fl. 1920s  Search this

Holland, Frances  Search this

Holland, Frederic  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Watercolors

Valentines

Poems

Maps

Love letters

Letters (correspondence)

Date:

1924-1966

bulk 1930-1940

Summary:

A collection of greeting cards, pictorial maps, and travel diaries by artist Ernest Dudley Chase. Chase created greeting cards for Clara Holland during their courtship and later marriage. The cards were hand painted by Chase in water color with cut- paper details. Many of the cards include romantic letters or poems composed by Chase.

Scope and Contents:

A collection of greeting cards given by artist Ernest Dudley Chase to Clara Holland in the years during their courtship and marriage, pictorial maps drwan by Chase, and nine travel diaries. The cards were hand-painted by Chase in water color with cut-paper details. Many of the cards include romantic letters or poems composed by Chase.

Series 1, Greeting Cards, circa 1937-1966, consists of hand crafted, personally designed cards that Chase created for his wife Clara Holland. The cards generally include a very affectionate sentiment or on occasion a poem. The cards were done in water color and embellished with cut-paper details and calligraphy. Also included are Monday Morning Letters that Chase wrote to his wife Clara whom he called his "Lovely Little Lady" or "L.L.L."

Series 2, Maps (pictorial), 1935-1947 and undated, consists of maps designed and signed by Chase featuring meticulous illustrations of famous landmarks, flora, fauna and other features.

Series 3, Travel Diaries, 1924-1937, consists of nine volumes of bound, typescript travel diaries maintained by Chase from his travels, to Alaska, the Mediterranean, Carribean, Germany, Holland, Central Europe, Sicily, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland. The diaries are arranged chronologically.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into three series.

Series 1, Greeting Cards, circa 1937-1966

Series 2, Maps (pictorial), 1935-1947 and undated

Series 3, Travel Diaries, 1924-1938

Biographical / Historical:

Ernest Dudley Chase was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1878 but is most associated with the town of Winchester, Massachusetts where he was a well known artist. Chase created a unique body of work, an array of views of various Winchester homes and buildings and whimsically illustrated maps. After attending the Lowell Textile School and the Vesper George Art School in Boston, Chase joined the Butterfield Printing Company in 1900. In 1906, he joined the printing firm of W.T. Sheehan in Boston. He began his own greeting card company in 1908, Des Arts Publishers which eventually became Ernest Dudley Chase Publishers. In 1921, Chase Publishers was purchased by Rust Craft. Chase worked at Rust Craft until 1958 in the position of vice president of creative design. His other duties at Rust Craft included advertising manager and editing the company's newsletter The Rustler and the greeting card industry periodicalThe Greeting Card.

Chase married three times. His first marriage was to Idelle Clark and his second marriage was to Wilhelmina Graham. In 1937, Chase married for a third time to Clara Holland. On all holidays and special occasions, he gave his wife, Clara elaborately crafted, personally designed cards in which he generally included a very affectionate sentiment or on occasion a poem. One of Chase's hobbies was creating enormous greeting cards, gathering thousands of signatures on them and sending them to United States presidents or other famous persons around the world. Chase also enjoyed traveling and documenting his travel experiences in diaries.

According to the book Winchester Artists by Ellen E. Knight, Chase produced more greeting cards than anyone in the United States. He authored the first definitive history of the greeting card business,The Romance of Greeting Cards, which was published in 1926. Chase retired from Rust Craft in 1958 and died in 1966.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

Norcross Greeting Card Collection (AC0058)

Olive Leavister 19th Century Handmade Valentine Collection (AC0396)

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Greeting Cards (AC0060)

Provenance:

The greeting cards were donated to the Archives Center in 2005 by Ernest Dudley Chase's stepson, Fred, and Frances Holland. Fred Holland donated pictorial maps in July, 2010 and travel diaries in September, 2010.

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 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.

Occupation:

Artists  Search this

Topic:

Greeting cards -- 20th century  Search this

Courtship  Search this

Love  Search this

Genre/Form:

Watercolors

Valentines

Poems

Maps -- 1880-1940

Maps -- 1940-1950

Love letters

Letters (correspondence) -- 1900-1950

Citation:

Ernest Dudley Chase Papers, 1924-1940s, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0886

See more items in:

Ernest Dudley Chase Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8a61292ac-6d70-415d-a36d-de58c86a36a0

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0886

Author:

LeGon, Jeni, 1916-  Search this

Names:

Robinson, Bill, 1878-1949  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes, includes photographs)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Letters (correspondence)

Programs

Photographs

Clippings

Itineraries

Advertisements

Date:

1930-2002, undated

Summary:

Collection documents the career of Jeni LeGon as a dancer, dance instructor, and actress.

Scope and Contents:

Collection documents LeGon's career as a dancer, dance instructor, and actress. Materials include biographical information, correspondence, photographs, early travel itineraries, schedules, personal calendars, printed advertisements, invitations to dance events, programs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and awards. The collection is arranged into four series: Series 1, Biographical Information and Publicity, 1930s; Series 2, Theatre and Motion Picture Film, 1935-1945, undated; Series 3, Dance Instruction and Performances, 1953-2002, undated; and Series 4: Tributes and Awards, 1979-2002.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into four series:.

Series 1, Biographical Information and Publicity

Series 2, Theatre and Motion Picture Film, 1935-1945

Series 3, Dance Instruction and Performances, 1953-2002, undatred

Series 4, Tributes and Awards, 1979-2002

Biographical / Historical:

Jeni LeGon was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1916. Her long, successful career as an African American dancer and actress began in musical theatre and vaudeville. In the 1930s she traveled across the southern United States performing first with the Whitman Sisters company and then with her half-sister, Willa Mae Lane, as the LeGon and Lane song-and-dance team. By 1935, LeGon was working under contract with Fox Studios, RKO Pictures, and MGM performing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Waters and Al Jolson, and Fred Astaire. Throughout the years she performed on Broadway and in other theaters and clubs including the Apollo, Cafe de Paris, Howard, Paramount, and Lincoln. Beginning in the 1950s she offered dance instruction in Los Angeles, California at the Jeni LeGon Dance Studio and Drama and Dance Playhouse; and in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she taught tap and pointe. She died on December 7, 2012 at the age of ninety-six.

Related Materials:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program Collection (AC0808)

Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection (AC0491)

Program in African American Culture Collection (AC0408)

Frank Schiffman Apollo Theatre Collection (AC0540)

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Jeni LeGon in 2002.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

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

Topic:

African American women entertainers  Search this

African American women  Search this

Dance in motion pictures, television, etc.  Search this

Dance, Black  Search this

Dancers  Search this

Actresses  Search this

Tap dancing  Search this

Genre/Form:

Letters (correspondence) -- 20th century.

Programs -- 1930-2000

Photographs -- 20th century

Clippings

Itineraries

Advertisements -- 20th century

Citation:

Jeni LeGon Papers, 1930s-2002, undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0829

See more items in:

Jeni LeGon Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8b5972ffb-e9ea-40ec-baa7-7fc43d772a76

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0829

Creator:

United States. War Production Board.  Search this

Garfield & Co.  Search this

Former owner:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Science, Medicine, and Society  Search this

Extent:

15 Cubic feet (17 boxes, 11 oversized folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Ledgers (account books)

Correspondence

Sales records

Tax records

Date:

1909-1969

Summary:

The collection documents Garfield and Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in New Jersey during the twentieth century. Garfield and Company, founded by Isidor Z. Garfield (1863-1951), made Seidlitz Powder, a commonly known medication composed of tartaric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium sodium tartrate that was used as a mild cathartic by dissolving it in water and then drinking it. Materials include customer files, invoices, correspondence, advertising and packaging materials, calendars, posters, financial records, and an oral and video history with Julius Garfield, son of Isidor Z. Garfield.

Scope and Contents:

The Garfield Company Records are divided into seven series: Series 1, Historical Background; Series 2, Customer Materials; Series 3, Correspondence, 1937-1952; Series 4, Financial Records, 1918-1950; Series 5, Advertising and Packaging Materials, 1923-1968 and undated; Series 6, Drawings/Diagrams, 1958; and Series 7, Photographs, circa 1950s. The collection documents Garfield and Company, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in New Jersey during the twentieth century. Garfield and Company made Seidlitz Powder, a commonly known medication composed of a mixture of tartaric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium sodium tartrate that was used as a mild cathartic by dissolving it in water and then drinking it. The records include customer files, correspondence, advertising, packaging, audio visual materials, photographs, packaging, advertising and financial records. The collection provides good insight into the company during the World War II period and the hardship conditions under which they operated, such as delays in receiving raw materials and difficulty with labor.

Series 1, Historical Background, 1915-1969 and undated, consists of newspaper clippings and articles, corporate identity pieces (letterhead and envelopes), correspondence, and audio visual materials about Garfield and Company. The majority of the correspondence relates to machinery companies and their ability to provide equipment and expertise to manufacture powders and handle packaging issues. Other correspondence relates to advertising agencies and the State of New Jersey Division of Employment Security. The correspondence with Seil, Putt and Rusby, Inc., documents an analytical, consulting and research chemists firm that conducted testing for Garfield. The audio visual materials contain an oral history with Julius Garfield, son of Isidor Garfield on ½" VHS video footage (OV 820.1-2) and a demonstration of how Seidlitz powders are manufactured. The video footage, of which there are two copies, is approximately one hour in length and is divided into two segments. The first segment features the manufacturing equipment producing Seidlitz powders and the second segment features an informal interview with Julius Garfield discussing his father's background and his father's automation of the process of packaging Seidlitz powders. The audio cassettes (OTC 820.1-2) contain a more detailed oral history with Julius Garfield. He provides additional information about his father's background, his brother's (especially George's) background, and the history of the company. Curator Ray Kondratus, of the Division of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History, conducted the oral history interview, circa 1970s.

Series 2, Customer Materials, 1909-1952, includes materials about customers who had a business relationship with Garfield and Company. The materials are divided into two subseries, Subseries 1, Index Card Files, 1909-1939 and Subseries 2, Customer Files, 1949, 1951-1952.

Subseries 1, Index Card Files, 1909-1939, contains customer names, addresses, and order history from 1909 to the 1920s. They are arranged geographically by city and alphabetically by customer name. They adhere to a color coding schema. Department stores are designated yellow; wholesalers pale blue; second jobbers buff; and chain drug stores are pink. The cards are annotated revealing information about the customer's personality, job information, and the specific salesman for that account.

Subseries 2, Customer Files, 1949, 1951-1952, is arranged alphabetically by customer name. The files contain invoices/receipts for companies, department stores, drug stores, and other organizations that ordered Seidlitz powder from Garfield and Company. The receipts include the name and address of the company and the cost for each order. Also included are bills of lading documenting where the shipment was sent and who received it.

Series 3, Correspondence, 1937-1952, is arranged alphabetically and consists of letters to and from other companies, individuals, and the War Production Board. Some general subject files are also here. The War Production Board correspondence contains information about the use and salvage of raw materials in the factory; requests to purchase certain types of materials; and compliance with quarterly requests for inventory, purchases, and usage of certain foods and materials. Included in the general subject files is documentation about insurance and workers compensation claims for employees of Garfield and Company. The documentation includes primarily State of New York Department of Labor Workers Compensation forms and accident/injury reports. The reports provide detailed information on the nature of the accident/injury, hourly wage and demographic information about the employee.

Series 4, Advertising and Packaging Materials, 1923-1968 and undated, and is divided into four subseries, Subseries 1, Advertising Materials, 1923-1968 and undated; Subseries 2, Posters, 1940s and undated; Subseries 3, Radio Broadcasts, 1951-1964, and Subseries 4, Packaging Materials, 1953 and undated.

Subseries 1, Advertising Materials, 1923-1968 and undated, contains primarily proofs of advertisements for Garfield Seidlitz powders, merchandising reports, price lists, metal printing plates for two advertisements, and calendars. The advertising proofs are in color, black-and-white, and pencil on tracing paper and were prepared by firms such as F.M. Advertising Agency, Inc. There are some pin-up calendars advertising Clairol, Inc., products, 1943, and other pin-ups advertising Garfield and Company Seidlitz powders, 1950-1951.

Subseries 2, Posters, 1940s and undated, consists of posters for Garfield and Company Seidlitz powders and war posters created from woodcuts by Frances "Fran" O'Brien Garfield and Ernest Hamlin Baker. Garfield and Baker designed the posters for the Putnum County Defense Council of New York. Garfield and Company distributed the posters.

Subseries 3, Radio Broadcasts, 1951-1964, contains two 5" inch reel-to-reel audio tapes of radio broadcasts for Garfield and Company products and four audio discs (33 rpm and 87 rpm) of radio broadcasts.

Subseries 4, Packaging Materials, 1953 and undated, consists primarily of labels for Seidlitz powders and cardboard carton packages for transporting and displaying Seidlitz powders. The labels are paper and primarily two and one half by four inches. They feature standard language about the Seidlitz powders. They are imprinted with the name of a specific drug company, such as Hazeltine and Perkins Drug Company or Gill Brook Laboratories. There are some labels that have been imprinted on aluminum sheets. The cardboard cartons are for Seidlitz powders, cough syrups, laxatives, rhinitis tablets, diarrhea remedies, and toothpaste. Packaging specific to a company/manufacturer is arranged alphabetically under the name of the company.

Series 5, Financial Records, 1918-1950, is divided into four subseries: Subseries 1, Invoices, 1918-1941; Subseries 2, Sales Books and Ledgers, 1939-1947 and undated; Subseries 3, Receipts, 1948-1952; and Subseries 4, Tax Materials, 1936-1950 and consists primarily of tax information for the company and specific employees, sales ledgers and invoices and receipts.

Subseries 1, Invoices, 1918-1941, contains invoices issued by Garfield and Company to companies, department stores, drug stores, and other organizations for purchases of Seidlitz Powders. Included are bills of lading. The subseries are arranged alphabetically. See also Series 2, Customer Files, 1949, 1951-1952.

Subseries 2, Sales Books and Ledgers, 1939-1947 and undated, documents order information about the number of tins, carts, and packs of Seidlitz powder sold to specific companies.

Subseries 3, Receipts, 1948-1952, is arranged alphabetically by name of company and contains documentation on products and services that Garfield and Company purchased and used. For example, they purchased soda bicarbonate from the American Cyanamid Company and used the Bronx Haulage Company for rubbish removal.

Subseries 4, Tax Materials, 1936-1950, contains employee wage records, tax returns, employee withholding exemption certificates, and invoices for Samuel Markowitz, an accountant. Some of the records detail the name of the employee, time worked (days and hours), wages, deductions, and wage paid.

Series 6, Drawings/Diagrams, 1958, contains one line drawing for hot water at the Garfield Company, December, 1958, and pencil sketches and diagrams for wiring of the tins and cartons machinery, 1958.

Series 7, Photographs, circa 1950s, contains black-and-white photographs of Isidor Garfield, employees operating packaging machinery, an exterior view of the manufacturing facility, and a store display.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1: Historical Background, 1915-1969 and undated

Series 2: Customer Materials, 1909-1952

Subseries 2.1: Index Card Files, 1909-1939

Subseries 2.2: Customer Files, 1949, 1951-1952

Series 3: Correspondence, 1937-1952

Series 4: Financial Records, 1918-1950

Subseries 4.1: Invoices, 1918-1941

Subseries 4.2: Sales Books and Ledgers, 1939-1947 and undated

Subseries 4.3: Receipts, 1948-1952

Subseries 4.4: Tax Materials, 1936-1950

Series 5: Advertising and Packaging Materials, 1923-1968 and undated

Subseries 5.1, Advertising Materials, 1923-1968 and undated

Subseries 5.2: Posters, 1940s and undated

Subseries 5.3: Radio Broadcasts, 1951-1964

Subseries 5.4: Packaging Materials, 1953 and undated

Series 6: Drawings/Diagrams, 1958

Series 7: Photographs, circa 1950s

Biographical / Historical:

Garfield and Company of Edison, New Jersey, was the largest manufactures of Seidlitz Powders in the United States. Garfield and Company was founded by Isidor Z. Garfield (1863-1951), a New York pharmacist, who began manufacturing powders in 1908. Garfield was born in Russia and graduated from the University of Moscow with a degree in chemistry. He came to the United States in 1888 with his wife Frances and their first-born son, Louis. Three other sons, George, Julius, and Henry, were born in the United States. Garfield developed an automated process to package reactive ingredients (US Patent 1,091,568) in March, 1914. The process separately packaged the powders in moisture-proof wrappers so druggists no longer had to mix the compounds. In 1916, Garfield patented a machine for measuring and compressing powders (US Patent 1,177,854). Both of Garfield's patents were assigned to Samuel Loewy of New York City. After Garfield died, his sons, Julius and George Garfield inherited the business. The New Jersey manufacturing plant closed in 1980.

Related Materials:

Packaging equipment used by Garfield and Company is located in the Division of Medicine and Science. See Accession #1979.1144.

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Julius and George Garfield in 1979.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Reference copies of audio visual materials must be used. 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:

Antacids  Search this

Packaging  Search this

Pharmaceutical industry  Search this

Genre/Form:

Ledgers (account books)

Correspondence -- 20th century

Sales records

Tax records

Citation:

Garfield and Company Records, dates, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0820

See more items in:

Garfield & Company Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep814322322-8886-4025-b677-0565ed601cd7

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0820

Creator:

Cheatham, Doc, 1905-1997  Search this

Cheatham, Amanda  Search this

Extent:

11 Cubic feet (23 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Home movies

Interviews

Parts (musical)

Passports

Photographs

Posters

Programs

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sheet music

Appointment books

Address books

Clippings

Awards

Date:

1939-1998

Summary:

Papers documenting Cheatham's career as a jazz trumpeter. The papers include passports, appointment and address books; photographs, both personal and professional; a transcript of an interview of Cheatham; sheet music, including parts for various instruments; home movies from Cheatham's travels; awards and certificates; printed material including posters, programs, clippings.

Scope and Contents:

The Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham Papers contain publications, photographs, correspondence, memorabilia, autobiographical materials, music, awards, and audio and visual recordings documenting his life and career as a big band and jazz trumpeter.

The collection is 11 cubic feet and is organized into five series: Series 1: Publications, Series 2: Photographs and Artwork, Series 3: Personal Papers and Memorabilia, Series 4: Music and Awards, and Series 5: Audioviusal Materials. The majority of the material dates from the mid-1930s to the late 1990s.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1: Publications, circa 1950s-1990s

Series 2: Photographs and Artwork, 1930s-1990s

Series 3: Personal Papers and Memorabilia, circa 1930s-1990s

Series 4: Music and Awards, circa 1940s-1990s ' Series 5: Audiovisual Materials, circa 1930s-1990s

Biographical / Historical:

Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham (1905-1997) was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up playing trumpet and saxophone in the pit orchestra of the Bijou Theater where he accompanied such blues artists as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. His first professional break was with Marion Hardy's band for the Sunshine Sammy Revue.

After touring with Hardy's band in 1924, Cheatham taught himself to read music and moved to Chicago, where he became acquainted with Louis Armstrong. Under the influence of Armstrong, Cheatham decided to play trumpet exclusively and eventually subbed for Armstrong. While in Chicago, Cheatham also worked with Wilbur De Paris and Chick Webb. Between 1927 and 1930 he toured Europe as the lead trumpet player for Sam Wooding.

When Cheatham returned to the United States in 1930, he joined Marion Hardy's Alabamians, but eventually took a position in McKinney's Cotton Pickers. In 1933 he joined Cab Calloway's Orchestra and toured with him for nine years, including a tour of South America. Cheatham took a few months off in 1933 but soon found himself in recording studios with such jazz legends as Count Basie and Billie Holiday. During recording sessions and performances throughout the 1940s Cheatham continued to develop his skills as a trumpet soloist in big bands and smaller ensembles.

The eventual decline of big bands in the 1950s led Cheatham to explore Latin music. As a result, he performed with Marcelino Guerra, Perez Prado, and Machitos Band. Cheatham reunited with Wilbur De Paris in 1957 for a tour of Africa and in the following year he toured Europe with Sammy Price. In 1960 he returned to Africa with Herbie Mann and later moved to New York where he led his own band.

During the 1960s Cheatham decided to build on his past music influences to improve himself as a soloist and improviser. Consequently, he gained an international reputation as a trumpet soloist. It was at this time that he also began singing on his recordings. Throughout the rest of his career he remained in high demand on the concert and festival circuit.

Cheatham continued performing and recording into the 1990s. Every Sunday for the last years of his life he played at Sweet Basil, his "hangout" club in New York. In 1996 he recorded an album with then newcomer Nicholas Payton. However, the morning after a 1997 concert with Payton in Washington, D.C. Cheatham suffered a fatal stroke. He did not live to see his collaboration with Payton receive a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance in 1998.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds related artifacts: a trumpet, trumpet mutes, bowtie, and pair of glasses.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Amanda N. Cheatham, widow of Doc Cheatham, June, 2002.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

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

Topic:

Jazz musicians -- United States  Search this

Trumpet players -- 20th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Home movies

Interviews

Parts (musical)

Passports

Photographs -- 20th century

Posters -- 20th century

Programs -- Concerts

Motion pictures (visual works)

Sheet music

Appointment books

Address books

Clippings -- 20th century

Awards

Citation:

Doc Cheatham Papers, 1939-1998, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0814

See more items in:

Doc Cheatham Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83f5c787e-004e-4ef7-aacf-d2032e6b0930

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0814

Creator:

Duncan, Donald F., Jr.  Search this

Duncan Yo-Yo Company.  Search this

Extent:

14 Cubic feet (40 boxes, 2 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Advertisements

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs

Business records

Clippings

Training films

Scrapbooks

Date:

1928-2002

Scope and Contents:

The Duncan Family Yo-Yo Collection consists of papers, photographs, advertising materials, scrapbooks, clippings and audio-visual materials. These materials trace the rise and fall of the companies owned by the Duncan family as well as the world of yo-yo's. The materials date from 1929 to 2002, with the bulk of the material focused on the Donald F. Duncan, Inc., and the companies that would become Playmaxx, Inc.

The collection is arranged in seven series. Series one contains business material pertaining to Donald F. Duncan, Inc., and its spin off companies. Series two contains material about Donald F. Duncan, Inc. It contains business records, correspondence, photographs, advertising materials, contest materials, information about demonstrators, and sales. Series three describes the creation of Duncraft, Inc. and how it changed names to Duracraft, Inc., finally becoming Playmaxx, Inc. The series contains material on the creation of a small business, photographs, advertising materials, instructional materials, patents and correspondence. Series four contains newspaper clippings arranged by dates. Series five contains information on the competitors of Donald F. Duncan, Inc, and Playmaxx, Inc. as well as information on the Flambeau Corporation who had bought out the Duncan name and was continuing to sell yo-yos. Series six contains information on yo-yos in general. It has materials including articles, magazines, books, music, information on the Smothers Brothers, and miscellaneous material. Series seven contains audio-visual materials including commercials, videos, audio tape and records.

Arrangement:

Collection is divided into eight series.

Series 1, Donald F. Duncan, Inc. Records, 1930-1985

Subseries 1, Minute books, 1930-1967

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1930-1985

Subseries 3, Organizational Materials, 1959, 1962

Subseries 4, Conference Reports, 1962-1963

Subseries 5, Financial materials, 1959-1965

Subseries 6, Employee and Personnel Materials, 1962-1964

Subseries 7, Sales Materials, 1958-1965

Subseries 8, Advertising & Promotional Materials, 1957, 1962-1965

Subseries 9, Production Materials, 1954-1980

Subseries 10, Instructional Materials, 1950-1963

Subseries 11, Scrapbooks, 1930s

Subseries 12, Photographs, 1957 and undated

Subseries 13, Other Companies, 1956-1967

Subseries 14, Empty Binders, undated

Series 2: Playmaxx, 1967-2000

Subseries 1, Corporate Records, 1987-1995

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1967-2000

Subseries 3, Advertising and Promotional materials, 1982-1990

Subseries 4, Financial Materials, 1990-1995

Subseries 5, Employee and Personnel materials, 1990-1995

Subseries 6, Sales Materials, 1981-1997

Subseries 7, Patents, 1974-1997

Subseries 8, Production Materials, 1980-1992

Subseries 9, Newsletters and Releases, 1978, 1997

Subseries 10, Programs, 1981-1997

Subseries 11, Duracraft, 1977-1986

Subseries 12, Competitors, 1976-1997

Subseries 13, Miscellaneous, 1997

Series 3: Yo-Yo's, 1928-2002

Subseries 1, Newspaper clippings, 1929-1999

Subseries 2, Articles, 1952-1998

Subseries 3, Books, 1978-2000

Subseries 4, Instructional Materials, undated

Subseries 5, Magazine, 1958-2002

Subseries 6, Newsletters, 1988-1999

Subseries 7, Music, 1930-1964

Subseries 8, Competitors, 1958-1992

Subseries 9, Contests, 1997-2000

Subseries 10, Photographs, undated

Subseries 11, Miscellaneous, 1930-2002

Series 4, Other Toys, 1935-1991

Subseries 1, Toys, 1935-1991

Subseries 2, Photographs of Other Toys, undated

Subseries 3, Photographs of Tops, undated

Series 5, Audiovisual Materials, 1946-1996

Biographical / Historical:

Donald F. Duncan (1892-1971), a businessman who had successfully marketed parking meters and ice cream, began to sell yo-yos after seeing them on a visit to California. Duncan founded Donald F. Duncan, Inc. in 1930, running it with the help of family members and soon got the word yo-yo trademarked. Duncan marketed the yo-yo successfully by using traveling demonstrators, many who were Filipinos, to hold contests around the country to increase demand. Duncan claimed the yo-yo was once a primitive hunting weapon in the Philippines and whose name meant "come-come". Duncan also used the slogan, "If it isn't a Duncan, it isn't a Yo-Yo."

As the company became more successful a plant in Luck, WI was constructed to be near the maple used to produce the yo-yos. The management division remained in Chicago, where it shared some of the same staff as the Duncan Parking Meter Company. The company also began to branch out, trying to create new toys and products, including a line of tops and selling plastic yo-yos. In the early 1960s the company, now run by Donald F. Duncan, Jr., began an aggressive and expensive marketing campaign using television ads, creating a huge demand for yo-yos that the Luck plant could not keep up with.

By 1965 Donald F. Duncan, Inc. was in financial trouble. The company was unable to keep up with demand for yo-yos, losing out to other brands. They lost an expensive legal battle Royal Tops over trademark infringement. The court ruled that the word yo-yo was the generic word for the toy. In 1965 the company's creditors wanted their money and the company filed for bankruptcy. The company was auctioned off in 1966, with the Flambeau Corporation, owners of the plastic yo-yo molds, buying the Duncan name and continuing to produce Duncan Yo-Yos.

In the early 1970s, Donald F. Duncan Jr. wanted to return to the yo-yo business. He created and received a patent for a plastic yo-yo that was balanced to maximize spin time, allowing tricks to be performed better and longer. Duncan created a series of companies, Duncraft, Inc., in 1976, Duracraft, Inc., in 1977, and finally Playmaxx, Inc., in 1987, to market his new yo-yo. These companies, based in Arizona, were primarily run by Duncan and his wife Donna. They focused on school demonstrations and other programs to sell yo-yo's. The yo¬yo, known as the ProYo, has removable sides allowing it to be display any type of logo. In addition to Playmaxx, the Duncan's also ran a yo-yo museum, the Yozeum. By the end of the 1990s, Playmaxx was no longer in business and the Duncan's moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where they operated the Yozeum.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History:

Bob Rule Papers, circa 1950-2002 (AC0855)

Separated Materials:

The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) holds related artifacts. See accession #2002.0246, #2004.0029, #2007.0158.

Provenance:

This collection was donated to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, by the Duncan family in March, 2002.

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:

Yo-yos  Search this

Toys  Search this

Toy industry  Search this

Genre/Form:

Advertisements

Motion pictures (visual works)

Photographs -- 20th century

Business records -- 20th century

Clippings -- 20th century

Training films

Scrapbooks

Citation:

Duncan Family Yo-yo Collection, 1928-2002, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0807

See more items in:

Duncan Family Yo-yo Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8245c488c-52b4-46f1-82b5-1f56baef5751

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0807

Donor:

Blum, Morris  Search this

Creator:

WANN Radio Station (Annapolis, Maryland)  Search this

Extent:

13 Cubic feet (32 boxes and 12 oversize folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Awards

Certificates

Business records

Sales records

Posters

Photographs

Correspondence

Audiotapes

Place:

Carr's Beach

Annapolis (Md.)

Maryland -- 20th century

Date:

1940-1999

Summary:

The collection documents the creative, technical and political aspects of managing WANN Radio Station in Annapolis, Maryland during the mid-Twentieth Century. Key areas of research include black radio stations; Annapolis African American communities; marketing to Black communities; political activism through media; Black-Jewish community relationships; church, community and media activism.

Scope and Contents:

The collection primarily documents the highly-segregated era of radio broadcasting and WANN's position within this historical context. It contains an extensive photographic history documenting the rise of the radio station. Other materials include programming timetables, forum broadcasts, and advertisement segments aired during the station's prime. Documents chronicling the station's business and regulatory history, including correspondence with fans, publicity materials, advertising, certificates and awards and sales reports are also included among these materials. There are newspaper clippings documenting political events and church programs covered by the radio station. Land survey maps for the placement of new station and broadcasting towers are also found among these materials. Morris Blum was involved with the Federal Communications Commission and there is a significant amount of material relating to the Emergency Broadcasting System including tutorials and regulations. Materials relating to Blum's personal life include local Jewish community and organization activities, naval history and a few family papers. Photographs and programming for WANN's sister radio station WXTC can also be found among these materials. In the early 1990s, WANN radio station became Bay Country 1190 in a move to be more profitable. There is a small amount of material relating to this new programming format. WANN radio is significant because the radio station became a place to discuss controversial topics concerning the African American community. Segregation, racial discrimination, and challenging political misrepresentation were all a part of WANN's programming. Blum and his staff did not avoid confronting what were at the time radical issues of racial justice and equality. Members of Congress, politicians and community organizers all appeared periodically on WANN radio. In addition to its talk radio format, WANN radio also played Rhythm and Blues, Gospel music, and hosted numerous dance parties and concerts at Carr's Beach. Blum hired a racially diverse staff, creating pathways to professional careers. Charles "Hoppy" Adams, who eventually became WANN's first executive vice president, began his career as a highly popular radio personality. Adams hosted the Carr's Beach dance parties and concerts featuring many young artists, including James Brown and Sarah Vaughn. The success of the radio station's hiring practices, relevant programming, social activities and political awareness makes it a valuable resource of information for both the Washington DC metropolitan area and the nation as a whole.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into twelve series.

Series 1: Photographic Materials, 1947-1996, undated

Series 2: Correspondence, 1947-1999

Series 3: Programming, 1947-1989

Series 4: Publicity, 1946-1999, undated

Series 5: Advertising and Marketing, 1947-1999, undated

Series 6: Engineering and Construction, 1947-1999, undated

Series 7: Office Files, 1953-1999, undated

Series 8: Communications and Emergency Management, 1946-1999, undated

Series 9: Awards and Recognition, 1940s-1999, undated

Series 10: WXTC Radio Station, 1959-1979, undated

Series 11: Morris Blum Papers, 1954-1997, undated

Series 12: Audiovisual Materials, 1953-1998

Separated Materials:

"Several artifacts were donated to the Museum's Division of Cultural History (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) in 2000. The associated accession numbers for the WANN Radio Station artifacts are as follows:

2000.0165-7,775 include sound recordings, two turntable pads, a microphone, and a studio wall clock, all used at the radio station from 1948-1995.

2002.0319-22 include eight name tags worn by on-air personalities at personal appearances, five pieces of equipment, three banners, two gold records, two public service award plaques, a pith helmet, and two T-shirts also from 1948-1995. "

Provenance:

The collection was donated by Morris Blum in July 2002.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must use reference copies of audiovisual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.

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:

Radio stations -- Maryland  Search this

African American radio stations  Search this

Radio audiences  Search this

Radio broadcasting  Search this

Ethnic radio programs  Search this

advertising -- 20th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Awards

Certificates

Business records -- 20th century

Sales records

Posters -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Correspondence -- 20th century

Audiotapes

Citation:

WANN Radio Station Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0800

See more items in:

WANN Radio Station Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep82fcb85dc-b516-4152-8091-10c4d8fc4b63

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0800

Creator:

Baden, Gary  Search this

Baden, Sandra  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Tear sheets

Magazines (periodicals)

Date:

circa 1897-1979

Summary:

An extensive collection of magazine advertisements featuring celebrities from entertainment, sports, royalty, and the arts.

Scope and Contents:

A wide-ranging collection of over 1,000 celebrity advertising endorsements, ca. 1897-1979. The endorsements were culled by a collector/hobbyist from high-end magazines publications such as Fortune, McCalls, Playbill and Vogue. They feature a wide range of celebrities from the fields of performing arts, sports, business, politics and "society." The products endorsed vary greatly with heavy concentrations of cigarettes, beauty products and electronic equipment predominating. The bulk of the collection covers the 1920s-1970s with an especially high concentration of material from the 1930s-1940s. The majority are in color.

Advertisements are filed according to the profession or background of the endorser Thereunder, ads are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the endorser. Where more than one endorser is featured, the advertisement is filed under the last name of the endorser most prominently featured in the advertisement. If they are all of equal status within the advertisement, the advertisement is filed under the last name appearing earliest in the alphabet.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1: Performing Arts

Series 2: Business/Politics

Series 3: Sports

Series 4: Society, fashio, Royalty

Series 5: Writers, Musicians, Artists, Singers

Biographical / Historical:

The use of celebrities for promoting a product is an advertising device that has been used with increasing frequency since the latter part of the 19th century. Personalities from all walks of life, society, sports, and entertainment have regularly lent their image for product endorsement. These products have ranged from alcohol to moth crystals to cigarettes and a variety of other products. The trend continues to grow and refine itself expanding from the realm of print media into television, radio, motion pictures, and the internet.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History by Gary and Sandra Baden, of Chevy Chase, D.C., in 1997.

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:

Celebrities  Search this

Endorsements in advertising  Search this

advertising  Search this

Genre/Form:

Tear sheets

Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century

Citation:

The Sandra and Gary Baden Collection of Celebrity Endorsements in Advertising, 1897-1979, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0611

See more items in:

Sandra and Gary Baden Collection of Celebrity Endorsements in Advertising

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8ddbbdd2a-6ac1-4ec5-a013-b96ffc469af6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0611

Creator:

Integrated Circuit Engineering Corporation.  Search this

Names:

Project Socrates.  Search this

Extent:

164 Cubic feet (224 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Records

Newsletters

Date:

1970-1997

Summary:

Collection documents the 30 year history of Integrated Circuit Engineering Corporation which provided consulting expertise in the field of integrated circuits and semiconductors.

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains reports, litigation documentation, trade catalogs, company newsletters, professional journals, audio visual materials, artwork, company profiles, contracts and project files documenting the 30 year history of Integrated Circuit Engineering Corporation which provided consulting expertise in the field of integrated circuits and semiconductors.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into twenty series.

Series 1: Status Reports, 1970-1997

Series 2: Product Analysis, 1966-1971

Series 3: Product Evaluations, 1977-1983

Series 4: Construction Analysis, 1997, undated

Series 5: Information Reports, 1966-1986

Series 6: Manufacturing Facilities, 1980-1983

Series 7: Packaging, 1982

Series 8: Company Profiles, 1991-195

Series 9: ICECAP Reports, 1980-1990

Series 10: Government/Military, 1977-1981

Series 11: Artwork, undated

Series 12: Trade Catalogs, undated

Series 13: Hybrid Circuits, undated

Series 14: ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Outlook, 1984-1997

Series 15: TASC Files, undated

Series 16: Project , undated

Series 17: Litigation, 1968-1971, undated

Series 18: Audio Visual Materials, undated

Biographical / Historical:

The Integrated Circuit Engineering Corporation provided consulting expertise in the field of integrated circuits and semiconductors for over 30 years.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Information, Technology and Society (now the Division of Work and Industry) has integrated circuits (intact and exposed in various stages of investigation).

Provenance:

The Integrated Circuit Engineering Collection was donated to the Division of Information, Technology and Society (now the Division of Medicine and Science), National Museum of American History on June 15, 1998, through Glen Madland.

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:

Integrated circuits  Search this

Semiconductors  Search this

Genre/Form:

Records

Newsletters -- 1950-2000

Citation:

I.C.E. Integrated Circuit Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0600

See more items in:

I.C.E. Integrated Circuit Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep83d4d2e1f-93cd-4d69-89ef-8bade2566b23

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0600

Creator:

Dowd, William R.  Search this

Extent:

33 Cubic feet (81 boxes, 7 map folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Design drawings

Date:

1949-1997

Scope and Contents:

The collection documents Dowd's career as a maker and scholar of harpsichords through correspondence, photographs, drawings, notes, and financial materials. The collection contains templates and drawings for harpsichords built or restored by Dowd. The collection also documents the activities of small business and its owner in Boston from 1959-1988.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1: William Dowd (Boston Office), 1958-1993

Subseries 1.1: Background Matreials, 1965-1993

Subseries 1.2: Desk Calendars, 1982-1989

Subseries 1.3: Wall Calendars, 1964-1985

Subseries 1.4: Address Books, undated

Subseries 1.5: Telephone Logs, 1985-1988

Subseries 1.6: Catalogs, 1962-1988

Subseries 1.7: Shop Books, 1949-1986

Subseries 1.8: Maintenance, 1981-1993

Series 2: General Files, 1949-1993

Series 3: Design Notes and Drawings, 1952-1990

Subseries 3.1: Drawings, 1952-1990

Subseries 3.2: Design Notes, 1959-1987

Series 4: Suppliers/Services, 1958-1988

Series 5: Owner's Files, 1960s-1980s

Subseries 5.1: Owners Files (alphabetical)

Subseries 5.2: Former Owners (alphabetical)

Series 6: Antique Files, 1949-1979

Series 7: Financial Records, 1961-1987

Series 8: Photographs, 1949-1988

Series 9: Publications, 1969-1994

Series 10: William Dowd (Paris Office), 1971-1985

Series 11: Newspaper Clippings, 1949-1993

Biographical / Historical:

William Richmond Dowd (1922–2008) was an American harpsichord maker. Dowd graduated from Harvard University (1948) and apprenticed with John Challis, a harpsichord maker in Detroit. In 1949, Dowd partnered with Frank Hubbard (1920-1976), a fellow Harvard classmate and harpsichord maker to form Hubbard and Dowd in Boston, operating the Boston School of Harpsichord from 1949-1958. Dowd and Hubbard built harpsichords based on historical principles and dedicated themselves to research and restoration techniques of historical keyboard instruments. The first harpsichords built by Dowd were based on the 1637 Johannes Ruckers single harpsichord. In 1956, Charles Fisher joined the firm as a third partner.

Dowd formed Dowd Harpsichord Shop in 1959, building the Pascal Taskin model of harpsichord. Taskin (1723-1793) was a French harpsichord and piano maker. In 1972, Dowd established an office in Paris in association with Reinhard von Nagel. The Paris office closed in 1985. Dowd closed his workshop in Boston on September 1, 1988 and died in November 1988.

Separated Materials:

The Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) contains two harpsichords built by William Dowd. See accessions 1980.0274.1 (Compass: FF-f3. Copy of 1730 Blanchet instrument) and 2009.0229.01 (double manual, serial number 336-75).

Provenance:

The collection was donated by William R. Dowd and Pegram Dowd on June 12, 1997.

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:

Musical instrument makers  Search this

Musical instruments  Search this

Harpsichord  Search this

Harpsichord makers  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Design drawings

Citation:

Dowd Harpsichord Collection, 1949-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0593

See more items in:

Dowd Harpsichord Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep809e6f2e9-7a36-4321-9fca-4597194cf627

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0593

Collector:

Orth, Edward J.  Search this

Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization  Search this

Names:

New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this

Extent:

130 Cubic feet (417 boxes, 25 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Souvenirs

Photographs

Pamphlets

Guidebooks

Exhibition posters--1930-1940

Diaries

Ephemera

Film transparencies

Motion picture film

Posters

Place:

Flushing Meadows Park (New York, N.Y.)

New York (N.Y.)

Date:

1835-2000, undated

Summary:

Collection documents the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. Also includes material relating to other fairs, the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO), New York City tourism and The Walt Disney Company.

Scope and Contents:

Collection primarily documents the conception, planning, construction, management, and operations of the 1939 New York World's Fair located in Flushing Meadows, New York. Materials provide historical context and cultural significance as recorded in publications, artwork, photographs, ephemera, postcards, maps, plans, exhibitor's literature, souvenirs, and motion picture film. Most of the materials were primarily created for people who attended the fair. Some of the materials include scrapbooks created by fair visitors to document their experiences. There is a significant amount of material relating to other fairs, New York tourism, the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and the World's Fair Collector's Society. Other forms of entertainment such as festivals, the Olympic games, and Disney World are also found among these materials. There is little information relating to Edward Orth's personal and professional life as a city planner. The collection is arranged into eleven series.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into eleven series.

Series 1, Edward J. Orth Personal Papers, 1915-1989, undated

Subseries 1.1, Correspondence, 1939-1989

Subseries 1.2, Other Materials, 1915-1989, undated

Series 2, Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and World's Fair Collector's Society, Incorporated Records, 1942-1990, undated

Subseries 2.1, General Information, 1960-1988, undated

Subseries 2.2, Correspondence, 1942-1990, undated

Subseries 2.3, Classified and Wanted Advertisements, 1956-1988, undated

Subseries 2.4, Financial Records, 1976-1989

Subseries 2.5, Newsletters, 1969-1988, undated

Subseries 2.6, Membership Materials, 1970s-1989, undated

Series 3, New York World's Fair, Incorporated Records, 1900-1988, undated

Subseries 3.1, Administrative Files, 1900-1977, undated

Subseries 3.2, Amusement Zone, 1937-1940, undated

Subseries 3.3, Communications and Business Systems Zone, 1939-1965, undated

Subseries 3.4, Community Interest Zone, 1939-1949, undated

Subseries 3.5, Food Zone, 1939-1975

Subseries 3.6, Government Zone, 1939-1940

Subseries 3.7, Production and Distribution Zone, 1939-1940

Subseries 3.8, Transportation Zone, 1939-1940

Subseries 3.9, Ephemera, 1938-1988, undated

Series 4, Photographic Materials, 1939-1968, undated

Subseries 4.1, General, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.2, Amusement Area, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.3, Business Systems Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.4, Communications Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.5, Community Interest Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.6, Food Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.7, Government Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.8, Production and Distribution Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.9, Transportation Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.10, Miscellaneous, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.11, Oversize Photographs, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.12, Color Slides, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 4.13, Color Transparencies, 1940-1942, undated

Subseries 4.14, Edward Orth, 1967-1968

Series 5, Scrapbooks, 1938-1981

Series 6, Postcards, 1906-1985, undated

Subseries 6.1, Amusement Area, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.2, Business Systems Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.3, Communications Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.4, Community Interest Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.5, Food Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.6, Government Zone, International, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.7, Government Zone, Federal and States, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.8, Production and Distribution Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.9, Transportation Zone, 1939-1940, undated

Subseries 6.10, General, 1940, undated

Subseries 6.11, By Type, 1906-1985, undated

Series 7, Publications Related to World's Fairs, 1922-1989, undated

Subseries 7.1, Magazines, 1922-1988, undated

Subseries 7.2, Newspaper Articles, 1935-1989, undated

Subseries 7.3, Other Publications, 1937-1989, undated

Subseries 7.4, Other Subjects, 1962-1989

Series 8, Materials Relating to Other Fairs, 1851-2000, undated

Subseries 8.1, Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations or Crystal Palace Exhibition, 1851

Subseries 8.2, Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, 1853-1853

Subseries 8.3, International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine or Centennial International Exhibition, 1876

Subseries 8.4, World's Columbian Exposition or Chicago World's Fair, 1893

Subseries 8.5, Exposition Internationale D'Anvers, Antwerp, Belgium

Subseries 8.6, Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, 1897

Subseries 8.7, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, 1898

Subseries 8.8, Expositions, 1901

Subseries 8.9, Louisiana Purchase Exposition, 1906

Subseries 8.10, Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, 1907

Subseries 8.11, Alaska, Yukon, Pacific Exposition, 1909

Subseries 8.12, Panama-California Exposition, 1915-1916

Subseries 8.13, Bronx International Exposition of Science, Arts, and Industries, 1918

Subseries 8.14, Sesquicentennial Exposition, 1926

Subseries 8.15, Barcelona International Exposition, 1929

Subseries 8.16, L'Exposition Coloniale, Paris, 1931

Subseries 8.17, Olympics, 1932

Subseries 8.18, A Century of Progress International Exposition, 1933

Subseries 8.19, Expositions, 1933-1935

Subseries 8.20, Expositions, 1936-1937

Subseries 8.21, Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne, 1937

Subseries 8.22, Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939

Subseries 8.23, Festival of Britain, Britain, London, United Kingdom, 1951

Subseries 8.24, Milan Fair, 1955

Subseries 8.25, Exposition Universelle et venti Internationale de Bruxelles, 1958

Subseries 8.26, American National Exhibition, 1959

Subseries 8.27, New York's World Fair, 1961-1977, undated

Subseries 8.28, Century 21 Exhibition, 1961-1962

Subseries 8.29, International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, 1967

Subseries 8.30, Long Beach, California, 1967-1968

Subseries 8.31, HemisFair 68, 1968

Subseries 8.32, Expo 70 or Japan World Exposition, 1970

Subseries 8.33, Expo 74 or International Exposition on the Environment

Subseries 8.34, Expo 75 or International Ocean Exposition, 1975

Subseries 8.35, American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976, 1976

Subseries 8.36, Queen's Bicentennial Festival, 1975-1976

Subseries 8.37, Plovdiv International Exhibition of 1981 or Expo 81

Subseries 8.38, Kobe Port Island Exposition or Portopia 81, 1981

Subseries 8.39, Knoxville International Energy Exposition or 1982 World's Fair, 1982

Subseries 8.40, Louisiana World Exposition, 1984

Subseries 8.41, Games of the XXIII Olympiad, 1984

Subseries 8.42, The International Exposition, Tsukuba, Japan or The International Science Technology Exposition, 1985

Subseries 8.43, Queen's Festival, 1985

Subseries 8.44, 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication or Expo 86, 1986

Subseries 8.45, World Expo 88, 1988

Subseries 8.46, Universal Exposition of Seville or Expo 92, 1992

Subseries 8.47, Expo 2000, 2000

Subseries 8.48, Other Events and Celebrations, 1886-1989

Subseries 8.49, Combined Fairs, 1968-1994

Subseries 8.50, General information about world's fairs, 1964-1980

Series 9, Ephemera, 1892-1989, undated

Subseries 9.1, New York and New York World's Fair, 1892-1989, undated

Subseries 9.2, Other States and Countries, 1835, 1939, undated

Subseries 9.3, Motion Picture Film and Entertainment, 1937-1981, undated

Series 10, Audio Visual Materials, 1939, 1964-1965, undated

Subseries 10.1, Moving Images, 1939, 1964-1965, undated

Subseries 10.2, Sound Recordings, undated

Series 11, Oversize, 1835-1992, undated

Biographical / Historical:

Biographical / Historical

Edward Joseph Orth grew up with a strong interest in history, particularly the history of the 1939 New York World's Fair. Orth's visit to the fair as a twelve-year-old boy led to a life-long passion of collecting. At the time of his death, he had amassed enough materials to fill two homes in California. Orth also collected materials from several other fairs. In addition, he saved some of the records of the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO) and the World's Fair Collector's Society.

Orth was born April 19, 1927, to Andrew Joseph Orth and Florence Minnie Gordon Orth in Glendale, New York. In the 1930s, the Orth family lived in several locations in New York including Ridgewood, Brooklyn, Glendale, and Queens. The home that made the most impact in young Orth's life came in 1935 when the family moved to St. Albans, Queens seven miles from Flushing Meadow Park, the future site of the 1939 fair. Sadly in 1939 there were several deaths in the family including three grandparents. The severe loss of life limited family social activities but a drive by the future site of the fair provided Orth a glimpse of the Trylon and Perisphere. He would later remark that the sight appeared to be magic. In the summer of 1939, he went to the fair with his classmates from Public School 136. The next summer Orth and his father purchased a 10-admission ticket from an elementary school in Hollis, Queens, New York. He saved every souvenir and any information he could find about the fair. He filled scrapbooks with images from newspapers and postcards from the Curt Teich and Manhattan Postcard companies. When his family moved from an apartment to a house, he acquired a fair bench which was kept in the backyard.

In 1941, Orth attended Newton High School in Elmhurst, and Queens, New York. The high school offered a college preparatory program with heavy emphasis on mathematics, science, mechanical drawing, and workshop courses. Orth's education and training combined with the knowledge he gained from motion picture films viewed at the fair, including Thomas Edison's "The City of Light," Ford Motor Company's "Road of Tomorrow," "Democracy," and General Motors' "Futurama" provided the foundation and inspiration for a career in architecture and landscaping. He ultimately became a city planner for the state of California. By 1943, Orth was exploring used magazine and bookstores in New York City to acquire more fair materials before enlisting in the United States Army in 1945. Upon his discharge he resumed buying and trading fair postcards. From 1948-1953, Orth attended the University of California and the University of Connecticut where he studied architecture and landscape design. During these years he posted advertisements in various publications in his continued pursue for fair materials.

In March 1953, Mr. Orth moved to Los Angeles, California. There he formed lasting friendships with other collectors. By 1967, Orth and several of his closest friends including Peter Warner, Oscar Hengstler, David Oats, Larry Zim, and Ernest Weidhaas conceived the idea of a fair collector's organization. By the summer of 1968, the group had formally created the Exhibition Collectors Historical Organization (ECHO).

As time passed Orth became increasing concerned about the welfare of his collection. He wanted it to go to a museum rather than be sold in parts. In his will he stipulated that the collection would be given to the Smithsonian Institution upon his death. Jon Zackman, former Smithsonian employee, interviewed Orth's brother George and fair collector Peter Warner. Orth and Warner corresponded and traded objects over many years. Mr. Orth primarily covered the west coast area while Peter Warner was his east coast counterpart. Edward Orth died on September 6,1989 in Los Angeles, California at the age of sixty-two.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

New York World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0134

Landor Design Collection, NMAH.AC.0500

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subject Category, World Expos, NMAH.AC.0060

Larry Zim World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0519

Alice R. Hillis World's Fair Film, NMAH.AC.0531

Borden Company 1939 New York World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.1063

Memories of the New York World's Fair, NMAH.AC.0592

Archives Center World Expositions Collection, NMAH.AC.0825

Daniel H. Meyerson World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.0745

Division of Community Life World's Fairs Collection, NMAH.AC.1132

Princeton University Posters Collection, NMAH.AC.0433

Hills Bros. Coffee Company, Incorporated Records, NMAH.AC.0395

Smithsonian Speech Synthesis History Project, NMAH.AC.0417

Messmore and Damon Company Records, NMAH.AC.0846

Thomas Norrell Railroad Collection, NMAH.AC.1174

William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection, NMAH.AC.1288

Wurlitzer Company Records, NMAH.AC.0469

Victor A. Blenkle Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.0200

Materials at Other Organizations

New York Public Library The New York World's Fair 1939 and 1940 Incorporated Records, 1935-1945, MssCol 2233.

New York City 1939 World's Fair architectural drawings, circa 1935. Museum of the City of New York. Museum of the City of New York.

New York City 1939 World's Fair Collection, 1939-1940. Museum of the City of New York. New York World's Fair 1939/40 Collection. Queens Museum.

1939 New York World's Fair Postcards, Identifier: 1972-320, Audiovisual Collections Repository, Hagley Museum & Library

Separated Materials:

Materials at the National Museum of American History

Artifacts from the collection include several thousand souvenirs and examples of memorabilia commemorating the fair to include buttons and badges, ceramics, glassware, clothing, costume jewelry, coins and medals, commemorative spoons and flatware, toys and games, and philatelic material which are all part of the Division of Home and Community Life's holdings (now Division of Cultural and Community Life).

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. Viewing film portion of collection requires special appointment, please inquire. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes. 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:

Exhibitions -- 1930-1940 -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this

World's fairs  Search this

Amusement parks--History  Search this

Amusement parks--New York (State)--History  Search this

Architecture--Exhibitions  Search this

Architecture--New York (State)--New York  Search this

Architecture--United States--Designs and plans  Search this

Burlesque shows--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940  Search this

Business history Business enterprises--United States--History  Search this

Chicago's Century of Progress  Search this

Construction and civil engineering  Search this

Construction industry--United States--Management--History  Search this

Corporate culture--History  Search this

Corporate culture--United States  Search this

Engineering--History--20th century  Search this

Exhibition buildings – New York (State) – New York  Search this

Exhibition buildings--1920-1940  Search this

Exhibitions -- Design  Search this

Fairs -- New York (State) -- New York -- History  Search this

Fashion--History--20th century  Search this

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (New York, N.Y.)--History  Search this

Food in popular culture--New York (State)--New York  Search this

Graphic arts--United States--History--20th century  Search this

International exhibitions  Search this

International Exhibitions Bureau  Search this

Lighting, Architectural and decorative--History--20th century  Search this

Technology -- United States -- History -- 20th century  Search this

Transportation--New York Metropolitan Area--Planning  Search this

Transportation--New York (State)  Search this

United States --Foreign relations --1933-1945  Search this

Urban parks--United States--History  Search this

Urban design  Search this

World War 1939-1945 -- Economic aspects -- United States  Search this

Consumerism  Search this

Consumers--History--20th century  Search this

General Motors Corporation  Search this

Grand Central Parkway extension  Search this

Organizational behavior--United States--History  Search this

Public relations--History  Search this

New York World's Fair Commission  Search this

Queens (New York, N.Y.) Buildings, structures, etc.  Search this

Genre/Form:

Souvenirs -- 1930-1940

Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 1930-1940

Pamphlets -- 1930-1940

Guidebooks -- 1930-1940

Exhibition posters--1930-1940

Diaries

Ephemera -- 20th century

Film transparencies

Motion picture film

Posters -- 1930-1940

Citation:

Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0560

See more items in:

Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the New York World's Fair

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep808504c62-92bb-48b1-8a76-f9d279516c33

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0560

Illustrator:

Deneen, James B.  Search this

Kordic, Vladimir  Search this

Mahoney, Dick  Search this

Moyer, Robert  Search this

Sims, William J.  Search this

Donor:

Klein, Paul  Search this

Publisher:

Thompson Products Company  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (1 box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Calendars

Lithographs

Date:

1976-1986

Summary:

Lithographs commissioned for the Thompson products company calendars. The lithographs are of automobiles and are illustrated by well known artists, such as James B. Deneen, William J. Sims, Vladimir Kordic, Dick Mahoney, and Robert Moyer.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists of lithographs commissioned for the Thompson Products Company calendars from the years 1976-1986. The lithographs are of automoblies and are illustrated by James B. Deneen, William J. Sims, Vladmir Kordic, William J. Jones, Dick Mahoney and Robert Moyer. The materials are arranged by the name of the illustrator then by year.

Arrangement:

1 series. Arranged by artist.

Provenance:

Collection donated by Paul Klein, Febuary 20, 1997.

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:

advertising -- Automobiles  Search this

Automobiles  Search this

Genre/Form:

Calendars -- 1950-2000

Lithographs -- 1950-2000

Citation:

Thompson Products Company Calendar Lithographs, 1976-1986, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0574

See more items in:

Thompson Products Company Calendar Lithographs

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8202b3eb4-00bc-4f21-81de-efb24598e41d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0574

Creator:

Jeffers, Grace  Search this

Formica Corporation.  Search this

Names:

Faber, Herbert A.  Search this

Loewy, Raymond  Search this

O'Conor, Daniel J.  Search this

Stevens, Brooks  Search this

Extent:

18 Cubic feet (59 boxes, 11 oversize folders )

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Scripts (documents)

Videotapes

Posters

Samples

Advertisements

Brochures

Blueprints

Photographs

Newsletters

Exhibition catalogs

Catalogs

Correspondence

Date:

1913-2003

Summary:

The Formica Collection consists of textual files, photographs, slides, negatives, drawings, blueprints, posters, advertisements, product brochures, newsletters, and informational pamphlets documenting the history of the Formica Corporation and the use of Formica brand plastic laminate.

Scope and Contents:

The Formica Collection, 1913-2003, consists of textual files, photographs, photo slides, drawings, blueprints, posters, advertisements, product brochures, informational pamphlets, and research notes documenting the history of the Formica Corporation and the use of Formica brand plastic laminate.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into ten series.

Series 1: Corporate Records, 1920-1992, 2003

Subseries 1.1: Annual reports, 1949, 1966, 1988

Subseries 1.2: Correspondence and company identity, 1920-1988

Subseries 1.3: Corporation histories and timelines, 1949-1991, undated

Subseries 1.4: Newspaper clippings and articles, 1934-2003

Subseries 1.5: Awards, 1940s-1987

Subseries 1.6: Patent information, 1925-1994

Subseries 1.7: Photographs, 1927-1966

Series 2: Personnel Records, 1943-1992

Series 3: Newsletters, Magazines, and Press Releases, 1942-1990

Subseries 3.1: Newsletters, 1942-1988

Subseries 3.2: Press releases, 1973-1990

Series 4: Product Information, 1948-1994

Series 5: Advertising and sales materials, 1913-2000

Subseries 5.1: Advertising materials, 1913-2000

Subseries 5.2: Sales materials, 1922-1993

Series 6: Subject Files, circa 1945, 1955-1991, 2002

Series 7: Exhibits, 1981-1994

Series 8: Grace Jeffers Research Materials, 1987-1997

Series 9: Audio Visual Materials, 1982-1995, undated

Series 10: Martin A. Jeffers Materials, 1963-1999

Subseries 10.1: Background Materials, 1965-1999

Subseries 10.2: Employee Benefits, 1963-1998

Subseries 10.3: Product Information, [1959?]-1997

Subseries 10.4: Advertising and Sales Records, 1987-1999

Biographical / Historical:

Since its founding in 1913, the history of the Formica Company has been marked by a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. The history begins with the discovery of Formica by two men who envisioned the plastic laminate as breakthrough insulation for motors. Later, Formica became a ubiquitous surfacing material used by artists and architects of post-modern design. The various applications of the plastic laminate during the twentieth century give it a prominent role in the history of plastics, American consumerism, and American popular culture.

The Formica Company was the brainchild of Herbert A. Faber and Daniel J. O'Conor, who met in 1907 while both were working at Westinghouse in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. O'Conor, head of the process section in the Research Engineering Department, had been experimenting with resins, cloth, paper, and a wide array of solvents in an effort to perfect a process for making rigid laminate sheets from Kraft paper and liquid Bakelite. O'Conor produced the first laminate sheet at Westinghouse by winding and coating paper on a mandrel, slitting the resulting tube, and flattening it on a press. The finished product was a laminated sheet with the chemical and electrical properties of Bakelite that were cut into various shapes and sizes. O'Conor applied for a patent on February 1, 1913, but it was not issued until November 12, 1918 (US Patent 1,284,432). Since the research was done on behalf of Westinghouse, the company was assigned the patent, and O'Conor was given one dollar, the customary amount that Westinghouse paid for the rights to employees' inventions.

Herbert Faber, Technical Sales Manager of insulating materials, was excited about O'Conor's discovery. Faber saw limitless possibilities for the new material. However, he quickly became frustrated by Westinghouse's policy limiting the sale of the laminate to its licensed distributors. After failing to persuade Westinghouse to form a division to manufacture and market the new material, Faber and O'Conor created their own company. On May 2, 1913, the first Formica plant opened in Cincinnati, Ohio. On October 15, 1913, the business incorporated as the Formica Insulation Company with Faber as president and treasurer and O'Conor as vice-president and secretary. The company began producing insulation parts used in place of or "for mica," the costly mineral that had been used in electrical insulation.

Like most new companies, Formica had modest beginnings. Faber and O'Conor faced the challenge of looking for investors who would let them maintain control over the company. Finally, they met J. G. Tomluin, a lawyer and banker from Walton, Kentucky, who invested $7,500 for a one-third share in the Formica Company. Renting a small space in downtown Cincinnati, Faber and O'Conor began work. The company's equipment list consisted of a 35-horsepower boiler, a small gas stove, and a variety of homemade hand screw presses. By September 1913, Tomluin had brought in two more partners, David Wallace and John L. Vest. With the added capital, O'Conor, Faber, and Formica's eighteen employees began producing automobile insulation parts for Bell Electric Motor, Allis Chalmers, and Northwest Electric.

Initially, the Formica Company only made insulation rings and tubes for motors. However, by July 4, 1914, the company obtained its first press and began to produce flat laminate sheets made from Redmenol resin. Business gradually grew, and by 1917 sales totaled $75,000. Fueled by World War I, Formica's business expanded to making radio parts, aircraft pulleys, and timing gears for the burgeoning motor industry. In the years that followed, Formica products were in high demand as laminate plastics replaced older materials in washers, vacuum cleaners, and refrigerators. By 1919, the Formica Company required larger facilities and purchased a factory in Cincinnati.

During this time, patent battles and legal suits emerged to challenge Formica's success. On June 11, 1919, Westinghouse sued Formica for patent infringement on its laminated gears; Formica won. Later that year, Westinghouse brought two new lawsuits against Formica. The first was for a patent infringement on the production of tubes, rods, and molded parts; the second was over an infringement based on a 1913 patent assigned to Westinghouse through O'Conor. Formica prevailed in both suits.

Legal battles did not deter the company. Having to defend itself against a giant corporation gave Formica a reputation as a scrappy contender. Finally, Faber and O'Conor made a quantum leap in 1927, when the company was granted a U.S. patent for a phenolic laminate utilizing lithographed wood grains of light color, forming an opaque barrier sheet which blocks out the dark interior of the laminate. In 1931, the company received two more patents for the preparation of the first all paper based laminate and for the addition of a layer of aluminum foil between the core and the surface, making the laminate cigarette-proof. These patents would allow Formica to move from a company dealing primarily with industrial material to the highly visible arena of consumer goods.

In 1937, Faber had a severe heart attack which limited his activity within the company. O'Conor continued as president, encouraging new product lines, including Realwood, as a laminate with genuine wood veneer mounted on a paper lamination with a heat-reactive binder. With the introduction of Realwood and its derivatives, manufacturers started using Formica laminate for tabletops, desks, and dinette sets. By the early forties, sales of Formica laminate were over 15 million dollars. The final recipe for decorative laminate was perfected in 1938, when melamine resins were introduced. Melamine was clear, extremely hard, and resistant to stains, heat, light, less expensive than phenolic resins. It also made possible laminates of colored papers and patterns.

Due to World War II, Formica postponed the manufacturing of decorative laminate sheets. Instead, the company made a variety of war-time products ranging from airplane propellers to bomb buster tubes.

The post-World War II building boom fueled the decorative laminate market and ushered in what would come to be known as the golden age for Formica. The company, anticipating the demand for laminate, acquired a giant press capable of producing sheets measuring thirty by ninety-six inches for kitchen countertops. Between 1947 and 1950, more than 2 million new homes were designed with Formica brand laminate for kitchens and bathrooms.

Formica's advertising campaigns, initially aimed at industry, were transformed to speak to the new decorative needs of consumer society, in particular the American housewife. Formica hired design consultants, Brooks Stevens, and, later, Raymond Loewy who launched extensive advertising campaigns. Advertising themes of durability, cleanliness, efficiency, and beauty abound in promotional material of this time. Advertisers promised that the plastic laminate, known as "the wipe clean wonder," was resistant to dirt, juices, jams, alcohol stains, and cigarette burns. Atomic patterns and space-age colors, including Moonglo, Skylark, and Sequina, were introduced in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, diners, and restaurants across America.

The post-war period was also marked by expansion, specifically with the establishment of Formica's first international markets. In 1947, Formica signed a licensing agreement with the British firm the De La Rue Company of London for the exclusive manufacture and marketing of decorative laminates outside North America, and in South America and the Pacific Basin. In 1948, Formica changed its name from the Formica Insulation Company to the Formica Company. In 1951, Formica responded to growing consumer demand by opening a million square foot plant in Evendale, Ohio, devoted to the exclusive production of decorative sheet material. In 1956, the Formica Company became the Formica Corporation, a subsidiary of American Cyanamid Company. A year later, the international subsidiaries that Formica formed with De La Rue Company of London were replaced by a joint company called Formica International Limited.

The plastic laminate was not merely confined to tabletops and dinette sets. Formica laminate was used for skis, globes, and murals. Moreover, well-known artists and architects used the decorative laminate for modernist furniture and Art Deco interiors. In 1960, Formica's Research and Development Design Center was established, adjacent to the Evendale plant, to develop uses for existing laminate products. In 1966, the company opened the Sierra Plant near Sacramento, California. Such corporate expansion enabled Formica to market its laminates beyond the traditional role as a countertop surface material.

In 1974, Formica established its Design Advisory Board (DAB), a group of leading designers and architects. DAB introduced new colors and patterns of laminate that gained popularity among artists and interior designers in the 1980s. In 1981, DAB introduced the Color Grid, a systematic organization of Formica laminate arranged by neutrals and chromatics. The Color Grid was described as the first and only logically arranged collection of color in the laminate industry. DAB also developed the Design Concepts Collection of premium solid and patterned laminates to serve the needs of contemporary interior designers.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the corporation continued to produce laminates for interior designers, artists, and architects. In 1982, Formica introduced COLORCORE, the first solid-color laminate. Due to its relatively seamless appearance, COLORCORE was adopted by artists for use in furniture, jewelry, and interior design. The introduction of COLORCORE also marked the emergence of a wide variety of design exhibitions and competitions sponsored by the Formica Corporation. In 1985, Formica Corporation became independent and privately held. Formica continues to be one of the leading laminate producers in the world with factories in the United States, England, France, Spain, Canada, and Taiwan.

For additional information on the history of the Formica Corporation, see:

DiNoto, Andrea. Art Plastic: Designed for Living. New York: Abbeville Press, 1985.

Fenichell, Stephen. Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century. New York: Harper/Collins, 1996.

Jeffers Grace. 1998. Machine Made Natural: The Decorative Products of the Formica Corporation, 1947-1962. Master's thesis. Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts.

Lewin, Susan Grant, ed. Formica & Design: From Counter Top to High Art. New York: Rizzoli, 1991.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center

Leo Baekeland Papers, 1881-1968 (NMAH.AC.0005)

DuPont Nylon Collection, 1939-1977 (NMAH.AC.0007)

J. Harry DuBois Collection on the History of Plastics, circa 1900-1975 (NMAH.AC.0008)

Earl Tupper Papers, circa 1914-1982 (NMAH.AC.0470)

The Division of Medicine and Science holds artifacts related to this collection. See accession # 1997.0319 and #1997.3133.

Provenance:

This collection was assembled by Grace Jeffers, historian of material culture, primarily from materials given to her by Susan Lewin, Head of Formica's New York design and publicity office when the office closed in 1995. The collection was donated to the Archives Center by Grace Jeffers in September 1996.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow. 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:

Plastics industry and trade  Search this

Plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this

Plastics as art material -- 1920-2000  Search this

Plastics in interior design -- 1920-2000  Search this

advertising -- plastic industry -- 1920-2000  Search this

Plastic jewelry -- 1920-2000  Search this

Laminated plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this

Exhibitions -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

House furnishings -- 1920-2000 -- United States  Search this

Housewives as consumers -- 1920-2000  Search this

Electronic insulators and insulation -- Plastics -- 1920-2000  Search this

Inventions -- 1920-2000 -- United States  Search this

Women in advertising  Search this

Women in popular culture -- 1920-2000  Search this

Genre/Form:

Scripts (documents)

Videotapes

Posters -- 20th century

Samples -- 1920-2000

Advertisements

Brochures

Blueprints -- 20th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Newsletters -- 20th century

Exhibition catalogs

Catalogs

Catalogs -- 1920-2000

Correspondence -- 20th century

Citation:

Formica Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0565

See more items in:

Formica Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8859e644e-2a2b-427b-ae69-3dfadd400aa4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0565

Creator:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering  Search this

Names:

Smithsonian Institution. National Museum of History and Technology  Search this

Vogel, Robert M.  Search this

Extent:

45.5 Cubic feet (78 boxes, map folders, and loose materials)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Drawings

Photographs

Reports

Date:

1968-1990s

Summary:

Collection documents the implementation of, and scholarship associated with, the founding of the discipline of Industrial Archeology (IA) in the United States.

Content Description:

Collection documents the implementation of, and scholarship associated with, the founding of the discipline of Industrial Archeology (IA) in the United States. National Museum of History and Technology curator Robert Vogel is generally credited with the founding and study of IA in the United States. The collection documents important industrial sites through drawings, photographs, research reports, correspondence, notes and other information.

Arrangement:

Collection is unarranged.

Provenance:

Collection assembled by Robert Vogel, curator, National Museum of American History.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

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:

Industrial archaeology  Search this

Genre/Form:

Drawings

Photographs -- 20th century

Reports

Citation:

Industrial Archaeology Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1518

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8647ec259-ef39-4b63-a106-502abed55723

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1518