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Products, 1918-2004, bulk: 1969-1993

 Series
Accession: 2004-268Identifier: 2004-268-VI.

Dates

  • Creation: 1918-2004
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1969-1993

Scope and Contents

The Products series consists primarily of slides related to agricultural products and fibers. There are photographic prints in this series; however, the images are largely unique. The products cover a wide range, with some images related to DuPont products in general, such as transporting or selling products.

The agricultural products in this series highlight the DuPont Company's herbicides and insecticides for farmers and vegetation management. The images are of farm crops, machinery, and activities such as cultivating, strip cropping, planting, applying herbicides, crop dusting, and harvesting. There are many images of weeds and insects that harm typical crops, such as apples, corn, rice, soybeans, and wheat. There are numerous images of herbicide packaging containers and farmers with signs for herbicide products in their fields.

The fiber products highlight several of the DuPont Company's textile achievements; most heavily represented are Nylon, Kevlar, Teflon, and Mylar. There are two general fiber/textile history slide albums (removed from binders for preservation purposes) that document the DuPont Company's work with fibers from the 1930s through the 1960s, and into the 1980s. In 1934, chemist and inventor Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937) produced the first polyamide fiber, later known as Nylon. Nylon was introduced in 1938 and was primarily used to make women's hosiery and lingerie. The success of Nylon propelled DuPont toward developing numerous other synthetic fibers such as Orlon, Lycra, Tyvek, Nomex, and Kevlar. There are images of Carothers and other prominent scientists, as well as key products made using Nylon fiber, such as fashions, household items, and World War II gear. Notably, there are images from the 1939 World's Fair, and women lined up to buy Nylon hosiery after its return to the market after World War II.

Other significant images related to fiber are photographic prints of the 1969 Apollo Moon Landing. The NASA moon walk suits used DuPont Teflon, Kapton, Mylar, Dacron, Neoprene, Nylon, Nomex, and Lycra. There are also slides of three aircraft designed by Paul B. MacCready, built using DuPont Kevlar, Nomax, Delrin, Teflon, and Mylar. In 1979, MacCready designed and built the Gossamer Albatross, a human-powered aircraft, then the Gossamer Penguin, a solar-powered experimental aircraft, and in 1980, the Solar Challenger, a solar-powered electric aircraft.

Of particular interest are a series of photographic prints and corresponding negatives documenting the use of DuPont explosives at Ripple Rock. Ripple Rock is an underwater mountain in the Seymour Narrows of the Discovery Passage in British Columbia, Canada. It had two peaks during low tide that produced large turbulent eddies from strong tidal currents. It was extremely hazardous for ships to pass the straight. Between 1875 and 1958, at least 120 vessels were damaged or sunk; at least 110 people drowned during these accidents.

Two previous attempts to remove the twin peaks failed. The Canadian government carried out a three-year, $3 million project to do so, using more than 1,400 tons of blasting agents supplied by the DuPont Company of Canada Limited in 1956. Water-tight cans of explosives were pushed into the cage at the collar of a 570-foot vertical mine shaft on Maud Island, about 120 miles northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. The explosive was used to blow the top off Ripple Rock and a two-headed underwater mountain in Seymour Narrows, a part of the inland waterway to Alaska. The blast was a complete success, providing a safe channel fifty feet deep at low tide. In 1958, it was the largest non-atomic explosion fired anywhere on the planet. There were 370,000 tons of rock shattered.

The images show the preparation of the site: the tunnel being drilled, explosives being packed into the cage and the tunnel, and the explosion. The images of the explosion are taken in four studies (B, W, R, and K), each from different angles at different intervals of seconds after the explosion.

Automotive products show Lucite paint application, thermoplastics, and race cars. Additionally, automobile products include Gas Booster, Rally Car wax, and Zerex antifreeze. Film products include Cellophane, Dylux, Kapton, and Mylar. The medical products feature Sorvall Instruments, pharmaceuticals, and x-ray film, which DuPont began producing in 1932. Polymer products are plastics used for containers, Corian used in kitchens and bathrooms (tubs, counters, sinks), and the Permasep Permeator for seawater desalination.

Extent

From the Collection: 35 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.

Boxes in the Publications series are located in remote storage. Please contact staff 48 hours in advance of research visit at askhagley@hagley.org

Related Names

Creator

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
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