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DuPont Company photographs

Creation: 1802-1928 Creation: 1944
 Collection
Accession: 1971-423

Abstract

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. During World War I, the DuPont Company entered the dye industry. This small collection of photographs is primarily of DuPont Company plant sites of dye works and explosives. There are numerous views of the Carrollville, Wisconsin, plant and the Terre, Indiana, plant.

Dates

  • Creation: 1802-1928
  • Creation: 1944

Creator

Extent

86 item(s)

Physical Description

84 photographic prints : b&w ; 8 x 10 in. or smaller. 1 photographic print : b&w ; panorama. 3 photostats.

Historical Note

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). The company began with the production of gunpowder. The du Ponts purchased a mill site on the banks of the Brandywine River, just north of Wilmington, Delaware. During wartime the company was a major supplier for the United States government. During peacetime, the company marketed their product toward sportsmen and hunters. Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and toward chemistry innovations.

The Grasselli Chemical Company was established by Eugene Ramiro Grasselli (1810-1882) in Cincinnati in 1839. During the First World War, Grasselli entered the explosives business, establishing the Grasselli Powder Company. In 1928, Grasselli was absorbed by the DuPont Company.

During World War I, the DuPont Company entered the market for dyes left vacant by Germany's absence. This was the DuPont Company's first major venture into organic chemistry fields. One purchase was the Newport Chemical Company of Carrollville, Wisconsin, to expand DuPont's position in the dye industry. Throughout the 1930s, DuPont concentrated its vat dye production in Carrollville.

Scope and Contents

This small collection of photographs is primarily of DuPont Company plant sites of dye works and explosives. There are numerous views of the Carrollville, Wisconsin, plant and the Terre, Indiana, plant. The Carrollville plant views offer several aerials taken by Fairchild Aerial Surveys, a promienent commercial aerial photography company in the twentieth century. There are exterior views of buildings, dwellings, and the surrounding lake and shorefront area. Additionally, there are a few group photographs of people in a board room and at a company dinner; individuals pictured are listed. The Terre plant consists of views of exteriors of various buildings and structures on the site involved in the manufacture of explosives. There is only one view of Carney's Point dye works and the Belin Village employees' housing. The two images of the Du Pont Country Club include one panoramic photograph from a field day event from 1921 and a general view of the club and golf course. There are a few photostats of items related to the du Pont family, two letters, and three cancelled checks, all related to finances of the DuPont Company.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Language of Materials

English

Related Names

Subject

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
DuPont Company photographs
Author:
Laurie Sather
Date:
2021
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400