Finding Aids

The Keystone View Company was a major distributor of stereographic images. The company was founded by amateur photographer, B. L. (Benjamin Lloyd) Singley (1864-1938) in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1892. There are two stereographs in this collection, the first card shows "The Most Costly Docks in the Western Hemisphere, Buenos Aires, Argentina" and the second shows "Market Scene in Berkovitza, Bulgaria."

Kim Burdick is a public historian, preservationist and former advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Louise du Pont Crowninshield (1877-1958) was an early leader in the field of historic preservation. The collection includes photocopies of all known surviving Crowninshield letters and Burdick's notes.

The Klots Throwing Company was one of the largest silk manufacturers in the United States, incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1894. The collection consists of only fragmentary records from the Mills at Scranton, Carbondale, Archbald, and Forest City in the Lackawanna Valley.

Organized in Philadelphia in 1869 as a general labor organization to protect and promote American laborers, the Knights of Labor began a strike against the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company in December 1887 after members were fired for refusing to switch cars to a non-union grain elevator in Philadelphia. The handbill, "An appeal to the wage-workers and businessmen of New York," appeals for donations to aid the striking Coal and Iron Company miners and appeals to the public to attend a sympathy and fundraising meeting on February 12, 1888.

L. Gerard Smith (1871-1940), born Louis W. Schmidt, was a business executive for the Vapor Car Heating Company based in Brooklyn, New York, and the Vapor Car Heating Company of Canada, Limited, in Montreal, Quebec. Smith worked at E.W. Curtis's print shop in New York City until 1886. Between 1893 and 1905, he worked as a mailman in Brooklyn, joining the National Association of Letter Carriers, an affiliate of the Knights of Labor. Smith left the Post Office for a clerical career in 1905. He worked with the Saftey Car Heating and Lighting Company, railroad hardware manufacturers, and 1913 was made general manager of Spindler & Deringer of Jersey City. Smith later became the general manager of the Vapor Car Heating Company, and in 1922 when the company was required to create a separate subsidiary to enter the Canadian market, Smith was named general manager of the Vapor Car Heating Company of Canada, Limited in Montreal, Quebec. These personal papers cover the period between 1893 and 1939 of the life of L. Gerard Smith. The letters are personal and candid, depicting Smith's large extended (and adoptive) family and the methods by which they helped support each other. The letters also provide insight into Smith's professional life, with correspondence between his business connections, particularly those he connected with through the Masons and the YMCA.

The L. & R. Organic Products Co., Inc. records consist of invoices for imports as well as business and personal correspondence.

L. Robert Oaks (1906-1981) worked for the National Association of Manufacturers for eighteen years, directing its audiovisual programs. This collection contains some of his papers from his tenure and includes NAM News, films, speeches, motion picture bulletins, pamphlets, scripts, and more general information about NAM.

Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) was a French political economist, writer, publisher, and public administrator. He was an advocate for a national educational system and promoted Franco-American trade relations. This is a printed copy of the third edition of La philosophie de l'univers (The Philosophy of the Universe), written by du Pont de Nemours in 1799, redated to 1814, with numerous revisions and additions in the form of annotations and interleavings. It is much more introspective than earlier editions and reveals a good deal about du Pont de Nemours' worldview as he was approaching the end of his life. The revised text is part philosophy and part memoir and includes long sections about death, religion, gender, and reincarnation that were not present in earlier editions.

The author appears to have been a young man living on his mother's farm near Danville, Montour County, Pennsylvania, who earned additional money by casual day labor. The diary is a standard pocket diary of the period with notations of work done and other daily activities, with a small cash book section at the rear.

The Laflin and Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers in the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies, including the Laflin Powder Company and the Smith & Rand Powder Company. This item is the 1899 calendar with an illustration of a sailor from the U.S.S. Oregon.

The Laflin and Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers in the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies. The company was acquired by DuPont in October of 1902, and it was operated as a subsidiary. This is a group of four display card advertisements for Laflin & Rand Powder, probably for point-of-sale or counter display.

The Laflin & Rand Powder Company was one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers during the nineteenth century. Frederick W. Beers (1839-1933) was a New York map publisher. This item is a lithograph depicting the powder mills and surrounding landscape, and it is pages 16 and 17 of "County Atlas of Ulster, New York: From Recent and Actual Surveys and Records," by author F.W. Beers.

The Laflin and Rand Powder Company, one of the largest gunpowder manufacturers in the nineteenth century, was formed from several predecessor companies. This small collection consists of two receipted invoices for kegs of cannon powder in 1871.

The Lainé family was related to Peter Bauduy (1769-1833) a French refugee from Santo Domingo who was a business partner of Eleuthère Irénée "E.I." du Pont (1771-1834) of the DuPont Company. The family papers contain items from several generations and include a diary from Pierre-Francois Lainé's (1775-1846) captivity in Russia, Francois Damas Laine'ś (1823-1901) diary from his visit to France, Marie Lainé Santa Maria's (1866-1961) memoirs as a child living on a sugar plantation in Cuba, translation, and typescripts of the diaries, and genealogical information.

The Lake Mohonk Mountain House was a noted summer resort hotel located on Lake Mohonk in the Shawangunk Mountains of Ulster County, northwest of New York City. The collection consists of tear sheets from the trade press, advertisements, trade literature, trade catalogs and other publications collected by Daniel Smiley (1796-1878), former manager of the Lake Mohonk Mountain House, in the course of planning and executing new projects, maintaining the building and grounds, and purchasing new furnishings and equipments. This material is accompanied by fairly routine letters of request and replies from sales representatives. There are also some copies of hotel menus and programmes for social events.

Lammot du Pont, Jr. (1909-1964) was Assistant Vice President of the Wilmington Trust Company. He began his employment there in 1931, previously he was employed at the Fokker Aircraft Corporation. Lammot, Jr., assembled a large collection of books, manuscripts, prints, drawings and photographs. This collection documents the history of aviation and primarily consists of images of aircraft which date from 1915 through 1950. A majority of the images are various views of aircraft only and are devoid of people, though there are a number of images that include pilots. There are prints and lithographs of early aircraft and balloons (dirigibles) which date as early as the 1780s. The collection has been arranged into five series by format.

Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905-1983) was an American businessman, great-great-grandson of E.I. du Pont (1771-1834), and chief executive officer of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. This collection primarily consists of portrait photographs of members of the du Pont, Belin, Copeland, Gratiot, La Motte, and related families. There are also two small booklets containing prints of various du Pont and Cunningham homes.

Lammot du Pont Copeland (1905-1983) held various roles at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, culminating in his tenure as the company's president from 1961 to 1971 and chairman of the board from 1967 to 1971. The collection documents Copeland's years as President and Chairman of the Board. There is also limited material from his earlier roles as Secretary and Vice President. The papers reflect the company's strategy of international expansion during the 1960s, apparent in Copeland's voluminous correspondence with the International Department.

Lammot du Pont (1831-1884) was an accomplished chemist who managed gunpowder manufacturing at the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (commonly called the DuPont Company). He later organized the Repauno Chemical Company to manufacture dynamite. The papers describe his innovative work in the explosives industry, outside investments in coal mines and railroads, and correspondence with family members. There is also a small subset of materials compiled by his son, also named Lammot du Pont (1880-1952), on various du Pont family and company historical topics.

The Lamson & Sessions Company was a top manufacturer of bolts, nuts and other fasteners. In 1866, the Mt. Carmel Bolt Company was formed by brothers Thomas H. (1827-1882) and Isaac P. Lamson (1832-1912) with Samuel W. Sessions (1824-1902) in Southington, Connecticut. The company moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1869. During World War II, the company was one of the largest manufacturers of fasteners in the United States. In 1981, the company sold its industrial fastener division to Russell, Burdsall & Ward Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. Lamson & Sessions Company survives today through two business segments: Carlon and Lamson Home Products.

The collection contains nineteen 16mm films dating from the 1940s to 1973. Many of the films are documents of employees working in Lamson & Sessions factories. Some of these depict female employees in the workplace. Several more show machines and presses being run in the creation of bolts or nuts.

Lanman & Kemp was a multi-generational family firm of wholesale druggists in New York City. Their records document the operations of the wholesale drug business in the years before the development of modern pharmaceuticals. They also show the importance of New York City as a center for the import, export and re-export business and of London bankers in financing international trade and extending credit.

Local Maryland historian and private collector Larry R. Paul (b. 1935) has had an extensive career as an exhibit designer, cataloger, and antiques dealer. The collection consists of a database, created by Larry R. Paul, of over 20,000 hotels operating in the United States during the eighteenth century up to the year 2000, although it includes some details on more recent changes to buildings.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834). Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and towards chemistry innovations. This item is the Spanish language version of "Wonder World of Chemistry" which shows chemical products produced by the DuPont Company.

Lavinia Dimmick (1874-1946) was a descendant of the founders of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical research and manufacturing company. She was the daughter of Irene du Pont (1845-1877) and Edward Dimmick (1843-1895). Alfred Rée (1864-1933) was a chemist in England. This collection primarily consists of letters that passed between Alfred and Lavinia Rée during their courtship, ending with notes on their wedding reception, honeymoon travel and return to England.

Lavinia Dimmick Rée (1874-1946) was a descendant of the founders of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, a chemical research and manufacturing company. She was the daughter of Irene du Pont (1845-1877) and Edward Dimmick (1843-1895), and a great-niece of Sophie M. du Pont (1810-1888). The records consist of two copies of a typewritten transcription of "Memories of Aunt Sophie" written by Rée about du Pont's home, Lower Louviers, during the late 1870s and 1880s.

The Lawrance Engineering and Research Corporation manufactured auxiliary power plants for airplanes. The firm was founded in 1930 in Linden, New Jersey, by aviator Charles L. Lawrance (1882-1950). This small collection of blueprints shows auxiliary power plant equipment.

The Lea family was among the largest flour mill operators at the Brandywine Falls, near Wilmington, Delaware, since the 1770s, when Thomas Lea (1757–1823) joined in partnership with Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813) to operate mills on the north bank of the stream. This small collection of Lea family papers documents Delaware and Pennsylvania land use and ownership, elite family and social relationships, and agricultural business operations from the early eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The materials are from four generations of the William Lea (1805-1876) family lineage. The collection is arranged into four series: Real estate and financial papers, Correspondence, Personal papers, and Newspaper clippings.

Thomas Lea (1757–1823) joined in partnership with Joseph Tatnall (1740–1813), and passed on the Tatnall-Lea grain mills in Wilmington, Delaware to his son William Lea (1805-1876), who took over operation of the mills in 1837. In 1864, William Lea brought his sons Henry Lea (1839-1888) and Preston Lea (1841-1916) into the firm, changing the name to William Lea & Sons Company. This collection includes portraits of members of the Lea and related families. These include such family names as Tatnall, Warner, Preston, Ferris, Downing, Spruance, Lovett, Moore, Bush, Ely, and others.

This reproduction (copied from an original cabinet card) is of Lea Pusey (1820-1896) photographed through a large block of clear ice. Pusey created the plate process, a method to make commercial ice and was the founder of Diamond Ice Company.

This collection contains photographs of the LeCarpentier, Green and Baker families who were farmers and merchants in the Delaware valley area. The majority of the collection consists of formal portraits of family members, a small number of which are identified, as well as views of various locations around Wilmington, Delaware.

The Leeds & Northrup Company traces its origins to Morris E. Leeds & Company, established by Morris E. Leeds (1869-1952) in 1899 to develop and manufacture precision instruments. Their records consists of minutes from the Development and Executive Committes and the Cooperative Association.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a major anthracite mining and transporting firm in eastern Pennsylvania between 1822 and 1954. This collection consists of one outbound letterpress copybook dating from 1844 to 1848 of Edwin A. Douglas (1805-1859), Chief Engineer & Superintendent; three outbound letterbooks of William Reed, Chief Clerk at Mauch Chunk, dating from 1852 to 1859; thirteen outbound letterbooks of George Ruddle (1828-1904), Chief Clerk, Treasurer, and Real Estate Agent, dating from 1860 to 1878; and four inbound letterbooks of George Ruddle dating from 1870 to 1874. The letterbooks contain the correspondence of some of the chief field officers at Mauch Chunk, much of it regular exchanges with the officers at the Philadelphia headquarters.

The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was a mining and transportation company headquartered in present day Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The company was established in 1818, after merging the Lehigh Coal Company and the Lehigh Navigation company. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company continued to provide coal to mills and factories along the Schuylkill River until its dissolution in 1964. This collection includes one Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company stock certificate for two shares of capital stock.

Lehigh Coal Mine Company was an unincorporated joint-stock company, established in 1792, with the intention of developing a deposit of anthracite coal discovered by Jacob Weiss (1750-1839) and others at what is now Summit Hill in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. The collection consists of documents relating to land ownership and governance of Lehigh Coal Mine Company.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad Company was one of the major anthracite railroads and formed a secondary trunk line between Jersey City, New Jersey and Buffalo, New York. Their records consist of minute books, corporate histories, voluntary reorganization plans, and an illustrated brochure on Claremont Terminal.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad company in the northeastern United States primarily used to haul anthracite coal from Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania, to Easton, Pennsylvania. This collection consists of twenty-two glass negatives and one box. Most photographs depict the rolling stock of Lehigh Valley Railroad dating to approximately some point between 1934 and 1948, based on engine numbers.

Leonard W. Walton (1911-2005) was a printing industry executive with Milprint, Inc., which specialized in printing packaging materials, between 1936 and 1976. This collection of photographs related to Milprint, Inc was collected by Leonard W. Walton. A majority of the photographs show Milprint employees attending events, banquets, and dinners, including Quarter Century Club celebrations.

Leonard W. Walton (1911-2005) was a printing industry executive with Milprint, Inc., which specialized in printing packaging materials, between 1936 and 1976. His collection of Milprint records primarily consists of printing samples including candy wrappers, cigarette boxes, potato chip and bread bags and bacon boxes.

Lepley & Joswick Photographers was a commercial photographic studio in Chicago, Illinois, between 1946 and 1952. The firm was a partnership between Alden D. Lepley (1911-2003) and Gerald "Jerry" J. Joswick (1923-1990). In 1946, Lepley and Joswick opened a photography studio at 5121 W. Devon Ave. in Chicago. Their clients were mainly industrial ones. Both partners continued to pursue side projects and give lectures separately. This small collection of photographs features a range of commercial images depicting different areas of industry in Chicago between 1940 and 1952. It includes food factory assembly line workers, canned and boxed food products, home appliances and electronics, and interior home designs.

Leroy Nelson Houck (1895-1980) was an electrician with the Pennsylvania Water & Power Company. He spent a large portion of his career working in the Load Dispatcher's Office. Pennsylvania Water & Power Company was established to store, transport, and generate water power for both commercial and manufacturing purposes. The Holtwood facility outside of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was the first power plant to have both a hydroelectric generator and a coal power generator. This small collection consists of pamphlets, photographs, and booklets related to the Pennsylvania Water & Power Co. documenting Houck's experiences as an employee there. There are manuals, booklets, and brochures about Holtwood and the Safe Harbor Dam.

Levi C. Stang (1890-1962) was an electrical engineer and general manager of several electric companies throughout the Midwest. His scrapbook chronicles his career and employment as an electrical engineer through selected letters and correspondence, newspaper and other clippings, blueprints, and photographs.

Brothers Louis Edward Levy (1846-1919) and Max Levy (1857-1926) founded a photoengraving business in Baltimore in 1875. In 1877, they moved to Philadelphia and reorganized the firm as the Levytype Company. Here they introduced their invention (jointly patented on January 4, 1875) of a new photochemical engraving process, which they called "Levy-type." The bulk of the papers consists of incoming correspondence relating to orders and shipments from 1895 to 1920, and includes letters from all parts of the United States, Europe (especially England and Germany), and more distant places such as India, Australia, and Chile.

Leroy Greenwood "L.G." Jackson (1889-1981) was a chemist for E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company between 1911 and 1954. Jackson's small set of papers are primarily from his work related to gunpowder. This collection would be of interest to those interested in powder production. There are also two items from Jackson's time in rayon research.

A match cover or a matchbook cover is a thin piece of cardboard that is folded around a set of match sticks. Chemist, John Walker (1781-1859) invented the match stick in 1827. Joshua Pusey (1842-1906?), an inventor and attorney patented matchbook covers in 1892. Within a short time hotels, restaurants, airlines, and all kinds of stores began advertising using matchbook covers. This is a small collection of matchbook covers from hotels, museums and restaurants. Most the businesses represented are from Las Vegas, Nevada, there are a few from other places in the United States.

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) became a giant in the field of electronic data processing by the mid-1950s after having achieved great success in the punch-card tabulating machine business in the 1930s. This is a sales film for IBM about the history of information technology.

Lippincott & Margulies, Inc., and its successor Lippincott Mercer is a major international design consultancy specializing in corporate identity, image, and marketing. The records consist of a set of the company's magazine, Design Sense.

The account books document a general store situated in Little Britain Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, likely owned in part by Jeremiah Brown (1749-1831). Brown was a successful businessman, owning a grist mill, sawmill, and slate quarries. The general store was a major center of exchange, which included a mix of cash and barter transactions, the latter including both goods and labor.

The Link-Belt Company was founded by William Dana Ewart (1851-1908), who had invented the detachable link-belt in 1874. The flexible metal belt provided a superior system of power transmission and was first used widely in farm machinery. This item is a booklet of cyanotype photographs of locomotive coaling stations designed, erected, and equipped by the Link-Belt Engineering Company.

This collection consists of glass plate negatives and photographic copy prints which were made directly from the negatives. The images document an array of subjects, though the majority of the images are of locomotives, railroad cars, railroad stations, and other railroad infrastructure. Various landscape and cityscape photographs are also included. Where it is possible to identify the locations, the majority of images document sites in Pennsylvania, though photographs of sites in New York state and Ontario are also present.

Lois Kathryn Herr (1941-) joined Bell Laboratories in 1964, and, during her twenty-six-year career with Bell and AT&T, she was a prominent advocate for women's rights in the workplace. The collection supplements the corresponding manuscript collection and primarily comprises material Lois Herr gathered as source material for her book Women, Power, and AT&T: Winning Rights in the Work Place. It also includes audio recordings of some of Herr's public appearances and other materials concerning Herr's involvement with the National Organization for Women (NOW) and efforts to challenge discriminatory attitudes and practices toward women in the workplace.