Finding Aids

Lukenweld, Inc. was the first U.S. commercial shop to cut and fabricate shapes from steel plate by arc welding. The records are files of Robert C. Sahlin (1896-1967), a member of Lukenweld's sales staff. Sahlin's files record his dealings with Lukenweld's customers and his other activities as a salesman. Most Lukenweld orders were custom work, fabricating individual machine parts, so there was frequent interplay between sales and engineering staff.

Lunt Silversmiths designed and manufactured quality sterling holloware, flatware, silverware, and giftware for 107 years. Filing for bankruptcy in 2009, Lunt ceased manufacturing and sold their brand to Read & Barton the following year. Included are administrative records, designs, patterns, photographs, and three-dimensional objects that include moulds, silhouettes, and unstruck blanks. The numerous drawings and sketches that comprise this collection document the talent of skilled craftsmen who worked for the company throughout the twentieth century.

Lydia R. Bailey (1779-1869) owned and operated on of the busiest printing establishments in nineteenth century Philadelphia. The collection represents an account with John Steele (1758-1827), collector of the Port of Philadelphia, for printing of certificates and includes a list of ships for which certificates were purchased.

This is a collection of photographs and drawings of interiors designed by the firm of Lyman W. Cleveland, Interior Architecture & Design, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lynch and Stoughton was a New York mercantile firm that traded extensively with Spain, Portugal, Holland, the West Indies, Florida, Ireland, and China, in the coasting trade between Pennsylvania and New England, and with the interior of New York State. The ledger documents the firm's mercantile business between 1783 and 1788. The ledger appears to have later been passed down through several generations of the Stow family of New York and Michigan, who used it as a scrapbook for scrap paper and practicing penmanship.

Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (1766-1817), known as Madame de Staël, was a writer, philosopher, and politically engaged woman who survived the French Revolution and was exiled multiple times by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). The letter from "Necker de Stael Holstein" to Le Roy, Bayard & Co., New York, concerning accounts with the firm and with W. Saladin.

Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (1766-1817), known as Madame de Staël, was a writer, philosopher, and politically engaged woman who survived the French Revolution and was exiled multiple times by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821). Negative photostat of letter from Madame de Staël to Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817).

Major Reybold was an iron excursion steamer, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This collection contains a photographic copy print of a painting of the steamship.

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. This item is the film Making Blasting Caps which documents the process of making blasting caps.

The Manheim, Petersburg and Lancaster Turnpike or Plank Road Company constructed a plank road between the named towns in 1851 to 1852, during the plank road craze. The records consist of eight pocket volumes and some loose papers kept by the company treasurer, such as a subscription book, toll gatherers' receipt book, and payment book.

The Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway, which takes passengers to the summit of Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado, is the highest rack railway in the world and the highest railway in North America. This collection consists of a viewbook consisting of eight pages with photographs of the railway.

The Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia was founded on May 19th, 1887 by members of the Philadelphia Manufacturers Association, a group of leading Philadelphia industrialists that predominantly consisted of textile executives. The guest book for the Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia contains the names and signatures of both guests and the members that accompanied or introduced them, along with the city from which they were visiting.

This collection consists of photographs and maps depicting the property of the Brandywine Works of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The maps and blueprints show how the property of the Brandywine Works was divided among du Pont family members for estates after the works closed. A small series of large-format photographs depict various scenes and events from the Brandywine Works and the city of Wilmington in general.

Thomas Lamb (1896-1988) was an industrial designer most noted for his design of physiologically efficient handles. Marc Harrison (1936-1998) was an industrial designer and pioneer of Universal Design. Harrison taught at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he became instrumental in establishing the Division of Architecture and Design. In the early 1960s, while wandering through a restaurant supply company, Harrison came across a set of knives designed by Thomas Lamb. Harrison was so impressed by the knives' designs that he became determined to meet Lamb. Harrison arranged an introduction through a mutual friend. Harrison and Lamb became lifelong friends and colleagues. This collection consists of Marc Harrison's compilation of photographs, articles, drawings, and research by and about Thomas Lamb that document Lamb's industrial design career. Harrison kept these papers at the Industrial Design Department at RISD and potentially used them in his teaching.

Marc Harrison (1936-1998) was an industrial designer and pioneer of universal design. The collection consists of Marc Harrison's business papers, legal records from cases in which Harrison served as a professional witness, files on exhibitions of Harrison's work, and publications featuring Harrison and products he designed.

Marc Harrison (1936-1998) was an industrial designer and pioneer of universal design. As a child, he experienced a traumatic brain injury during a sledding accident that required surgery and significant rehabilitation. Inclusivity and accessibility, therefore, played central roles in Harrison's personal life and career. The Marc Harrison photographs documents Harrison's career from the 1950s to the late-1990s, including various designs, product development, finished products, trade shows, and personal trips and events. The collection documents his tenure at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the various projects he completed through his design firm, Marc Harrison Associates. This collection's major companies and organizations well documented include the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the American Red Cross, the International Lead and Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO), Krups, Chemex, and Cuisinart. Researchers interested in industrial design, universal design philosophy, and the history of accessibility will find this collection useful.

The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Corporation of America was founded in 1899 as the American branch of Guglielmo Marconi’s (1874-1937) Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company of London. Because of its emphasis on providing radio transmitter receivers for ships and fostering oceanic communications, the U.S. Navy commandeered the company during World War I. After the war, both government and industry colluded to buy out the British company; they created the Radio Corporation of America in its stead in 1919. This collection includes around 1,300 engineering and technical drawings from the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America . Subjects depicted range from circuit diagrams, wiring layouts, and switchboard schematics to architectural plans for aerial towers and carrying case designs.

Manigault's papers consist of her own diaries and correspondence between her and Gabrielle Josephine du Pont (1770-1836), both which document the life of a female member of Charleston's merchant-planter elite during the Early National Period, and the web of connections linking Charleston, New York and Philadelphia society.

Dr. Margaret (Meg) M. Mulrooney is Associate Professor of History and Associate Vice-Provost of University Studies at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The collection consists of research data supporting Mulrooney's doctoral dissertation "Labor at Home: The Domestic World of Workers at the du Pont Powder Mills, 1802-1902."

Margaretta “Meta” du Pont Coleman (1862-1938) was a descendant of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) who founded the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company with his son Eleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834) in 1802. The E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont company. The Margaretta E. "Meta" du Pont Coleman Papers primarily consist of family correspondence collected by Meta Coleman.

Margaretta Lammot du Pont (1807-1898) was the wife of Alfred Victor du Pont (1798-1856), who worked for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. This collection correspondence to du Pont from Joseph D. Reinboth, of Pennsylvania, and her grandson, T. Coleman du Pont (1863-1930).

Margaretta Lammot du Pont (1807-1898) was the wife of Alfred Victor du Pont (1798-1856), who worked for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. In 1885, she sent a letter to Meta Kemble de Forest (1852-1933) which indicates she is sending book from "Aunt Sophie" [Sophie Madeleine du Pont (1810-1888)].

Marguerite du Pont Lee (1862-1936) was a descendant of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) who founded the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company with his son Eleuthere Irenee du Pont (1771-1834) in 1802. The E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. This small collection consists of four items belonging to Marguerite du Pont Lee. Two individual portraits, a photograph of a gate, and a decorative leaf.

Marguerite Lammot du Pont Lee (1862-1936) was activist for women's suffrage, child labor, and other social issues. The scrapbook contains religious poems, newspaper clippings, editorial comments, gunpowder labels, as well as a few photographs of the area near the DuPont Powder Yards.

Marie Delphine du Pont (1916-2009) was the great-great-grandaughter of E.I. du Pont (1771-1834), the founder of the DuPont Company. Her papers consist of letters and postcards between du Pont and her cousin, Irene Sophie du Pont May (1900-2001).

Mark C. Walker & Son Co. was a general contractor firm in the early to mid-twentieth century. The company was founded as Callahan-Walker Construction Company in Omaha, Nebraska, by Mark Connell Walker (1889-1966) and his father-in-law, William F. Callahan (1856-1930), a railroad contractor. Upon Callahan's death, Walker took on his son, Mark Callahan Walker (1911-1999), as a partner. This album, compiled by Walker Jr., documents construction projects during World War II, as well as the post-war western United States. It highlights the impact of public works in the twentieth century. The album contains photographs, text, and newspaper clippings detailing several key construction projects: the Gary Armor Plate Steel Mill in 1942, the Harlan County Dam between 1946 and 1947, and the Orange County Sanitation Plant in 1953. The album also contains photographs and trade catalogs from the company's Polair Mobile Refrigerator Division, which designed and built refrigerated truck trailers for the U.S. Army.

The Marsay School of Beauty Culture was a cosmetology school that offered at-home training courses and operated out of Chicago, Illinois. The school began advertising in newspapers across the country in 1925. In 1928, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged the school with unfair methods of competition. It issued a cease and desist order in 1929, but it appears that the school continued at least into 1930. This is a small collection of correspondence promoting the beauty school's courses between 1926 and 1930. This collection would be useful for researchers interested in cosmetology advertising campaigns and unfair trade practices.

Marshall Johnson (1938-), an industrial designer, worked for some of the most well-known small appliance companies and designed many popular consumer products as well as often doing their graphic and packaging design. He began working at Black & Decker, Inc., designing portable power tools and lawn and garden power tools. He went on to work as a corporate industrial designer for ALCOA, and later as a designer of small appliances and cookware for Wear-Ever, Proctor Silex, and Hamilton Beach, as those companies merged and evolved through the years. The Marshall B. Johnson Research Collection for Industrial Design and Housewares consists of Johnson's career files and artifacts from the various companies for which he worked, historical and research materials on the companies and their products, files on industrial designers, and Johnson's personal papers, which include materials on his family, childhood, education, interests, and other activities.

Martha Brown Ogle Callender Forman (1788-1864) was the second wife of Gen. Thomas Marsh Forman (1758-1845). Her diaries are entirely personal, with many details of the daily life of enslavers and the enslaved at Rose Hill, a Cecil County, Maryland plantation.

Martha Furnace was an iron plantation built in 1793 by the Pennsylvania ironmaster Isaac Potts (1750-1803) on a branch of the Wading River two miles above Harrisville in eastern Burlington County, New Jersey. The volume is a combined daybook and diary, containing a comprehensive account of the operation of a Pine Barrens iron plantation during the early 1800s.

Mary A. Ferraro (b. 1851) is presumably the mother of Pierre Ferraro (b. 1878) and Eugene Ferraro, both of which worked for the DuPont Company and were all residents of Walkers Bank at Hagley Mills. This item is a portrait of a woman identified only as the mother of Ferraro.

Mary Augusta Lammot (1811-1905) was a daughter of Daniel Lammot (1782-1877) and Susan Parham Beck Lammot (1786-1817). The letter is from Mary Augusta Lammot to her sister, Margaretta Lammot du Pont (1807-1898), describing her visit to Philadelphia, the things she saw there, and the people she met.

Mary Belin (1839-1913) married Lammot du Pont (1831-1884) and had eleven children, many who were prominent in the building up of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The volume consists of a typed transcript of letters originally sent to Mary Belin du Pont (1839-1913) by her daughters Louisa ("La") (1868-1926), Sophie M. ("Tabby") (1871-1894), Isabella ("Bella") (1882-1946), and Margaretta ("Peg") (1884-1973) in 1894. The letters center around a single incident wherein Sophie, who was suffering from tuberculosis, was sent to Colorado Springs for a cure.

Mary Belin (1839-1913) married Lammot du Pont (1831-1884) and had eleven children, many who were prominent in the building up of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The collection includes a carbon copy of a typed transcript from Belin's recipe book. The recipe book included dishes typical of middle class Americans in the Northeast in the early and mid-nineteenth century, as well as home remedies, household hints, and how to prepare paints and dyes.

Mary Hemphill Bush Rieffel (1908-1991) was a nurse, philanthropist, and descendant of the du Pont family, who founded E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1802, a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. Mary Hemphill Bush Rieffel's collection documents her academic progress, travels, and family life growing up, as well as her own family as an adult. The collection is organized into two series: Family papers and Family photographs. The material dates from 1845 to 1995.

Maryland Steel Company was a steel-works and shipyard operated from 1891 until 1916, when Bethlehem Steel acquired the Pennsylvania Steel Company and its subsidiary, Maryland Steel. This collection consists of 3 albums containing 204 cyanotype photographs taken at the Maryland Steel Company's steel plant and shipyard between 1890 and 1894. The photographs show steel buildings, steel workers, shipyard buildings, ship construction, tugs and steamships.

Masters & Markoe was a mercantile house which operated throughout the early nineteenth century. Most of the records date from the period 1810 to 1814 and document the West Indian trade of Markoe & Masters. The collection consists of the business correspondence and accounts records which shows that the firm was primarily involved with the importation of sugar from Santa Cruz (St. Croix). The company also imported molasses, rum, coffee, mahogany, and logwood. There are also personal papers of the firms co-founder, Thomas Masters (1781-1844) and members of his family.

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 collection is eight volumes of matchbook covers, each volume contains approximately 330-570 matchbooks. The matchbooks are graphic advertisements for various businesses, services, or products. The industries most represented are hotels, restaurants, clubs, and bars. There are a large amount of matchbooks from banks/insurance companies, automobile companies, airlines, food stores, drug stores, clothing stores, among others.

Mather & Company was a printer of motivational workplace posters, based out of Chicago, Illinois between 1923 and 1929. This item is a poster designed by Frank Beatty (1899-1984) and used to motivate workers after the Stock Market Crash.

Mather & Company was a printer of motivational workplace posters, based out of Chicago, Illinois. Between 1923 and 1929, the company produced approximately 350 work-incentive posters. The posters were color lithographs containing vivid images accompanied by witty captions that demonstrated workplace interpersonal interactions, appropriate behaviors, ideals, and guidelines. This artificial collection consists of twenty-six Mather & Company work-incentive posters. The design of each poster follows a standard format; each includes a three-part message and a single image using a colorful pallet.

Mauch Chunk, a town in northeastern Pennsylvania now known as Jim Thorpe, was founded in 1818 by Josiah White (1781-1850). It grew up around the coal industry. This is a colorful view looking down on Mauch Chunk with Mount Pisgah in background.

The Chisholm Bros. was a publishing company that produced railway, travel and tourists guides, and souvier albums which depicted routes of travel. This item is a hard cover souvenir with eighteen views of sights in Mauch Chunk, the "Switzerland of America." Images are on 12 unpaginated folded panels.

The patriarch of the Johnson family of Cape May New Jersey was Eldridge Johnson (1838-1929), a prominent merchant, trustee of the Presbyterian Church, and president of the Cape May Saving Fund and Building Association. The Johnson family of Cape May resided at 225 Congress Place, a house which was moved to 33 Perry Street in the 1970s and is today known as the Pink House. This collection consists of postcards from a states in the United States and a few from Canada. The postcards depict landscapes, street scenes, prominent buildings and monuments, as well as Presbyterian Churches from a variety of cities. These postcards were sent to members of the Johnson family between 1910 and 1949.

Maurice du Pont Lee (1885-1974) was the General Advisor to the Chief Engineer of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The collection includes photographs of Maurice du Pont Lee's family members. The collection also includes a group of public relations photographs of Maurice du Pont Lee, dating from 1950 to 1969.

The Maxim Silencer Company was the first company to manufacture gun silencers for commercial use. The company was founded in 1908 as the Maxim Silent Firearms Company by Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936) in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1912 Maxim incorporated his business as the Maxim Silencer Company. Maxim was an engineer and inventor. This small collection consists of photographs of rifles with silencers, the company's World War II Army E. Navy award ceremony, and a few images of Hiram Percy Maxim and his son Hiram Hamilton Maxim.

The Maxim Silencer Company was the first company to manufacture gun silencers for commercial use. The company was founded in 1908 as the Maxim Silent Firearms Company by Hiram Percy Maxim (1869-1936) in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1912, Maxim incorporated his business as the Maxim Silencer Company. Maxim was an engineer and inventor. The records of the Maxim Silencer Company consist of directors' minute books from October 18, 1912, to October 19, 1956. There are a small payroll book showing payments; newsclippings and magazine articles on the company's history; issues of the company magazine from the World War II years; and good selection of the company's trade catalogs, both for the firearms silencers and snowplows and snow blowers.

Contains photographic prints from a family who once resided in Laurel, Delaware.

May du Pont Saulsbury (1854-1927) was a leading hostess in Washington, D.C. during the Wilson administration, philanthropist, and wife of Senator Willard Saulsbury (1861-1927). The journal covers the couple's summer trip to Europe in 1919, coinciding with the signing of Treaty of Versailles.

McCullough Iron Company produced the first galvanized sheet iron in the United States, and then went on to produce charcoal blooms and iron bars. The Octoraro Rolling Mill was built in 1828, originally owned by Joseph Roman and purchased by McCullough & Co. in 1857. It operated until 1893. This item is a panoramic-type nineteenth century albumen photograph showing the town of Rowlandsville, Maryland, on Octoraro Creek in Cecil County. The iron-works may be in the distance, and the houses may be predominantly worker's housing.

MCI Communications Corporation (MCI) was a large telecommunications company. It was organized in October 1963 in Joliet, Illinois, by John D. (Jack) Goeken (1930-2010), as Microwave Communications, Inc. Goeken and his partners were planning to provide point-to-point private line microwave communications between Chicago and St. Louis to small businesses. This large collection documents the activities of the MCI Communications Corporation and its subsidiaries as well as the development of a competitive telecommunications industry in the United States and worldwide. The materials focus on MCI corporate life, public relations, technical operations, and sales and marketing activities. A vast amount of videotapes makes up a significant portion of the MCI collection, however, there are also photographs, slides, digital files, and audio cassette tapes.