Finding Aids

Abstract:

Famous chemist and Kevlar inventor Stephanie L. Kwolek (1923-2014) was a research associate at DuPont for forty years. These photographs document her career.

Abstract:

Stephanie Louise Kwolek (1923-2014) was an American chemist known for inventing Kevlar. She worked for the DuPont Company for forty years. Kwolek's main area of research was polymers, including high-performance fibers. This collection contains photographs, albums, slides and videotapes related to Kwolek's career and achievements, including her work on Kevlar.

Abstract:

Stephanie Louise Kwolek (1923-2014) was an American chemist known for inventing Kevlar. The papers of Stephanie L. Kwolek chronicle her work over a forty year span at the DuPont Company. The collection includes patents, journal articles, awards, subject files, and speeches that were either produced by or aided Kwolek in her work.

Abstract:

The Stockly/Stockley family were merchants and bankers in Smyrna, Delaware, during the nineteenth century. The family papers consist primarily of account books for various Stockly enterprises, recording shipments of grain, barley, and hides between Delaware and Philadelphia.

Abstract:

This photograph is of a coal camp in Stonega, Virginia built and operated by the Stonega Coke and Coal Company. The Stonega Coke & Coal Company was a typical large southern Appalachian bituminous coal producer with mines in Virginia and West Virginia. Coal operations and their associated towns, or coal camps, consisted of company-built houses, churches, schools, theatres, dance halls, and even graveyards. The company provided each camp with a doctor, nurse, and hospital.

Abstract:

Strawbridge & Clothier was the last family-owned major department store chain in the Greater Philadelphia area. The store was founded as a partnership by Justus C. Strawbridge (1838-1911) and Isaac H. Clothier (1837-1921) on July 1, 1868 at 8th and Market Streets in Center City Philadelphia. This collection contains photographs, negatives, transparencies, lantern slides, glass negatives, slides, audio tapes, videotapes, and films from Strawbridge & Clothier. It is valuable to those researching all aspects of retail: history, architecture, department stores, shopping malls, employment, operations, promotion, advertising, fashion, and merchandising. Other topics include family-owned businesses, distinguished Quaker families, business response on the homefront during World War II, the Gallery and Market East, and Philadelphia and its environs. There are also proposal albums from the Pavlik Design Team of store design for the Cherry Hill, King of Prussia, and Willow Grove stores and from Neil/Carter Design Associates for Heritage Hall in the Market Street store.

Abstract:

Strawbridge & Clothier was the last family-owned major department store chain in the Greater Philadelphia area. The store was founded as a partnership by Justus C. Strawbridge (1838-1911) and Isaac H. Clothier (1837-1921) on July 1, 1868, at 8th and Market streets in Center City, Philadelphia. Success had brought the need for a new building, and it was decided to remain at 8th and Market. Construction on the new store began in July 1928. The thirteen-story, $10 million store was dedicated in October 1932. This small album documents the construction progress of the store on 8th and Market streets from 1929 to 1930 and the store opening in 1932.

Scope and Content: The Strawbridge & Clothier records are not a complete corporate archive but rather a mix of corporate and legal documents and materials collected for a two-volume anniversary history. Nevertheless, they give a good overall picture of the evolution of retailing in the Philadelphia area, particularly in the twentieth century.The Corporate records include incorporation papers, board and committee minutes, and annual reports, which give an overall view of the firm's operations.The Management records are limited to very fragmentary correspondence of the corporate secretaries and president Herbert J. Tily. Much of it concerns bank financing, authorizations, and accounts. There are also executive payrolls (1931-1950), employment contracts for top executives, and notes on executive development programs.Financial and accounting records include fragmentary runs of journals and ledgers, including a sales ledger (1881) and a sales & salaries ledger (1903-1906); financial statements for S&C and the rival Lit Brothers chain; and tax papers.Legal records include trial records relative to the failed hostile takeover attempt made by Ronald Baron in 1985-1986. There are transcripts of testimony from the major parties on both sides. This subgroup also contains a variety of miscellaneous legal papers, including settlements with S&C's foreign offices and various suppliers in London, Paris, and Berlin (1921-1926); merchandising agreements with domestic and foreign manufacturers (1896-1907); and claims case files (1906 and 1911).Real estate records include title papers for the company's flagship store at 8th & Market Streets (1793-1922); contracts for store construction; and some plans for twentieth century construction. Four linear feet of store appraisals for the flagship store are detailed lists for insurance purposes of the store, its fixtures, and contents (1948-1970).Branch store records include plans, publicity articles, brochures, and scrapbooks, plus leases, mortgages, contracts, and insurance appraisals of store and contents for the following branch stores beginning in 1930: Ardmore, Jenkintown, Springfield, Neshaminy, Plymouth Meeting, and Exton, Pennsylvania; Cherry Hill and Echelon, New Jersey; and Wilmington and Christiana, Delaware. This subgroup documents the growth of suburban shopping strips and shopping malls during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, including malls...

Abstract:

Strother MacMinn (1918-1998) was a designer, writer and influential teacher of automotive design. He assisted in the design of automobiles at General Motors, Opel, and Oldsmobile. But his main position was as an instructor of automotive design at the distinguished Art Center College of Design in California. These are six prints of car models designed by MacMinn for DuPont.

Abstract:

Stuart “Stu” Trott (1932-2017) was a New York advertising executive during the second half of the twentieth century, serving as Vice President and creative lead at the agencies of Benton & Bowles, Inc, and Norman, Craig & Kummel, Inc. before starting his own marketing consultancy. This collection of moving images, audio reels, slides, and ephemera document Trott’s work developing new advertising campaigns for some of the world’s best-known brands. Products advertised include Texaco gasoline, Crest toothpaste, Playtex bras, Ajax cleaning supplies, and Ziploc bags.

Abstract:

The California Associated Raisin Company was established in 1912 as a cooperative business of raisin growers. The company serviced as a packing house for participating raisin growers, where raisins could be stored, processed, packed, and shipped from a centralized location. This small collection consists of six photographs of a group of young women dressed in the costume of the Sun-Maid Raisin Maiden at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, California.

Abstract:

Sun Company is a petroleum processor and distributor incorporated by Joseph Newton Pew, Sr. (1848–1912), with his eldest son Arthur E. Pew (1875-1917), under the laws of New Jersey in 1901. In 1902, the company built a refinery in southeastern Pennsylvania on the Delaware River at Marcus Hook to process crude oil sent from Texas by ship. This collection contains plant and production records for the Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, refinery of the Sun Oil Company. These records provide insight into the plants' finances, primarily through material and labor costs dating from 1903 to 1929.

Abstract:

The Sunoco Oil Company is a leading provider of oil for the United States. The company was founded in the 1800s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is currently based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This collection features an event program cut in the shape of the diamond and arrow Sunoco logo. The program contains a menu for the banquet, a list of special guests, caricatures of some of the bowlers, as well as the results of the company's employee bowling league's 1931-1932 season.

Abstract:

Sunoco Inc. is a petroleum manufacturer with headquarters in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. This musical score is the theme song of the Sunoco Show. The Sunoco Show began in 1930 and aired weekly on NBC radio networks. The show offered popular "melodic" music to its listeners and included an orchestra that was directed by Harold Sanford (1879-1945). Pictured on the cover is the Sunoco Orchestra along with the Ramblers Quartet and guest soloists. Lyrics and music by Harold Sandford.

Abstract:

William Young (1755-1829) was a Philadelphia bookseller and later a manufacturer at Rockland, Delaware. Three surveyor's plats marking the route of canal through White-Hall estate, William Young's property in Philadelphia.

Abstract:

Susan "Sue" Odell (1938-) worked in microbiology during the 1960s at Avon Products, Inc., a manufacturer and direct selling company of beauty products. This small collection of Avon materials primarily documents Odell's retirement and benefits; there are some employee newsletters and two group portrait photographs: a 1946 Christmas party and a 1947 group outing.

Abstract:

Charles William Feil Sust (1885-1947) and his son Carl William Sust (1914-1996) were employees at William Sellers & Co. Both worked as sheet metal workers in the 1930s and 1940s. William Sellers & Co. was an iron works that manufactured machine tools used for turning, planing, shaping, drilling, boring, or cutting metal or wood. This small collection is primarily photographs of machine tools manufactured by the William Sellers & Co. in the 1930s and 1940s. There are several photographs of various rooms and shops at the company, three include Charles Sust. There are a few publications and blueprints, as well as employee pins.

Abstract:

The Swords Bros was a photography studio, gallery and frame makers in York, Pennsylvania in the late-nineteenth century. This item is an advertising card for Sword Bros Photographers on 25 West Market Street for their frame department.

Abstract:

T. Coleman (Thomas Coleman) du Pont (1863-1930) was President of the DuPont Company from 1902 to 1915, and a U.S. Senator from Delaware from 1921 to 1928. He married Alice du Pont (1863-1937) in 1891. The "Old Mill" was constructed in 1909 to 1910 as a weekend home for T. Coleman du Pont in an area near Greenville, Delaware. These photographs document the Old Mill, retreat of T. Coleman du Pont, and the surrounding gardens planted by his wife, Alice.

Abstract:

Thomas Peter Brody (1920-2011) was a theoretical physicist whose work in tunnel diodes and semiconductor device theory resulted in numerous electronic uses for thin film technology, eventually leading to his invention of active matrix flat panel display technology, or liquid crystal display (LCD) technology. The collection describes Dr. Brody's education, personal and professional character, scientific achievements, business successes and disappointments, as well as personal praise. Included are lecture notes, private and professional correspondence, research studies, patents, contracts, business records, and other documents related to Dr. Brody's career and the development of LCD technology.

Abstract:

The collection consists of correspondence, legal papers, notebooks, and memorabilia relating to the Tallman family, although the bulk of materials pertain to Frank Gifford Tallman.

Abstract:

The Taylor-Wharton Iron & Steel Company produced frogs, switches and other railroad fittings including couplings, axles and wheels, as well as war material during both World Wars. The company was incorporated in 1912 as successor to the Taylor Iron & Steel Company. The collection contains photographs primarily of products such as dredging equipment, railroad tracks, rollers, crushers, and buckets. The films document dredge buckets in operation and were shot in the United States and at international locations. The collection has been organized into four series: Company history, Plant views, Products, and Films. Each series is arranged alphabetically.

Abstract:

Tazewell Lamar McCorkle Sr. was regarded as a leading authority in the field of commercial explosives. Trained as a chemical engineer, McCorkle spent more than thirty years as a sales representative with the Explosives Department of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. The papers are composed entirely of copies of official DuPont Company materials that McCorkle retained after his retirement. These files provide extensive documentation of departmental policies and procedures governing the storage and delivery of DuPont explosives.

Abstract:

Tee Vee Corp. was a retail appliance store in California that sold televisions and other household appliances. This small set of photographs shows the Tee Vee Corp store's exterior and interior views.

Abstract:

The Tel-Gas Corporation manufactured, sold, and leased remote-control self-service gasoline station pumps and other allied equipment. Herbert W. Timms (1929-2014) was an oil industry specialist and inventor. One of his inventions was gas pumps that could be activated by an attendant inside a convenience store and automatically reset. This item is an album containing a sales sample promotional catalog and photographs dating from 1965 to 1966.

Abstract:

The Textile Machine Works began as a braiding machines repair and replacement company for German imported equipment, but they began building their own braiding machines in late 1892. During the 1900s, the company assembled the first American full-fashioned knitting machine. Production increased from about 100 per year in 1912 to more than 1,000 per year by 1926, as the market for full-fashioned hosiery expanded. The Textile Machine Works was founded by Henry Janssen (1866-1948) and Ferdinand Thun (1866-1949) on July 5, 1892, in Reading, Pennsylvania. This small collection consists of two publications, both related to the "Reading" knitting machine. One is titled The "Reading" Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine parts catalog and the other is titled T.M.W. Erector's Bulletin. The materials in the collection date from 1929 to 1956, with the majority of the items dating from the 1930s and 1940s.

Abstract:

The Textile Machine Works began as a braiding machines repair and replacement company for German imported equipment, but they began building their own braiding machines in late 1892. In the 1900s the company assembled the first American full-fashioned knitting machine (full-fashioned is a knitted garment shaped or seamed to fit close to the body). The Textile Machine Works was founded by Henry Janssen (1866-1948) and Ferdinand Thun (1866-1949) on July 5, 1892, in Reading, Pennsylvania. This collection consists of photographs depicting views of the Textile Machine Works that document plant operations, technology, and the company town. There are numerous photographs of machines made by the company in their own foundry, primarily the "Reading" full-fashioned knitting machine; many of these have been retouched for use in trade catalogs.

Abstract:

The Textile Machine Works began as a braiding machines repair and replacement company for German imported equipment, but they began building their own braiding machines in late 1892. The Textile Machine Works was founded by Henry Janssen (1866-1948) and Ferdinand Thun (1866-1949) on July 5, 1892, in Reading, Pennsylvania. This collection includes administrative and financial records of the parent company and major subsidiaries from 1900 to 1968. There is additional material relating to employee relations and the establishment and operation of the Wyomissing Polytechnic Institute.

Abstract:

The Swedish Match Company manufactures and distributes snus, moist snuff, cigars, chewing tobacco, matches and lighters. This is a postcard with a photograph of a fireplace in the boardroom of the Swedish Match Company, Stockholm.

Abstract:

Postcards, issued by the Advertising Division of the Sales Department of E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, depict images of hunting dogs, specifically the National Field Trial Championship winners from 1896-1910, produced by the artist Edmund Osthaus.

Abstract:

Henry Disston & Sons, Inc. was a major manufacturer of saws and other woodworking tools and one of the largest industrial firms in Philadelphia. Henry Disston (1819-1878) founded the company in 1855. The firm remained in family control until 1955. This collection consists of a two-volume typescript "The Disston History," a genealogy of the Disston family, and a company history of Henry Disston and Sons, Inc., compiled by family members and genealogist Elizabeth B. Satterthwaite (1856-1948) in 1920. The copy images in the collection include portraits of Disston family members, board members, and employees and interior and exterior images of the Disston Saw Works in Tacony, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Abstract:

The event known as Great Train Wreck of 1856, occurred on July 17, when two trains were traveling on the same track towards one another and collided at Camp Hill, just below Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. This item is a hand colored print of the railroad accident aftermath.

Abstract:

The Du Pont Story is a feature film directed by Wilhem Thiele, as William J. Thiele (1890-1975). The Du Pont Story is a historical drama which tells the story of the DuPont Company through the administrations of the company's first ten presidents. This collection consists of a motion picture employee, Dixie Moore's (aka. Dixie Fuller) research binder, primarily containing photographic reproductions of portraits and silhouettes of du Pont family members that are portrayed in the film.

Abstract:

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad in the nation began operating in 1827. It spanned as far north as New York and as far west as St. Louis and Chicago. This is a small collection of souvenir postcards that were published for the The Fair of the Iron Horse, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's centenary exhibition and pageant of 1927. It was held near Baltimore, Maryland.

Abstract:

The Gallery at Market East is a shopping gallery in Philadelphia. This collection consists of a publicity packet produced to promote The Gallery at Market Street East. The packet includes two renderings of the Gallery area, and four brochures which contains a map, statistical information about the area, and press releases about stores.

Abstract:

The Kleinhans Company was a high-end men's clothing store located in Buffalo, New York. Edward Kleinhans (1864-1934) and his brother, Horace Kleinhans (1852-1903), opened the store in 1893. The original store was located in the Brisbane Building. This small collection of photographs of window displays at Kleinhans features men's clothing and the tagline "Kleinhans - Where Women Like to Shop for Men!" All images credit Clement Kieffer Jr. (1888-1968), display director; most seem to be intended for Display World magazine. The images date from 1955 to 1958.

Abstract:

"The Lou Gordon Program" is a 90-minute radio show that interviews and discusses topics of public interest. This collection includes a letter to David C. Bevin from Lee C. Hanson and two audio reels of "The Lou Gordon Program."

Abstract:

Watson C. Warriner Sr. (1917-2015) was a chemical engineer with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company during World War II. He worked on the Manahatten Project. This item is a typescript of a personal memoir of Warriner's work at the Hanford Engineer Works and the DuPont Works in connection with the Manhattan Project, including maps and photographs.

Abstract:

Charles Robson was a nineteenth century author, editor and publisher of various biographies and histories, mostly about Pennsylvania. This collection consists of four engravings from the book "The Manufactories and Manufacturers of Pennsylvania of the Nineteenth Century," edited by Charles Robson and published by Galaxy Publishing Co., Philadelphia in 1875.

Abstract:

The Mill at Anselma is a custom grain mill in Anselma, Chester County, Pennsylvania. This collection consists of seven oral history interviews conducted in 1982 and 1986 with individuals familiar with the Mill at Anselma. Most are members of the Collins family (the last residents of the mill), as well as other Chester County citizens. The interviews mainly focus on the mill, how it operated, and its service to the county, but also include numerous personal stories recounting life in early twentieth century rural Pennsylvania.

Abstract:

The Pennsylvania Railroad Company was the largest railroad in the United States in terms of corporate assets and traffic from the last quarter of the nineteenth century until the decline of the Northeast's and Midwest's dominance in manufacturing. This unpublished report is a survey containing an analysis of seven large tracts near the company's lines in western New York State that were available for factory sites, including labor availability, population, climate, energy, and water supply.

Abstract:

The Presidential election of 1932 was between Republican candidate and incumbent Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) and the Democratic candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945). This item is a small wooden puzzle, "The Presidential Puzzle," from the campaign of Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932.

Abstract:

Commonly referred to as simply "Seagram" or "Seagram's," the Seagram Company, Ltd. was for a time the largest producer and distributor of distilled spirits in the world. The records of Seagram and its subsidiaries trace the company's transformation from a small business run by Samuel Bronfman to a diversified multi-national corporation.

Abstract:

The Bronfman family of Canada acquired the Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Co. of Waterloo, Ontario, in 1927. By the 1950s, Seagram was one of the world's largest alcoholic beverage firms. This collection is composed of photographs used as illustrations in The Seagram Spotlight, a "monthly house organ published by and for the staff of Seagram Distiller's Corporation," according to the 20th anniversary issue (December 1936).

Abstract:

Frigidaire Corporation manufactures and distributes major appliances for domestic and industrial use. By 1929, Frigidaire sold one million refrigerators. This item is a floor demonstration display catalog, a well-illustrated sales pitch for purchasing Frigidaire's refrigerators. It includes text, diagrams, color plates of Frigidaire models, and black-and-white photographs.

Abstract:

The Johns Manville Corporation is an American insulation manufacturer. This film is a rare post-war era industrial film from Johns-Manville, Luther Reed productions about the importance of insulating your home.

Abstract:

Theophilus Miles Smith (1757-1850) was a Connecticut shoemaker and leather worker. The ledger is a record of Smith's careers as a shoemaker and leatherworker and other business endeavors selling deer skin, calf skin, pig skin, veal, packaged pork, working the docks, slaughtering hogs, and packaging hay.

Abstract:

Theophilus P. Chandler (1845-1928) was an architect, artist and professor. He designed churches, houses and bridges, trainstations and other structures, such as the bear pits at the Philadelphia Zoo. He married Sophie M. du Pont (1851-1931), daughter of Henry du Pont (1812-1889) and Louisa Gerhard (1816-1900), in March 1873. The collection consists of 4 wash drawings of various scenes at Eleutherian Mills, then the residence of Henry du Pont (1812-1889).

Abstract:

Therese Olmsted (1931-2021) worked for Avon Products, Inc. as a sales representative, later becoming a district manager. Avon Products, Inc. is a manufacturer and direct selling company of beauty products. It is one of the oldest direct selling companies in the United States. This small collection consists of instructional audio recordings about Avon cosmetics and recordings of Avon-sponsored holiday music (e.g., birthday, Christmas, New Year's, sales meetings). The Avon cosmetics instructional audio recordings are part of a set called "Avon Beauty Course." This collection contains parts 4 through 7, covering the following topics: Makeup, Bathing & Grooming, Fragrance, and Family Needs. The holiday music consists of popular and classic music performed by symphony orchestras or by popular musicians of the day, such as Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley.

Abstract:

The Thiokol Chemical Corporation was formed in 1929 for the production of synthetic rubber and other related chemicals. Headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, the company moved into defense contracting in the 1940s and, after the Second World War, their product further evolved as both a rocket fuel and a binding agent in one. Thiokol eventually began the manufacture of rocket engines and grew into one of the world’s largest producers of solid rocket motors for the aerospace and defense industries. The records largely consist of documents related to the history and development of Thiokol, annual reports, information on the development of rockets, as well as publications relating to the aerospace industry.