Finding Aids

American Marvelle Company was a manufucturer of mannequins used in display windows for merchants in the 1920s. The company moved their plant and offices from from Saginaw to Bay City, Michigan in 1928. This small collection consists of six photographs featuring mannequins or pieces of mannequins manufactured by the American Marvelle Company.

Rose, Kimball & Baxter, Inc. is a wholesale hardware distributor headquartered in Elmira, New York. This item is a scrapbook titled, "Full of Household Hints for the Whole Family," compiled by Barker, Rose & Kimball. It contains circulars that the store considered to be valuable resources for up-to-date hardware information.

Vicary’s Clothing Store was a men’s clothing store located in Canton, Ohio founded by C.N. (Charles Newell) Vicary (1858-1921) in 1905. This album contains brochures, reports, stock certificates and photographs of the clothing store and its employees. There are exterior views of the store front at various locations, interior views of the store showing different fixtures, different departments, including staff members in the store and individual portraits of staff members.

The Eastern Store Fixtures Corporation was a manufacturer, supplier, and designer of fixtures and interiors for commercial establishments. The company was founded in or around 1953 by Louis Deitz (1919-2007) and was located at 19-21 South Orange Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. This collection consists of fifty one photographic prints showing soda fountains and store interiors presumably installed or supplied by the corporation.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont Company. The Fabrics and Finishes Department produced DuPont's consumer lines of paints and finishes. Duco was a durable, quick-drying lacquer used for appliances. It was the standard finish for GM vehicles. Dulux was glossier, which made it more popular than Duco. Lucite paint was introduced in the 1950s and was less expensive and more durable than its predecessors. This small collection consists of one album of photographs of finishes facilities (i.e., Refinish Service Warehouses/wholesale) and retail paint stores.

Francis Bannerman Son was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City over three generations. The collection consists of miscellaneous photographs, negatives, postcards and ephemera pertaining to the weapons and military memorabilia business run by Francis Bannerman and to Bannerman's philanthropic and leisure activities.

The Greenwood Book Shop was an independent bookseller founded by Alice Steinlein (1880-1965) in 1920 after her husband died from tuberculosis. That same year, she hired Gertrude Kruse (1900-1981) as a clerk. Steinlein retired in 1945 and the business was eventually bought by Kruse. These photographs document the interior of the Greenwood Book Shop in the Delaware Trust Building, 917 Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware.

Owl Drug Company was a chain of apothecary retail stores that sold drugs and patent medicines at a reduced cost. The company also sold candy, soda, Kodak film, stationery, cosmetics, perfumes, and other toiletries. The first store opened in June 1892 at 1128 Market Street, San Francisco, California, advertised as the "Drug Palace of the Pacific Coast." The album consists of images of displays of items sold in the drug store, specifically the 5th and Broadway location in Los Angeles, which opened for business on January 2, 1904. The 5th and Broadway location was the fifth store of the company. The photographs are countertop and shop window merchandise displays. A few images consist of print advertisements and operational charts.

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.

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.