Finding Aids

The Chamber of Commerce of the United States is the world’s largest business organization representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions. This collection contains photographs, negatives, slides, digital images, sound recordings, videos, and films that document the history of the Chamber from its founding to the twenty-first century. The materials provide a record not only of the activities of the Chamber but also of the political landscape surrounding key issues related to business. The collection focuses on the legislation, regulations, and litigation impacting the economy, immigration reform, pensions, health care, trade, Social Security, air quality, global warming, workplace safety, and taxes, as well as major industries such as energy, aviation, automobiles, agriculture, transportation,mining, shipping, and technology.

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.

William Henry Radebaugh (1909-1996), was a public relations executive at the DuPont Company for over twenty years. He wrote, produced and directed many films about the company during his tenure there and for several years after his retirement. The bulk of the collection contains his scripts, storyboards, proposals and films, written and directed by William Henry Radebaugh. Several of the films are concerned about safety in the plants and in the use of DuPont products. Also included are four compilation reels of short news segments about different products, plants and services of the DuPont Company. There are also films about specific DuPont plants and laboratories including the Haskell Laboratory, the Spruance plant in Richmond, Va.; the Tecumseh plant in Tecumseh, Kansas, the Washington plant in Washington, West Virginia and the twenty fifth anniversary of the Victoria, Texas plant.