Abstract:

Geist & Geist, Inc., was a manufacturer of women's knitwear products, typical of the small, flexible family firms that dominated New York City's famous Garment District for much of the twentieth century. The records of Geist & Geist, Inc., document the activities, especially design, publicity and marketing.

Abstract:

Gilpin, Van Trump & Montgomery, Inc. provided insurance sales and service to property owners. The business was established in 1865 in Wilmington, Delaware, by businessman James Woolley (1818-1886). By the early-to-mid twentieth century, the company specialized in real estate sales and service, as well as mortgages, becoming Delaware's only full-service real estate organization. The records include minutes, corporate histories, publicity material, as well as information on company properties, and documents the company's rise from a small insurance company to a large, multi-service insurance, real estate, mortgage, and investment firm.

Abstract:

The Hay’s Fruit Juice Company produced “Hay’s Five Fruit,” fruit juice syrup used to make and flavor beverages and desserts. The company was founded in 1900 in Portland, Maine. The Hay’s Fruit Juice Company album contains photographs and advertisements. The photographs are primarily of the factory’s interiors.

Abstract:

Helen Baker Cushman (1922-) was the founder and manager of H.M. Baker Associates, consultants in business archives and records from 1958 to 1993, headquartered in Westfield, New Jersey. In the course of conducting her business, Cushman collected a wide variety of business publications, trade cards, ephemera, and other memorabilia with special emphasis on world expositions. She also assembled her own general picture archive for use in her business.

Abstract:

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 restaurants, hotels, and various local businesses.

Abstract:

The Hercules Powder Company was one of the companies created from the break up of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours "powder trust" in 1911 as ruled by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. In its early years as a separate company, it continued to produce explosives and dynamite and used advertising styles and devices. This item is a poster depicting a World War I soldier leaving home and telling his hunting dog, "Not this trip Old Pal."

Abstract:

The Hercules Powder Co. was one of companies created from the break up of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours "powder trust" in 1911 as ruled by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. 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 collection consists of a Hercules Powder Company calendar from 1919 and an undated illustration from a company calendar. There are also reproductions of a group of three different display card advertisements for Laflin & Rand Powder Company, probably for point-of-sale or counter display.

Abstract:

Founded in 1901, Holeproof Hosiery Company was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin firm that produced men's and women's hosiery, underwear, lingerie and men's pajamas. Carl Freschl (1842-1911) was the founder and his son, Edward Freschl (1877-1930) was the first president of the company. This advertisement brochure for the Holeproof Hosiery Company consists of two Illustrations that show a woman putting on shoes (back) and a woman on the phone (front). The inside contains an a photograph of a woman demonstrating the "extra stretch top" of the stockings.

Abstract:

House Industries is a type foundry in Yorklyn, Delaware which specializes in creating fonts for billboards, greeting cards, logos and a variety of other media. The collection is a set of nine advertising cards promoting House Industries and its United typeface.

Abstract:

A needlebook is a small pocket-sized case used for keeping sewing needles in; it is made of fabric or paper and folded to look like a book. The trend of making needlebooks began in the 1800s and rose in popularity through the 1950s. The needlebook would store all the various sizes and types of needles needed for a project. This small collection consists of six packages containing sewing needles, with illustrated covers.

Abstract:

Advertising, both print and radio, developed as a prominent industry in the early decades of the twentieth century as popular magazine circulation exploded and the radio became ubiquitous in American households. This collection consists of digital access copies of publications, including employee magazines, and magazine advertisements for radios and other related household electronics dating from 1912 to 1980.

Abstract:

Joseph A. Speel (1810?-1891) was a bookbinder in Philadelphia. This advertisement shows an interior view of the bindery printed in at least two colors with hand tinting.

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

Louis Forman (1908-2002) was a liquor broker who managed the creation and distribution of several different liquor and whiskey brands, including Michter’s. This collection documents the operations of Mitcher's Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania as well as Forman's efforts to import Kotobukiya Kabushiki Kaisha Japanese whiskies and wines to the United States.

Abstract:

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.

Abstract:

Mittleman Robinson Inc. is an image management consulting firm. Its records consist of company brochures and press clippings advertising their services.

Abstract:

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an industrial trade association and advocacy group. NAM was organized in January of 1895 when approximately 600 manufacturers met during the 1890s depression in Cincinnati, Ohio, to formulate a program for economic recovery. Since its inception, it has pursued the objectives of American business, such as the building of the Panama Canal and opposition to both Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. This calendar was created to celebrate the National Association of Manufacturers' 100th year. Each month features archival and contemporary photographs from a company belonging to the organization.

Abstract:

Nicholas F. Pensiero (1918-2003) worked in the Marketing Division of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), a leading American electronics company. The papers comprise a portion of Pensiero’s files retained by him after retirement in 1984. They include a variety of pieces relating to the history of RCA and its predecessor, the Victor Talking Machine Company. There are memoirs (copies) of two RCA engineers, an advertising scrapbook dating from 1938 to 1942, and a set of dust jackets for 78rpm records dating from 1912 to 1938.

Abstract:

NVF Company was a manufacturer of laminated plastic plates and sheets composed of only cellulose; the material is called vulcanized fibre. Initially named the National Vulcanized Fibre Company, it was formed in 1922 by Israel Way Marshall (1850-1911) and Thomas Elwood Marshall (1855-1929) in Yorklyn, Delaware. NVF Company was one of the three largest fibre companies in the country and eventually dissolved in the early twenty-first century. The NVF Company collection consists of records beginning in the 1870s, before the official creation of the company, and continues until the dissolution of the company. These materials include the history of the Marshall family, the formation of the National Vulcanized Fibre Company, administrative and presidential papers, publications and reports, marketing and publicity materials, subject files, labor contracts, employee grievances, and arbitration cases.

Abstract:

This oral history project was initiated to provide supplementary material for Hagley’s 2015 exhibit, Driving Desire, that feature items from the Z. Taylor Vinson Transportation Collection. The three interviewees are; Rick Shnitzler, Fred Simeone, and Yann Saunders, all were personal acquaintances of Z. Taylor Vinson as well as highly involved in either collecting or dealing auto ephemera and/or automobiles.

Abstract:

Commercial art, or advertising art, is art created for an enterprise to communicate reasons to buy goods and services, to create a recognizable logo, or to detail the correct performance of a task. This album consists of examples of original commercial art including lettering, letterheads, labels, a postcard, point-of-sale advertising, newspaper advertising, sketches of people, color separation examples, and a drawing of tableware.

Abstract:

Commercial art, or advertising art, is art created for an enterprise to communicate reasons to buy goods and services, to create a recognizable logo, or to detail the correct performance of a task. The collection consists of original drawings, sketches, and paintings for unidentified cosmetic, powder, and perfume packaging.

Abstract:

The Otis Elevator Company manufactures, installs and maintains elevators, escalators and moving walkways. Elisha Otis (1811-1861) founded the company in 1853 in New York. This collection consists of thirteen tear sheets of advertisements with sketched illustrations for Otis Elevator Company elevators (8) and escalators (5). The escalators are shown in five different styles for department stores installations.

Abstract:

The DuPont Company began with the manufacture of gunpowder, and particularly from about 1890 to 1930, commissioned many illustrations in oil and watercolor for advertising purposes. This collection consists of a set of eighteen color prints entitled "Our American Game Birds" from paintings by Lynn Bogue Hunt, published by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. - Sporting Powder Division. Each print has a written description on its reverse, by Edward Howe Forbush. As the set's title suggests, various game birds are the subjects of each print.

Abstract:

Patent medicines, also known as proprietary medicines, are non-prescription medicinal remedies that are trademarked and whose ingredients have been granted protection for exclusivity. The term "patent medicine" has become particularly associated with drug compounds manufactured during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In actuality, the patent medicine recipes were not officially patented. Patent medicine promoters pioneered many advertising and sales techniques; this small collection primarily features trade cards and almanacs.

Abstract:

The Pennsylvania New York Central Transportation Company was the creation of a 1968 merger of the Pennsylvania and New York Central railroads. In 1970, the "Penn Central" Transportation Company filed for bankruptcy and auctioned off Pennsylvania Railroad and New York Central Railroad memorabilia, pictures, and other materials. This collection consists of a poster for the auction of Penn Central railroad memorabilia. The poster includes images of lanterns and a locomotive, both in black, on brown paper with text announcing dates for auction and preview.

Abstract:

The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was chartered in 1846 to complete an all-railroad network across the state. Between 1855 and 1874, the PRR underwent rapid expansion and emerged as one of the two largest railroad systems in the region east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio. In 1910, the PRR entered Manhattan through tunnels under the Hudson and East Rivers. This collection consists of flyers and a brochure for Pennsylvania Railroad special fares or trains.

Abstract:

Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS), the nation's first mutual savings bank, was founded in 1816. In 1927 the Society commissioned Howe and Lescaze, a local architectural firm that had previously designed traditional style banks for the institution, to draw up plans for a new building to be constructed at the corner of 12th and Market Streets. This collection is composed of materials from two Philadelphia mutual savings banks which date from the first half of the nineteenth century. The collection has been divided into two series: Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) and Western Savings Fund Society (WSFS) which was merged with PSFS in 1982. A significant part of the collection consists of photographs of bank buildings represented by traditional styles and in later years by contemporary suburban sites. The American banking industry has usually conducted business in formal bank buildings. The styles of these buildings have changed with passing fashions of architectural taste. This collection provides a good visual record of these developments.

Abstract:

The Pleasant Valley Wine Company is a historic winery founded near Hammondsport, New York, on Lake Keuka in 1860. This brochure is illustrated with seven color lithographic views of wine production and three black-and-white illustrations of the company's wine bottles.

Abstract:

The Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company was organized by a group of Philadelphia Quakers in 1865, and by World War I it had become one of the largest life insurance companies in the country with a strong presence in the New York and Boston markets. The records of the Provident Mutual Insurance Company of Philadelphia are a collection of fragments assembled by the Advertising Department in connection with the company's centennial history.

Abstract:

Raymond Loewy (1893–1986) was one of the most well know industrial designers during the middle decades of the twentieth century. This collections consist of the Loewy's personal papers, business records, and materials generated and maintained by Loewy's New York Public Relations Department.

Abstract:

Raymond Lowey (1893–1986) began his career in America as a fashion illustrator before moving into industrial design. These are reproductions of advertisements copied from Vogue magazine for Bonwit Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Delman Shoe Salon and I. Miller shoe stores, and Kayser textiles and hosiery.

Abstract:

Raymond Loewy (1893–1986) was one of the most well know industrial designers during the middle decades of the twentieth century. The collection documents Loewy's product designs and includes advertisements, postcards, product brochures, publications, photographs, and artifacts.

Abstract:

The Radio Corporation of America (renamed RCA Corporation in 1969) was best known for its pioneering radio and television development and manufacturing. In addition to consumer electronics, RCA was a major player in the development of electronics for industrial and military applications. The collection contains extensive documentation of RCA’s consumer and industrial products and components. Files include manuals, technical data, advertisements, technical bulletins, catalogs, and training materials.

Abstract:

Chartered in 1871, Reading Company was the holding company for the system of railroads, canals and coal mines assembled by the predecessor Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company between 1833 and 1896. The collection consists of the corporate records of the Reading Company (1871-1976), the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company (1833-1896), the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company (1896-1923), and 159 predecessors and subsidiaries.

Abstract:

The Reading Terminal was a train station serving passenger trains in Philadelphia from 1893 until 1984. This calendar was produced by the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. It is illustrated with archival photographs from a variety of published and private sources.

Abstract:

Remington Rand, Inc. was a business machines manufacturer, most well-known for its typewriters. The Powers Accounting Machine Company was founded by inventor James L. Powers (1871-1926) in 1911. Powers firm was acquired by the newly formed Remington Rand, Inc. in 1927. This small collection consists of four advertisements for Powers tabulating equipment manufactured by Powers Accounting Machines, a Division of Remington Rand Inc.

Abstract:

R.R. Wright (1913-2009) was an employee of the RCA Corporation, one of the country's leading manufacturers and vendors of radios, televisions, and consumer electronics products. This is a small collection of ephemera Wright preserved throughout his thirty-three year long career with the company. Included are sample publications, manuals, stationery and small artifacts with RCA logos or advertising.

Abstract:

Rubbermaid Incorporated is an American manufacturer and distributor of many household items. The collection is comprised of a public relations file consisting mostly of clippings and tear sheets, generally notices of the company in local papers and the trade press. Most deal with company performance, organizational culture, and personnel changes, with particular notices of Stanley C. Gault (1926-2016), CEO from 1980 to 1991.

Abstract:

The Seagram Museum collected and exhibited materials related to the history of distilling wine and spirits from 1984 to 1997. Seagram Museum collection of graphics and audiovisual material contains images, moving images, and sound recordings of the Bronfman family, company personnel, properties, plants, products, advertisements, special events, annual reports, Distillations magazine, Seagram Collection of Paintings Tour, company profiles, company philanthropy, Bronfman family philanthropy, and personnel profiles.

Abstract:

The C.A. Edgarton Manufacturing Co. was a textile manufacturing company based in Shirley, Massachusetts, founded in 1881 by Charles A. Edgarton (1826-1891). It distributed Shirley President Suspenders, also known as Perry suspenders. This small collection consists of a single display card advertising Shirley President Suspenders, meant to be placed in store windows. It is number four in a set of six, titled "Bowling Girl." (The other pictures in the set are "Golfing Girl," "Ball Playing Girl," "Tennis Girl," "Fishing Girl," and "Billiard Girl.")

Abstract:

The Singer Company was once the world's leading producer of sewing machines that achieved peak domestic and foreign influence by the late nineteenth century. The collection consists of photographs, trade cards and other ephemera related to the Singer Company. Most of the photographs feature Singer sewing machines and many of these are identified by date and model number.

Abstract:

The Singer Company, once the world's leading producer of sewing machines, was the successor to I.M. Singer & Co., established in 1851. The records of The Singer Company comprise a group of materials from its Trademark Department that were collected by a former employee.

Abstract:

Remington Rand, Inc. was a business machines manufacturer, most well-known for its typewriters and operated between 1927 and 1955. In 1955, Remington Rand merged with a major electronics company, the Sperry Corporation to form the Sperry Rand Corporation. The collection contains a large quantity of advertising literature, trade catalogs, and public relations material which the company used to promote its major products, including typewriters, typewriter supplies, record control and storage systems, fire-proof safes, duplicator supplies, punch-card tabulating machines, adding and bookkeping machines.

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.

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:

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.