NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.PaintsWarshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: PaintsGuide to the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Paints Max HowellFunding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).Archives Center, National Museum of American History
2017 March
P.O. Box 37012Suite 1100, MRC 601Washington, D.C. 20013-7012Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453archivescenter@si.eduThis finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-12-26 10:47:19 -0500.Finding aid written in English.Describing Archives: A Content StandardArchives Center, National Museum of American HistoryWarshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: PaintsWarshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.PaintsArchival Resource Key4.19 Cubic feetconsisting of 9 boxes, 1 folder, 5 oversize folders, 1 map case folders, plus digital images of some collection material. 1803-1961A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Accounting and Bookkeeping forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business AmericanaEnglish
.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Paints is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three subseries.
Business Records and Marketing MaterialGenreSubject
Brand Name Index
The following is a list of brand names for various paints and related names that appear on this list is a compilation of those found on materials in the vertical document boxes. It is not a complete list of all the brand names for paints. The list is intended to assist researchers locate desired materials when only the brand name is known.
Brand Name Index
Brand NameAcme PaintSeeley Bros.Pratt & Lambert Inc. L. Sonneborn Sons Inc.Kelloggs & MillerE & F King & Co. Muzzy Bros. Edward Smith & Co. Wm. Connors Paint ManufacturingTroy Paint & Color Works Higgins & Gilgore Atlantic Refining Co.Geo. D. Wetherill & CoSeeley Bros. U.S. Gutta Percha Paint Co. Rinald Bros. Beckwith-Chandler Co.Wm.Zinnser & Co.Beckwith-Chandler Co.Chas. H. Winkleman & Co. Montgomery Ward & CoAsphalt Products Co. H.B.Chalmers Co. King Paint Mfg. Co. Ohio Varnish Co. G.A.Reeve & Co. Frank S. DeRonde Co. National Lead Co. M.G. Stoneman & SonWestern Auto SupplySamuel Cabot IncMontgomery Ward & Co. J.W.Stonebeck & SonsHeath & Milligan Mfg. Co. Edward Smith & Co.Elmquist-Hannan Co. Keystone Varnish Detroit Whitehead WorksDupont DeNemours Co.Ackerman Corp. Mayer & Loewenstein Heath & Milligan Mfg. Co. Atlantic Refining CoRambo & Specht Pratt & Lambert Inc.Edward Smith & Co. Pratt & Lambert Inc.Cincinnati Varnish Barber Asphalt Paving Co. Benjamin F.Forbes Co.S.P. Van Duzer & Co. Robinson'sJohn G. Willits & CoGrafton & Son Harrison Bros. & CoWrought Iron Range Co. John G. Willits & Co. Moller & Schumann Co.Central Chemical Co. John Lucas CoPatron's Paint Works. Prince BrosRoessler & Hasslackher Chemical Co. Edward Smith & Co. Glidden Varnish Co.Lowe Bros.Arthur S. Hoyt Merkin Eclipse Paint & Mfg. Co. Keystone Varnish Co. Detroit Whitehead Works Boston Varnish Co. Lowe Bros.John Lucas Co.Berry Bros. Longman & Martinex Valentine & Co.Frank S. DeRonde Co. J.A. & W. Bird & Co.Senour Mfg.Co.S.Wolf's Sons E.J. Sanford & Co. Bowers Bros. Benjamin Moore & CoChicago Varnish Co. Acme White Licard & Color Works Pratt & Lambert Inc.David B.Crockett Co. David B.Crockett Co. Charles H. Connors Co.Charles H.Connors Co. Paint Mfg. Co.J.A. & W. Bird & CoVaughan Paint Co.David B.Crockett Co. Beckwith-Chandler Co.Berry Bros. National Lead Co. A. Wilhelm Co. King Paint Mfg. Co. Ruberoid Atlas Preservative Co. of AmericaBenjamin Moore & Co.Gerstenderfer Bros.Sears Roebuck Co.Excelsior Varnish Works Pratt & Lambert Inc. F.O.Pierce Co. Patton Paint Co.Heath & Milligan Mfg. Co. Detroit Graphite Mfg. Co.Tex Products Inc.St. Louis Surfacer & Paint Co. Hascall Paint Co. Harrison Bros. & Co. Sager & Jennings Harrison Bros. & Co. Thomas Mfg. Co. American Asphalt Paint Co.Valentine & Co.Barret Mfg. Co.Vaughan Paint Co. Pratt & Lambert Inc.King Paint Mfg. Co. Detroit Whitehead WorksBridgeport Wood Finishing Co.A. Wheeler & Co.Wm. Waterall & Co. Keystone Varnish Co.
Preferred Citation
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Paints, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
Processing Information
In 2016, with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund, the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History implemented the use of minimal level processing standards to increase information about and facilitate access to more of our collections.
For this subject, minimal processing included arrangement to the folder level, based on prior processing and preservation action, with retention of the pre-existing arrangement when possible, if applicable. Otherwise, an order was imposed by the Processing Archivist. Some materials were consolidated to eliminate excess bulk, but items within folders were not arranged further. The guide may or may not include a more refined list of folder contents. Nonarchival housing was replaced for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have
not all been removed.
Minimal level processing and machine-readable finding aid completed by Max Howell, March 2017.
Forms Part Of
Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.
Series 1: Business EphemeraSeries 2: Other Collection DivisionsSeries 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal PapersSeries 4: Photographic Reference Material
Scope and Contents
Material within the subject category Paints relates to the production and sales of interior and exterior paint in the United States.
The series contains business records and advertisements generated by manufacturers and distributors of paints, enamels, and varnishes in the form of receipts for goods and services, price lists, paint samples, import and export documents, advertising catalogues and pamphlets. No complete or substantial number of records exists for any single company.
Additional material includes guides and scrapbooks manufactured by paint companies, educational material about painting and interior decorating, types and qualities of paint, and literature discussing select histories of paints.
The oversize items are comprised of paint and color swatches, can labels, printed advertisements, brochures, related publications, and images. Images include houses, rooms, painters, and families.
There is no detailed information fNo particular depth is present for any singular subtopic though some publications may provide general and historical overviews of paint, the paint industry, and home or furniture decoration and alteration.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Printed ephemeraPublicationsBusiness lettersBusiness ephemeraReportsPeriodicalsCorrespondenceIllustrationsPublications -- BusinessTrade catalogsPrinted materialTrade cardsCommercial correspondenceManualsReceiptsCommercial catalogsBusiness recordsAdvertisementsCatalogsAdvertisingCataloguesBusiness cardsPrinted materialsMail order catalogsSales catalogsLetterheadsScrapbooksAdvertising cardsAdvertising fliersEphemeraEnamel and enamelingConsumer goods -- CatalogsTrade associationsPhotographsPrint advertisingTrade literatureManufacturers' catalogsRetail tradeAdvertising mailSamplesInvoicesBusiness Records and Marketing Material1Archival Resource Key1803-1961
Scope and Contents
Contains business records of manufacturers and merchants involved in the paint industry, advertisements, and correspondence.
AArchival Resource Keycirca 1833-193011BArchival Resource Key1843-195912-4[Calendar page depicting African-Americans with their tongues out]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper.[1885?]English.
[Calendar page depicting African-Americans with their tongues out 1885?]
Local Numbers
040060115.tif (AC Scan No.)
Arrangement
Series No. Paint, Box No. 2, Folder No. Brooks/Clarence 2.
Scope and Contents
Clarence Brooks and Co. Calender page depicting African-American children with their tongues out, with the caption: "Yes Dis Is a Clear Case of Difflomania."
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterBusiness Advertising -- CalendersCalendarsAfrican Americans[Calendar page depicting African-Americans with a small chicken]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper.[1885?]English.
[Calendar page depicting African-Americans with a small chicken, 1885?]
Local Numbers
040060114.tif (AC Scan No.)
Arrangement
Series No. Paint, Box No. 2, Folder No. Brooks/Clarence 2.
Scope and Contents
Clarence Brooks and Co. Calender page depicting an African-American family hovered around a small chicken their father is holding, with the caption, WON AT THE RAFFLE "De Breed am small, but de Flavor am Delicious."
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterBusiness Advertising -- CalendersCalendarsAfrican Americans[Calendar featuring African-Americans playing baseball]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper.[1885?]English.
[Calendar featuring African-Americans playing baseball, 1885?]
Clarence Brooks and Co. calender featuring African-Americans playing baseball with caption, "Base-ball at Blackville--the "White Stockings" against the 'Black Legs' first blood for the 'Black Legs.'"
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterAfrican American baseball playersBusiness Advertising -- CalendarsBaseballAfrican American athletesCalendarsAfrican Americans[Calendar or trade card featuring an African-American shoeshine in New York]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper, 3" x 4-3/4".[1885?]English.
[Calendar or trade card featuring an African-American shoeshine in New York, 1885?]
Local Numbers
040060112.tif (AC Scan No.)
Arrangement
Series No. Paint, Box No. 2, Folder No. Brooks/Clarence 2.
Scope and Contents
Clarence Brooks and Co. trade card showing two African-American men with an African American shoeshine boy. The boy is pointing to the shoes of one man, who wears a red and yellow suit. Caption: "Elderly gent, 'Why does he want to shine 'em up for nuffin? Spect de little nigger tinks deyd be a big advertisement for him.'"
Series No. Paint, Box No. 2, Folder No. Brooks/Clarence 2.
Scope and Contents
Calendar illustration featuring an African American double wedding with spectators and the caption, "The Great Social Event at Blackville, the Wedding of the Twins."
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterTrade cardsAfrican Americans[Calendar with illustration depicting the courting of twin African Americans]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper.[undated]English.
[Calendar with illustration depicting the courting of twin African Americans]: undated
Illustration depicting the courting of twin African Americans with the caption, "Love in Blackville, the Wooing of the Twins."
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterBusiness Advertising -- Trade CardsTrade cardsAfrican AmericansUncle Sam / Supplying / the World / with Berry Bros. Hard Oil Finish [trade card]Archival Resource KeyBerry Brothers, Ltd. (Detroit, Mich.)Henry Seibert & Bro.1 ItemInk on paper.English.
Uncle Sam / Supplying / the World / with Berry Bros. Hard Oil Finish [trade card].
Uncle Sam / Supplying / the World / with Berry Bros. Hard Oil Finish [trade card].
Local Numbers
AC0060-0000161-1.tif (AC Scan No.)
AC0060-0000161-2.tif (AC Scan No.)
General
Paint, Box 1, Folder Berry Bros.
Scope and Contents
Uncle Sam in left handing out square cans of Hard Oil Finish to various nationalities. Possibly made for or distributed at the World's Fair in Chicago, 1893, although there is no evidence on the card itself.
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterGlobalismExhibitionsadvertisingPaintVarnish and varnishingUncle Sam (Symbolic character) in artDetroit (Mich.)Trade cards -- 19th centuryChineseEnglishFrenchIrishRussiansIndians of North AmericaWorld's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)Uncle Sam Supplying the World with / Berry Brothers' Architectural / Finishes. [Trade card]Archival Resource KeyBerry Brothers, Ltd. (Detroit, Mich.)1 ItemInk on paper.English.1Berry Bros
Uncle Sam Supplying the World with / Berry Brothers' Architectural / Finishes. [Trade card].
Uncle Sam Supplying the World with / Berry Brothers' Architectural / Finishes. [Trade card].
Local Numbers
AC0060-0000166 (AC Scan No.)
AC0060-0000167 (AC Scan No.)
Scope and Contents
Uncle Sam at left giving John Bull some varnish. Other nationalities in background: Holland walking away at right with can of varnish. Back text lists four kinds of varnish for sale. Possibly made for or distributed at at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, although there is no evidence of this connection on the card.
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenteradvertisingPaintVarnish and varnishingUncle Sam (Symbolic character) in artJohn Bull (Symbolic character)GlobalismDetroit (Mich.)Trade cards -- 19th centuryChineseEnglishAfrican AmericansScottishDutchRussiansWorld's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)Makee Fine Whitee Likee New Dress Shirtee [caption on one cartoon panel] [trade card]Archival Resource KeyGrump Label Co.Urben, J.P. (Allegheny City, Pa.)Beymer, Bauman & Co. (Pittsburgh, Pa.)1 ItemInk on paper.English.1Beymer
Makee Fine Whitee Likee New Dress Shirtee [caption on one cartoon panel] [trade card].
Local Numbers
AC0060-0000168 (AC Scan No.)
AC0060-0000169 (AC Scan No.)
Scope and Contents
3 cartoon panels, advertising white lead paint. Each has a separate caption or text. Top left depicts 2 Caucasian men painting brick wall red. Top right depicts Chinese man painting green fence white. Bottom panel shows men (embodying states) dancing around a large bucket of white paint.
Ethnic Imagery Project, Archives CenterPaintLeadadvertisingTrade cards -- 19th centuryChineseCArchival Resource Key1840-191621-2[Calendar with illustration depicting an African-American family at the ocean]Archival Resource KeyClarence Brooks and Co.1 ItemInk on paper.1885?English.2Brooks/Clarence 2
[Calendar with illustration depicting an African-American family at the ocean], 1885?
Local Numbers
040060111.tif (AC Scan No.)
Scope and Contents
Clarence Brooks and Co. calendar featuring African-American family in the ocean with the caption, "The smallbreed family at the sea-side."
Incomplete set of promotional playing cards for Murphy Varnish, a ribbon for J.H. McMachan dealer in paints, puzzle mystery card for J.H. Swatlin paint store, and a brochure for the airless Norris Painting Machine.
Genre2Archival Resource Key1841-1947
Scope and Contents
Contains catalogues that list painting supplies and tools, published company histories or scrapbooks, literature about professional painter organizations, and serial publications.
ImagesArchival Resource Keyundated72
Scope and Contents
One B&W photo-gravure of a man making varnish.
CataloguesArchival Resource Key1858-1947A-HArchival Resource Key1910-192373
Scope and Contents
Benjamin Moore and Company (3 catalogues. 1910, undated), Berry Brothers (undated), Bridgeport Standard (undated), Devoe and Raynolds Company Incorporated (2 catalogues. 1917-1921), Ditzler Color Company (undated), Harrison Brothers and Company Incorporated (undated), Henry Bosch Company (1923).
K-PArchival Resource Key1858-191374
Scope and Contents
King Paint Manufacturing Company (2 catalogues. 1896), Keystone Varnish Company (3 catalogues. 1913), Marx and Rawolle (undated), Masury and Whiton (3 catalogues. 1858-1895, undated), Phelan-Faust Paint Manufacturing Company (undated), Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (undated).
R-WArchival Resource Key1875-194775
Scope and Contents
Ridgely Trimmer Company (1925), Titanine Incorporated (1947), United States Graphite Company (1918), Wadsworth Brothers and Howland (1875), Weimar Colors (undated), Wooster Brush Company (2 catalogues. 1932, undated).
Company Guides and ScrapbooksArchival Resource Key1894-194276-7Sample BookArchival Resource Keyundated81
Scope and Contents
New Jersey Paint Works. In enclosure.
Serial PublicationsArchival Resource Key1885-194082-3Boss Painter's JournalArchival Resource Keyundated
Scope and Contents
Subscription instructions.
Bulls-EyeArchival Resource Key1924-1927
Scope and Contents
House Painting and DecoratingArchival Resource Key1885 December
Scope and Contents
Volume 1, Number 3.
Little Blue FlagArchival Resource Key1904
Scope and Contents
Volume 2, Number 4.
Mining and Scientific Press, "White Lead from Mine to Battleshop"Archival Resource Key1908 May 09
Scope and Contents
By T.A. Rickard. Reprint.
Painter and DecoratorArchival Resource Key1911 February
Scope and Contents
Volume 25, Number 2.
Painter's EagleArchival Resource Key1925-1927
Scope and Contents
2 issues. 1925 Summer, 1927 January-February.
Painter's MagazineArchival Resource Key1886-1912
Scope and Contents
3 issues. 1886 November, 1911 June, 1912 October.
Painting and DecoratingArchival Resource Key1893 February 25
Scope and Contents
Volume 3, Number 7.
VarnishArchival Resource Key1899 March 15
Scope and Contents
Volume 12, Number 3.
Subject3Archival Resource Key1874-1943Community Beautification EndeavorsArchival Resource Keyundated84
Scope and Contents
Stamp and tickets for schoolhouse and town painting projects.
History of PaintArchival Resource Key1879-190085
Scope and Contents
Material covers the history of Gum-Copal as it relates to varnishes, paints typically used in the United States, the history of cold-water paints in the Spanish-American war.
Oversize MiscellaneousArchival Resource Keycirca 1872-1932442-4
Scope and Contents
Contains advertisements, paint samples, painting instructions, and newspaper clippings.
Oversize MiscellaneousArchival Resource Keycirca 1848-19221512-3
Scope and Contents
Contains advertisements, business records, and paint samples.
Painting InstructionArchival Resource Key1874-194391-3
Scope and Contents
Consists of material describing effective methods of interior decorating, as well as applying paint, bases, and varnishes.
Paint Type and Quality PublicationsArchival Resource Key1886-192394
Scope and Contents
Consists of material concerning paint types, quality of different kinds of paint, paint for marine use, and information about properties of enamels.
Professional OrganizationsArchival Resource Key1889-190885