Sometimes, when processing archival collections, you open a box and discover a delightful surprise! I recently had that fortunate experience while working with some new acquisitions. Several albums given to Hagley Library contained an array of illustrated envelopes covered with colorful stamps that were immediately intriguing.
These envelopes are known as pictorial envelopes. They were often used for advertisements but were also popular during the Civil War as a way to express patriotic sentiment. The envelopes in this collection were all produced by Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc., originally called the Atlas Powder Company. Altas Chemical was a chemical company based in Wilmington, Delaware that was spun off from E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company in 1912. The envelopes were collected by Matthew J. Lynch, a research pharmacist who joined Atlas Chemical in 1961 and worked in the Product Development Technical Center until his retirement in 1986. His collection spans nearly the entirety of his career.
Atlas Chemical used these envelopes for promotional mailings to industry professionals; they contain inserts that advertise Atlas products such as sorbitol (a sugar alcohol) and chewable tablets. The engraved illustrations complement special edition postage stamps, issued and postmarked on their first day of circulation. Called "first-day covers," such stamps are considered desirable by stamp collectors. The engravings depict a range of topics, including landmark anniversaries, commemorations, famous people, notable events, elements of nature, and aspects of American life. Charmingly, the postmarks relate to the subjects of the stamps and engravings.
For example, this stamp and engraving commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service in 1966 is complemented by a postmark from Yellowstone National Park.
Similarly, this Christmas 1963 envelope is postmarked from Santa Claus, Indiana. (Other Christmas postmarks include Silver Bells, Arizona; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and Snow, Oklahoma.)
I especially love the design of this simple, high-contrast “Food for Peace” stamp, created in 1963 when the United States hosted the World Food Congress of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, where representatives from more than 100 countries gathered to share progress and strategize on how to tackle global hunger.
In examining the envelopes closely, I was astonished to spot a small logo featuring an artist’s palette, paint brushes, and the words “Art Craft” in the lower left corners.
This logo belongs to the Artcraft Lithograph and Printing Co., a printing business based in New York City that catered to the New York theater world and produced theater posters. I would know that logo anywhere because Artcraft also printed greeting cards for the American Artists Group, whose records are held at Hagley—and have been the focus of my processing work for the last two years! Both companies were founded and owned by Samuel Golden (1895-1963), a larger-than-life character who seemed to know everyone in the New York City art world during the 1930s to 1960s. Who would have imagined such a coincidence?
The finding aid for this little gem of a collection can be found here: Matthew J. Lynch collection of Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc. pictorial envelopes. To access this collection, contact Reference Services at askhagley@hagley.org.
Diane E. Bockrath is the Processing and Collections Archivist at Hagley Museum and Library