The Hagley Vault

Selections from Hagley Museum and Library's archives and published collections on the history of American business, technology, and innovation.

Archive

For posts prior to October 2020, visit the Hagley Vault on Tumblr.

Summer is blockbuster movie season...
  Summer is blockbuster movie season, but that wasn't always the case. Prior to the invention of motion pictures, audiences might gather instead for a magic lantern show. Developed in the 17th century as an entertainment, magic lantern shows used a light source, which reflected off of a concave mirror, to direct light through a glass…
a group of boys running, paper in hand
A message to boys
Last week’s Vault dive into the psychological secrets of Fascinating Womanhood, or, The Art of Attracting Men was certainly engaging, but don’t think we forgot about the fellas. This ca. 1905 pamphlet aimed to recruit “live boys” (what?) to assist General Motors in a viral marketing campaign for their Oldsmobile Runabout, Touring car model,…
Cover of a pamphlet titled "Secrets of Modern Womanhood" with a portrait of a woman on it.
Is the modern girl bold and immodest?
Is the modern girl bold and immodest? Girls! Could you attract this man?True to the stereotype of library professionals, Hagley Library's staff is naturally charming, fascinating, and were just born with the promise of love and glamour. But if you're not so lucky, and you just don't know what that "mysterious something" is and are on the path to…
Poolside black and white photograph from a party at William Pahlmann's home in Bedford, New York
It's a party, and you're invited!
It's a party, and you're invited! This week, we're celebrating a little renovation project in the Hagley Digital Archives, and it's fitting that its for the collection of renowned interior designer William Pahlmann (1900-1987). Pahlmann, who was active throughout the mid-twentieth century, was known for an "eclectic" style that combined materials…
Cover for an educational comic book describing the history and production of natural and artificial rubber.
The Hagley Vault is rolling along smoothly this week ....
The Hagley Vault is rolling along smoothly this week as we note the anniversary of the invention of the first tubeless tire suitable for mass production, developed on May 11, 1947 by the B.F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio. The invention, which was patented in 1952 after years of testing, aimed to make cars safer, more efficient, and more…
Hand-made computer game planning on graph paper featuring the Starship Enterprise
It's all fun and (video) games at the Hagley Vault today ...
It's all fun and (video) games at the Hagley Vault today thanks to the contributions of RCA engineer Joe Weisbecker (1932-1990). Weisbecker invented an 8-bit microcomputer architecture that would serve as the foundation of RCA’s future microprocessor business.  During the 1970s, he contributed to the development of RCA’s programmable video…
Dr. Wallace H. Carothers with neoprene
April 27th marks the birthdate of the chemist Wallace Hume Carothers ...
April 27th marks the birthdate of the chemist Wallace Hume Carothers, credited with leading the invention of Neoprene artificial rubber and Nylon synthetic fiber. Carothers worked as a chemist in E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company's Fundamental Research Program from 1928 until his death in 1937. Carothers' work at the DuPont Experimental…
This week's Hagley Vault post comes from our Lukens Steel Company photographs (Accession 1972.360) collection ...
This week's Hagley Vault post comes from our Lukens Steel Company photographs (Accession 1972.360) collection and shows the company's process for heat treatment of steel discs around the year 1950. The Lukens Steel Company was a medium-sized, non-integrated steel company and one of the top three producers of steel plates in the nation. It was…
Black and white photo of a large group of men and women with office equipment and paperwork.
Wednesday is is Tax Day, so we've invited some special guests to the Hagley Vault ....
Wednesday is is Tax Day, so we've invited some special guests to the Hagley Vault this week to give us a hand. This 1955 photograph shows the 61 men and women chosen to represent the DuPont company's Tax, Legal, Payroll, Tabulating, Statistical, and General Ledger Departments, as well as the paperwork and office equipment used to manage the…
An illustration depicts the Wonder Bakery building at the Chicago World's Fair, with a crowd of people, "Wonder Bakery" signage, and three balloons advertising "Wonder Bread".
This week's Hagley Vault post is a real (sugar) rush ...
This week's Hagley Vault post is a real (sugar) rush, as it's in recognition of the invention of Hostess Twinkies snack cakes, created on April 6, 1930 by James A. Dewar, plant manager at Continental Baking Company, in Chicago, Illinois.  Dewar created the confection while looking for an inexpensive product to meet the economic needs of…
Black and white photograph of two children in Easter costumes with baskets.
Everything is just fine and candy this week as we hop along to the Easter holiday.
Everything is just fine and candy this week as we hop along to the Easter holiday. The two peeps in a pod joining us for an Easter egg hunt in this ca. 1932 photograph are Junius and Paulina Dean, the children of Junius Simpson Dean (1896-1978) and Paulina du Pont Dean (1903-1964). Paulina was the niece of Pierre Samuel "P.S." du Pont (1870-1954…
Page from a flower catalog featuring colorful images of daffodils.
Hello, Spring!
Hello, Spring! It may be off to a chilly start, but spring is here and blooms are sure to follow. We're getting the jump on those early spring flowers this week with a page from the Henry F. Michell Company's Fall 1945 catalog. The still-operating and still family-owned horticultural business was founded in Philadelphia in 1890 by Swedish…
Front cover of booklet. Dark blue, gold text reads 'Buildings that Serve' and 'Sun Oil Co.'
Yaass, duplex! We're going to werk this week ...
Yaass, duplex! We're going to werk this week with some buildings that serve, honey. Or serve gasoline, anyway. This ca. 1940 pamphlet from the Sun Oil Company is a guide to service station construction, intended to walk its dealers through the basics of the exterior and interior of 'Suntype' gasoline and automobile service station construction and…
Catalogue cover for Gordon Novelty Co. featuring illustrations of people using products.
Whoopee! It's a 1957 catalog for the Gordon Novelty Company!
Whoopee! It's a 1957 catalog for the Gordon Novelty Company! This New York City wholesaler of costumes, party supplies, gag gifts, puzzles, novelty toys, carnival items was once a star (and final holdout) of the city's Novelty District.   The company was founded around 1928 by Jacob "Jack" Gordon (c.1905-?), a Jewish emigrant whose family…
Colorful motivational poster about acknowledging mistakes featuring a tiger about to spring.
The weekend forecast for the grounds of Hagley Museum and Library is looking ready to spring ..
The weekend forecast for the grounds of Hagley Museum and Library is looking ready to spring for Spring, and we are feeling so fine about it we're bringing you a feline this week in the Hagley Vault. This ca. 1929 poster from our Mather & Company workplace posters (Accession 1994.319) collection was produced by Mather & Company, a…
Black and white photograph of a mannequin in a woman's swim suit.
The Hagley Vault has a special guest star this week ...
The Hagley Vault has a special guest star this week. Miss Patience, seen here in a ca. 1936 photograph was one of NBC's first regularly filmed stars of studio 3H.  During these early years of television, film cameras required intense light to capture images for broadcast. So much so that NBC's Betty Goodwin, television's first female…