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Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Express
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Express
- Creators:
-
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
- Dates:
-
1841-1975
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
3.15 Cubic feetconsisting of 6 boxes, 1 folder, 4 oversize folders, 2 map case folders, 1 flat box (partial).
- Repository:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Express 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 Americana
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
Express, local and general, companies offered the following services: money orders, express shipments including parcels and packages, money, valuables to any part of the world including bills, notes and drafts for collection typical referred to as C.0.D's (cash on demand, cash on delivery). There is some material from railroad express freight lines.
Foreign express companies had international offices used by the travelling public as a headquarters when aboard. Agents in the offices would receive and forward mail and assist with information about routes, baggage, rates and localities.
The materials are comprised of business records related to daily transactions and the promotion of express services and include correspondence, invoices, receipts, advertisements, price lists, reward posters, pamphlets, photographs and publications. Wax seals are present on some envelopes. There is very little in the way of illustrations, but those present have been noted.
Significantly represented companies are Adams Express, American Express, National Express Company, and Wells Fargo. There is no supplemental general topic/industry material.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Express contains one subseries.
- Business Records and Marketing Material
Administration
Author
Nicole Blechynden
Sponsor
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Express 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.
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 Nicole Blechynden, 2016 October.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
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.
Preferred Citation
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Express, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
More Information
Keywords
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
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