Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Hair

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Hair
Creators:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
Dates:
1772-1948
Languages:
Collection is in
English
, with additional materials in
French
,
German
,
Japanese
, and
Latin
.
Physical Description:
1.45 Cubic feet
consisting of 2.5 boxes, 1 folder, 7 oversized folders, 3 map case folders, 1 flat box (partial), plus digital images of some collection material.
Repository:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Hair 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
The subject category Hair contains material pertaining to the manufacturing and distribution of hair-related products, including shampoos, wigs, hair dyes and tints, hair preservatives, hair oils, straighteners, combs, pressers, hair nets, and veils. Hair also contains material pertaining to hair-related services, including haircuts, hair removal, wigmaking, facial hair shaping, and hair styling. The material is not exclusively marketed to a single gender, but material marketed toward women is more prevalent.
The bulk of the subject category comprises business records, advertisements, import and export records, catalogues, and posters. Companies represented include Dr. J.C. Ayer and Company and Reuben P. Hall and Company.
Additional material includes images and poems related to hair. Portraits of people with long hair or certain hairstyles, images of salons, and caricatures. Realia in the collection consists of a black net veil. Subject- related material provides brief overviews of general hair care and maintenance, in-depth treatments for hair and scalp related problems, and samples of hair provided from people and correspondence describing them.
No particular depth is present for any singular subtopic within the collection, though images of hair styles, product advertisements and posters, and literature related to medical aspects of hair treatment are particular strengths of the collection. It contains a small amount of French, German, Japanese, and Latin language material, which is is within the collection and is indicated in folder-level descriptions when present.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Hair is arranged in three subseries.
  • Business Records and Marketing Material
  • Genre
  • Subject

Administration

Author
Max Howell
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
Hair 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, and it 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. Non-archival 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, April 2017.

Digital Content

More …

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Preferred Citation
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Hair, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
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.

More Information

Brand Name Index

Brand Name Index
The following is a list of brand names for various hair and related names that appear on this list is a compilation of those found on materials in the vertical document boxes. The list is intended to assist researchers locate desired materials when only the brand name is known.
  • Brand Name Index
  • Brand Name
    Manufacturer
    American Girl
    R. Ginsburg & Bros.
    Blue Grass
    Elizabeth Arden
    Buckingham's
    R.P. Hall & Co.
    Capillaris
    T. Hill Mansfield's
    Capillina
    Wood & Sons
    Cell-Life
    Susanna Cocroft Laboratories
    Cupid
    Richardson & De Long Bros.
    Fedora
    Silverberg Import Co.
    Follicula
    Anglo-American Electric Ass.
    Grace Darling
    The Fair
    Jo-Cur
    Curran Labs
    Kreml
    R.B.
    Revivum
    C.N. Crittenton
    Venida
    Rieser Co.
    Vigorol
    J.B. Weis
    Wear Rite
    R. Ginsberg & Bros.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Posters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Invoices Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising mail Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Patents Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women -- Health and hygiene Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrations Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail order catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Receipts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogues Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hairstyles Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Periodicals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shampoos -- advertising Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Consumer goods -- Catalogs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hair -- Shampooing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Exports -- 19th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letterheads Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manufacturers' catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hygiene Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Print advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Importers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed material Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed materials Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cabinet photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Samples Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hair Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising fliers Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hairdressing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Price lists Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications -- Business Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hair art Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
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Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
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