Archives Center, National Museum of American History

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

Summary
Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Instruments
Creators:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
Dates:
circa 1800-1965
bulk 1830-1930
Languages:
Collection is in
English
. Some materials are in
German
.
Physical Description:
4.56 Cubic feet
consisting of 10 boxes, 1 folder, 1 oversize folder, 1 map case folder.
Repository:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Instruments 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 Instrument category covers devices and tools used in arts and sciences, including but not limited to architecture, biology, medicine, geography, physics, chemistry and related laboratory investigation, navigation, in industry with machinery, astronomy, and a variety of optics including reading glasses. An emphasis on engineering and survey work is evident in the volume of Drawing and Surveying catalogues present.
Materials include a small sampling of business records, particular invoices and receipts, with also some advertisement, correspondence, financials, import/export documents. The bulk of material is comprised of product catalogues, many with detailed descriptions, specifications, and illustrations, plus pricing information. A number of catalogues are in German. A small portion of the catalogues are not instruments per se, but are accompaniments used with instruments. For example, specimen slides for microscopes. A few company publications are present as well. Several guides on the use of or history of some apparatus are present, as are a few stand-alone illustrations, though most catalogues are heavily illustrated.
No extensive runs or complete records exist for any single company, brand, and no particular depth is present for any singular subtopic though some publications may provide general and historical overviews of a person, company, or facet of industry. Separate folders were used for a few companies which have a small bulk of material. Companies of note: Bausch & Lomb, Sperry Corporation and Wheelco Instrument Company.
With the industries and trades represented in this category, there is overlap with Hardware, Tools, and Mensuration.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Instruments is arranged in two subseries. Researchers are advised to look both under the company name and under the category of catalogue of products it produces.
  • Business Records and Marketing Material
  • Genre
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
Instruments 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: Instruments, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Forms Part Of
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surgical instruments and apparatus Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surveying -- Instruments -- 1800-1810 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail-order business -- Catalogs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineering instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade literature Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wild flowers -- Specimens Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Magnetic instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surveying -- Instruments -- 1870-1940 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Consumer goods -- Catalogs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manufacturers' catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications -- Business Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Specimens -- list of Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Receipts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific instruments manufacturing Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mathematical instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Spectrum analysis -- Instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Retail trade Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architectural design Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surveying instruments Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific apparatus and instruments industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architectural drawing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Invoices Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists' materials Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Microscopes Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scales (Weighing instruments) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
advertising -- Specimens -- 1840-1950 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Industrial productivity -- measurements Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dental instruments and apparatus -- 1880-1940 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Laboratories Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Optics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dental instruments and apparatus -- 1930-1970 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dental instruments and apparatus Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific apparatus and instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Medical instruments and apparatus Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Zoological specimens -- Collection and preservation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Specimens -- catalog of Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail order catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Measuring instruments industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Measuring instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Plant specimens Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tools Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising mail Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architecture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Print advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chemistry -- 19th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chemistry -- Distillation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Medical Equipment Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letterheads Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Periodicals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
advertising -- Business ephemera Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Medical supplies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising fliers Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogues Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Surveying and surveying instruments Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chemistry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed material Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Repository Contact
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu