Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Office Equipment

Summary
Warshaw Subject Category: Office Equipment
Warshaw Subject Category: Office Equipment
Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Office
Creators:
Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969
Dates:
1833-1975
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3.21 Cubic feet
consisting of 7 boxes, 3 oversize folders.
Repository:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Office Equipment 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 collection includes devices and systems such as typewriters, calculation machines, mimeographs and copiers, punches and canceling machines, coin counters, telephonics, addressing and indexing systems, recording and message transmission, stamping, perforating, records storage and files, and also some consumable products like fasteners, ledgers, erasures. A few product samples are present.
Some product information contains suggestions and information on good business business practices or increasing efficiency and accuracy in the office or workplace environment.
A small amount of material related to furnishings, such as desks, bookcases, lockers, and trade show displays is present.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into three subseries.
  • Business Records and Marketing Materials
  • Genre
  • Subject
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
Office Equipment 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, November 2016.
Digital Content
Warshaw Subject Category: Office Equipment
Warshaw Subject Category: Office Equipment
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: Office Equipment, 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.
Forms Part Of
More Information
Brand Name Index
Brand Name Index
The following is a list of brand names for various office equipment and related names that appear on this list is a compilation of those found on materials in the vertical document boxes. It is not a complete list of all the brand names for office equipment. The list is intended to assist researchers locate desired materials when only the brand name is known.
    Brand Name Index
    Efficiency
    Watson Mfg. Co.
    Flatpakit
    American
    Multigraph
    American Multigraph Sales Co.
    Portland
    Southworth Machine Co.
    Wiz
    American Sales Book Co.
    Y & E
    Yawman & Eube Mfg. Co.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertisements Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogues Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising fliers Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising mail Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail-order business Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail-order business -- Catalogs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Print advertising Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Invoices Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ephemera 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
Printed ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications -- Business Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Punched card systems -- Machinery Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Filing cabinets Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Information display systems Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Typewriters -- 1890-1900 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Office equipment and supplies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Office equipment and supplies industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Office equipment and supplies industry -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printing machinery and supplies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advertising cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Patents Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales records Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mail order catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business letters Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Display of merchandise Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Printed material Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recording machines Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reports Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Retail trade Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Publications Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bookkeeping Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Calculators Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Accounting -- Data processing Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sales accounting -- 19th century Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pneumatics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Telephone answering and recording equipment industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Commercial correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Account books Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business ephemera Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Consumer goods -- Catalogs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Business cards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade literature Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Letterheads Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Typewriters -- 1880-1910 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Magnetic recorders and recording Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Trade catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Receipts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Periodicals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Typewriters Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Merchandise displays Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manufacturers' catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
advertising -- Business ephemera Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Illustrations Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Xerox Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
IBM (International Business Machines) Corporate Name 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