1.49 Cubic feet (consisting of 3 boxes, 1 folder, 5 oversize folders, 1 map case folder, plus digital images of some collection material. )
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Ephemera
Business ephemera
Date:
1886-1964
undated
Summary:
A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Fires and Firefighting 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:
This material consists primarily of scattered correspondence on letterhead stationery, trade catalogues, advertising cards, bills/receipts, badges, business cards, photographs, lithographs, caricatures, invitations, announcements, patents, articles, reports, pamphlets, periodicals, programs, and printed advertisements from manufacturers and distributors of equipment and supplies for firemen including fire extinguishers, ladders, exhaust fans, caps, hoses and fire engines. There is also material from insurance companies for firemen, firemens' associations and activities such as firemens' balls, parades and picnics. There is very little information on supplies for the public or domestic use. Most of the material is directed to the firefighting profession. There are a number of images of major fires. Products are fireproof metal ceiling, walls steel shelving, steel cabinets, steel lockers and Kalamein doors.
Materials in box one and the beginning of box two are organized by name of company. The remaining folders in box two and box three are arranged by type including general images, patents and related publications.
Materials in the Archives Center:
Archives Center Collection of Business Americana (AC0404)
Forms Part Of:
Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.
Missing Title
Series 1: Business Ephemera
Series 2: Other Collection Divisions
Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers
Series 4: Photographic Reference Material
Provenance:
Fires and Firefighting 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.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.
Rights:
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.
Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Fires and Firefighting, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
