History @ CUL

Trade Literature and the Merchandizing of Industry
This collection is comprised of items selected from the National Museum of American History Archives Center and Smithsonian Libraries and covers approximately 1820-1926. It allows researchers to:

• Determine the history of companies/industries
• Analyze marketing and management techniques
• Examine illustrations of the items Americans used at home and in business

The collection exposes technological advances over time, changes in fashion/design, architectural advances, societal changes, and business history. In doing so, it reveals vital aspects of our culture, society, and history, making Trade Literature and the Merchandizing of Industry an ideal complement to Making of the Modern World, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Sabin Americana, and Financial Times Historical Archive, 1888-2010.

Key research areas covered include:

• Railroads and railway equipment
• Agricultural machinery
• Transportation equipment
• Power generation
• Building and construction
• Iron and steel
• Mines and mining equipment
• Motorized vehicles

World’s Fairs and Expositions: Visions of Tomorrow

This collection documents landmark exhibits from 1840 to 1940.  Materials drawn from the Smithsonian Libraries, Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, Smithsonian Libraries, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Library, the Archives Center, and the Smithsonian Libraries, National Museum of American History Library include:

• Books of the Fairs: From the Holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries
• General histories, exhibition catalogs, official histories, commemorative accounts, exposition publications, visitors’ guides, lectures, technical reports, promotional publications, and more
• Exposition Records of the Smithsonian and the United States National Museum, 1867-1940
• Larry Zim World’s Fair Collection, 1841-1988 (panoramas, postcards, photos, ephemera — content included only up to 1940)
• Selections from the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, c.1723-1977 (content included only up to 1926)

The international nature of the collection is illustrated in the comprehensive range of material. A partial list includes: London, Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations (1851); Melbourne, International Exhibition (1880); Barcelona, Exposición Universal (1888); Paris, Exposition universelle (1889); Chicago, World Columbian Exposition (1893); and Rio de Janeiro, Exposição Nacional (1908).

The unique insights in this collection provide rich fodder for the study of:

• History
• Architecture and Industrial Design
• Fine Arts and Decorative Arts
• Science, Technology, and Medicine
• Gender and Ethnic Studies
• Photography
• And other disciplines

Air & Space and Smithsonian Magazine Archive (1970-present)

Not just limited to the American experience, Smithsonian Magazine is a great source for those researching and traveling the world outside of the U.S. as well as an excellent repository of articles on important science and technological discoveries and advances.