Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, 1886-1989 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Ellis, Wayne P.
Extent:
8 Linear Feet
6620 Items
Language:
English.
Collection ID:
RL.00360

Background

Scope and content:

The Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana spans the dates 1886 to 1989, and was created by Mr. Ellis over the period of nearly four decades. Whereas many photographic collectors concentrate on cameras and photographs, Ellis emphasized advertising and marketing material. As a consequence, the collection is especially rich in print advertisements for Eastman Kodak products that were published in general interest periodicals beginning in the late 19th century. More unusual items are the product catalogs, how-to manuals for both amateur and professional photographers, serial publications for salesmen and photographers, and a variety of marketing and promotional items. There are several scrapbooks of advertising materials with considerable marginalia. The collection also includes training manuals and other publications for Kodak employees. In addition, many items in the collection deal with various aspects of the corporate history of Eastman Kodak from its earliest years up to the mid-20th century.

The collection contains little or no correspondence. There are scattered groups of photographs throughout the collection, though they are few in number. Many are formal and casual black and white photographs of Kodak staff members. Others were used for promotional or sales activities.

Processing Note

Some of Mr. Ellis's material was in excellent order; other items were in greater disarray. The collection has been arranged, as far as practical, according to the type of material. The series names given to each category are as clear and descriptive as possible.

No items were removed from the collection except for some duplicates. Decisions were made early in the processing of this collection, however, to separate several titles for individual cataloging. Notable among these is the entire run of the early periodical Kodakery (v. 1-19, 1913-1932) as well as many issues of the variably titled Photographic Review and Photographic Digest, and several others. All of these titles are part of the Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library and may be located using that library's online catalog by searching "Wayne P. Ellis" as a keyword. The separation of items may cause some small inconvenience to users of the collection, but it has been deemed impractical to reverse the situation after the fact.

Mr. Ellis also contributed over 160 books on various aspects of advertising to the Duke University Libraries; the titles have been cataloged in the usual fashion as individual books, and are identified in the library catalog as being part of the Wayne P. Ellis collection.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1915
Born in Des Moines, Iowa
1937
B.S. in chemistry from the University of Maryland
1937
Became a member of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Also eventually became a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists.
1939-1989
Worked for H. B. Fuller Company
1940-1990
Began collecting Kodakiana and related materials because of a "personal interest in business history and American entrepreneurs."
1974-1977
Served as Member of Board of Directors, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
1977-1979
Vice-President, ASTM
1989
Retired and became consultant on stands for materials such as thermal insulation, packaging, adhesives, building sealants and other materials.
1993 25 Sept.
Died in Sellersville, Pa.

Wayne P. Ellis was a professional chemist who spent 45 years in industrial research, product development, and marketing of coatings, adhesives, and sealants. He was widely known as an expert in standards and was a leader in the American Society for Testing and Materials. He won awards in the field, published many articles and coauthored a book. Mr. Ellis also was an extraordinary collector in several areas, including Eastman Kodak Company advertising-related materials. He was well known to photographic history enthusiasts and dealers in photographic and advertising ephemera.

Acquisition information:
The Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana was acquired by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in 1993. The processing of this collection was supported in part by gifts from the John and Kelly Hartman Foundation.
Processing information:

Processed by Imke Rissop-Nickelson, Catherine Saleeby, Stacey Clarke, and Paula Jeannet

Completed August 12, 2001

Encoded by Paula Jeannet

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Wayne P. Ellis Collection of Kodakiana, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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