The Garrett Orr Papers document the artistic output and personal files of advertising executive Garrett Orr. Although the collection spans the years circa 1873 to 1994, the bulk of the materials fall within two main periods: the 1890s to 1914, comprising a photographic collection of old poster images; and 1930 to 1965, which approximates the span of Orr's professional life. The collection includes the original drawings, water colors and paintings produced by Orr as designs for the outdoor advertising campaigns of a wide variety of products such as Gillette razors, Ipana toothpaste (Bristol-Myers), Lucky Strikes and Viceroy cigarettes (Brown & Williamson), Mazola corn oil (Corn Products Refining Company), Seagram beverages, Verney fabrics, and White Rose tea. Also included are folders of photographs, slides and negatives of Orr's advertising work for approximately 550 companies (with index). In addition, a collection of almost 200 large-format negatives and photographs document images of 19th- and early 20th-century posters for plays, musicals, minstrel shows, circuses, and hotels. A large set of clippings files contain published examples of the work of over 100 graphic artists and illustrators contemporary with Orr, including Floyd Davis, Ronald McLeod, George Petty, Howard Scott, Ben Stahl, Jon Whitcomb, and J. Walter Wilkinson. The collection is organized into five series--the General Files Series; the Artists and Illustrators Series; the Product Files Series; the Other Photographic Materials Series; and the Sketches Series. Large-format items from the Artists and Illustrators Series and Sketches Series have been relocated to Oversize Materials.
Closely related collections held by the Rubenstein Library include: the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Archives; the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Poster Designs; the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Slide Library; the Duplex Advertising Company Billboard Images and Records; the Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements; the R.C. Maxwell Co. Records; the Howard Scott Papers; and the John Paver Papers.
