Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements, 1910-1954 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Strobridge & Co. Lith
Abstract:
Lithography company founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in about 1847. The Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements span the years 1910 through 1954, documenting much of the company's printed poster advertising work from that era. All images are black and white. The core of the collection, the Image Files Series, consists of around 1000 8x10 photographs ("A" images) of advertising designs, and a similar number of smaller printed cards (approx. 5x7 to 5x8, "B" images) of outdoor advertisement designs. The images are accompanied by three different Access Files to be used to browse the collection. These files are in the form of image photocopies ( "job tickets" ) and catalog cards. Most images are of poster (billboard or transit card) designs, but there are also some photographs of tabletop display advertising, window cards and other point-of-purchase displays. The collection documents advertising during a time when transportation was changing in America, and the automobile was gaining in popularity. Billboards began to replace smaller posters, accommodating a more mobile public. It was then that Strobridge turned from its emphasis on circus and theater posters (not represented in the collection) to billboard ads for mass-produced products. Many different products are featured, but perhaps the two most prominent and well-represented campaigns are those for Camel cigarettes and Palmolive soaps. The images form a valuable reference collection of advertising designs, relevant for researchers from a variety of disciplines including commercial artwork, advertising history and design, and popular culture. The collection documents outdoor advertising design during the first part of the twentieth century for what were mostly national brands. Numerous examples are from the era of hand-drawn and painted designs, often signed by artists including Norman Rockwell, Howard Scott, and Dr. Seuss (see his designs for the product Flit). Rarely, an artist is listed on the back of the image. Later designs from the 1940s and 1950s include photographic images, often peppered with celebrity likenesses including John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, and Charlton Heston. Many of the celebrity advertisements promoted tobacco products. Some designs are clearly war-era, such as advertisements depicting a 1943 female factory worker, or one from Schlitz (1942) mentioning war bonds.
Extent:
9 Linear Feet
7166 Items
Language:
English.
Collection ID:
RL.01263

Background

Scope and content:

The Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements span the years 1910 through 1954, documenting much of the company's printed poster advertising work from that era. All images are black and white. The core of the collection, the Image Files Series, consists of around 1000 8x10 photographs ("A" images) of advertising designs, and a similar number of smaller printed cards (approx. 5x7 to 5x8, "B" images) of outdoor advertisement designs. The images are accompanied by three different Access Files to be used to browse the collection. These files are in the form of image photocopies ("job tickets") and catalog cards. Most images are of poster (billboard or transit card) designs, but there are also some photographs of tabletop display advertising, window cards and other point-of-purchase displays. The collection documents advertising during a time when transportation was changing in America, and the automobile was gaining in popularity. Billboards began to replace smaller posters, accommodating a more mobile public. It was then that Strobridge turned from its emphasis on circus and theater posters (not represented in the collection) to billboard ads for mass-produced products. Many different products are featured, but perhaps the two most prominent and well-represented campaigns are those for Camel cigarettes and Palmolive soaps. The images form a valuable reference collection of advertising designs, relevant for researchers from a variety of disciplines including commercial artwork, advertising history and design, and popular culture.

The collection documents outdoor advertising design during the first part of the twentieth century for what were mostly national brands. Numerous examples are from the era of hand-drawn and painted designs, often signed by artists including Norman Rockwell, Howard Scott, and Dr. Seuss (see his designs for the product Flit). Rarely, an artist is listed on the back of the image. Later designs from the 1940s and 1950s include photographic images, often peppered with celebrity likenesses including John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, and Charlton Heston. Many of the celebrity advertisements promoted tobacco products. Some designs are clearly war-era, such as advertisements depicting a 1943 female factory worker, or one from Schlitz (1942) mentioning war bonds.

The first series, the Access Files, can be used to browse the collection and narrow a search for an individual advertisement before moving on to the Image Files themselves. Items in the Image Files are labeled with an "A" or a "B" indication. The "A" group holds the larger 8x10 photographs and the "B" group contains smaller images (primarily 5x7 and 5x8) printed on cards. There is some duplication between the "A" and "B" groups. The "A" images contain advertisements from the 1910s through the 1950s, and the "B" advertisements were created mainly in the 1920s and 1930s. All point-of-purchase advertising is in the "A" group. There is often indication of the size poster the design was made into (e.g. 24-sheet), a design or perhaps job number (e.g. Camel No. 93), and a title (e.g. "Perfect" for a Camel advertisement with the text "Perfect Taste"). Most designs are presumed to have been created and published by Strobridge, but there are some images stamped "W. J. Rankin Corp." Some images show billboards as they were posted; some of these show the nameplate of the outdoor advertising company that owned the billboard structures.

The name of the collection is seen on folders and sometimes elsewhere as the "Strobridge Lithography Company," but the materials themselves as well as other documentation reveal the name to be "Strobridge Lithographing Company" at the time when most of this collection was created. Almost all advertisements are in English, presumably for posting in the U.S., but a few, such as Spur cigarette advertisements, are in Spanish.

Related collections in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library include a number of other outdoor advertising collections, such as the Outdoor Advertising Slide Library, the John Paver Papers, the John Browning Papers, the Duplex Advertising Co. Records, the H.E. Fisk Collection of War Effort Mobilization Campaigns, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America Records, the Outdoor Advertising Poster Design Collection, the Garrett Orr Papers, the R.C. Maxwell Company Records, the Howard Scott Papers, and the John E. Brennan Outdoor Advertising Survey Reports. There are also numerous published items from the era of this collection which provide even more context for the designs.

Biographical / historical:
Chronology
Date Event
ca. 1847
Elijah C. Middleton founded an engraving (steel and copperplate) establishment in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1849
W. R. Wallace, a lithographic engraver, joined Middleton to form the partnership of Middleton and Wallace.
1854
Hines Strobridge entered the partnership and the company became Middleton, Wallace, and Company (Lithographers). General trends in publications showed a transition from woodblock and engraving to lithography. Early prints were mainly black and white.
1857
Martin B. Ewing entered the partnership.
1858
Wallace left the firm, which became Middleton, Strobridge and Company.
1859
Dominique C. Fabronius joined the partnership. "In this establishment are embraced all kinds of lithographing such as views of cities and buildings, landscapes, etc., in one or more colors-portraits, maps, bonds, certificates of stock, drafts, checks in all kinds of commercial work almost equaling the finest engraving on steel. Value of work per annum, $25,000. Hands employed 20." (from John W. Merten article, listed below)
1860
Fabronius and Ewing left the partnership.
1861
Middleton left the partnership. The company's lithographs could now simulate oil portraits. During the Civil War era, the firm was credited with producing the first "oil portraits" of Washington, Lincoln, and Grant, among others.
1865
The name of Middleton was dropped from the firm. It became "Strobridge and Gerlach," or "Strobridge, Gerlach and Wagner." The company moved to Pike's Opera House Building.
1866
A fire in Pike's Opera House caused the Strobridge Company to lose all possessions, including its early records.
1867
Strobridge purchased "E. C. Middleton and Co.," publishers of oil portraits. A reorganization and incorporation took place under the name "Strobridge and Company." With the invention of power machinery and the lithographic steam press, the industry saw an era of rapid development. For the next 25 years, Strobridge would be the largest producer of circus and theatrical posters in the country.
1871?
William Sumner became president of the company.
1872?
Hines Strobridge was named as manager.
1878
Matt Morgan presumably crafted the first large multiple-sheet poster. The first large (16-sheet) outdoor poster ( "Eliza Crossing the Ice") was exhibited at Fountain Square in Cincinnati.
1880
The firm changed its name to "The Strobridge Lithographing Company."
1881
George Fox became president.
1882
Development began on a large modern building on Canal St. in Cincinnati. Clifford B. Wright was named president.
1883
Hines Strobridge took over the company presidency (no longer listed as manager). Procter and Gamble's Ivory Soap was advertised on an outdoor poster developed by the firm. ("[This] is noteworthy on several counts: first, because it marks the recognition by industry of the large outdoor poster as an effective advertising medium; second, because it is reputed to be the first time that a photograph was 'blown up' to furnish the pictorial subject of a poster." (from John W. Merten article listed below)
1887
On December 1, a fire destroyed the Canal St. building. In July, the company moved back into the rebuilt building.
1896-ca.1912
Strobridge produced theater posters (by artists Mucha and Paul Jones, among others). The firm also issued company calendars, highlighting its renowned work in color by artist Harry Birdwell and others.
1909
Hines Strobridge died. His son Nelson Strobridge became president of the company.
ca. 1910-1920
Strobridge began making posters for motion pictures (e.g. for producer Pathe). Posters were now printed from zinc, not stone, and the offset press was introduced. A number of additional advancements changed the way the company functioned. The focus of the firm turned from entertainment to the commercial poster. This era marked the growth of the automotive industry and thus of commercial outdoor advertising.
1913
William Merten was named company general superintendent.
1916
Merten became vice president.
1922
Merten no longer held position of general superintendent.
1925
The firm expanded by acquiring Henderson Lithographing Co. in Norwood. Through Merten, the firm participated in the creation and direction of the Lithographic Technical Foundation.
1937
The entire firm relocated to the Norwood plant. Nelson Strobridge became chairman of the board. William Merten became president (and was also active as director of the Lithographers' National Association). John G. Strobridge (grandson of Hines) became vice president.
1960
H. S. Crocker, Inc. acquired Strobridge Lithographing Co. (listed as division until 1970)

NOTE: Research and text for timeline by Kristen Kramer. Source of information and direct quotations: John W. Merten, "Stone by Stone along a Hundred Years with the House of Strobridge,"Bulletin of the Historical and Philosophical Society of Ohio, January, 1950, 8:1.

The Strobridge Lithographing Company, especially well-known for its production of circus and theatrical posters from the late 1800s and early 1900s, also produced a variety of printed items including maps, portraits, diplomas, counter displays, and blotters. The collection at Duke University contains only printed poster advertising work created from 1910 through 1954. The firm was established in Cincinnati, but a New York address can also be seen on the backs of some images in this collection.

Acquisition information:
The Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements were transferred to the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library by Fairleigh Dickinson University Library in 1998 and 2000.
Processing information:

The collection came to Duke in good order with all of the "A" images (mostly 8x10 photographs of advertisements) together and all of the "B" images (advertisements on 5x7 and 5x8 printed cards) together. The "job tickets," which are actually photocopies of all the images, have been copied again onto acid-free paper. The original set is in numerical order. The second set was put in order according to product type categories used by the outdoor advertising industry. Thus, there are three access files to all images in the collection: (1) photocopies in order by number, (2) photocopies in order by product type or service (topic), and (3) a card file with descriptive information ordered by the pictured advertisement's brand name. The card file does contain some generic product-type headings also, e.g., gas ovens. It arrived with the collection and appears to be incomplete.

The Access Files (the photocopied job tickets and card file) and Image Files (photographs and printed cards) all refer to an "A" and "B" numbering system. Each file, however, does not have exactly the same number of items, and so certain series may be missing some individual numbers. Photographic materials have been sleeved in polypropylene.

As of October 2002, the advertisements in this collection were not indexed in the library's Resource for Outdoor Advertising Description (ROAD) database.

Processed by Lisa C. Chandek-Stark and Sierra Stults; finding aid by Lisa C. Chandek-Stark and Kristen Kramer

Completed September 2002

Encoded by Lisa C. Chandek-Stark

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
General note:

Processing of this collection was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. There may be a 48-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

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], Strobridge Lithographing Company Advertisements, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.