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The Salem China Company Collection

National Museum of American History

The Salem China Company Collection
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
Finding aid
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

Object Details

sova.nmah.ac.0325
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d3c42798-e287-4b04-a398-0c57713bab43
Creator
Salem China Company
American Limoges China Co.
Sebring Pottery Company
Crescent China Company
Leigh Potters, Inc.
Names
James Sadler Company
Place
Ohio
Topic
Porcelain
Potters
Provenance
Collection donated by Salem China Company, February 22, 1989.
Creator
Salem China Company
American Limoges China Co.
Sebring Pottery Company
Crescent China Company
Leigh Potters, Inc.
See more items in
The Salem China Company Collection
Summary
Includes records of the Salem China Company relating to the administration of the company, its sales and art department, and other material relating to plant operations prior to 1960, when the company ceased manufacturing and became a distributor only. Includes photographs of various promotions, Salem China patterns, factory buildings, sales staff, show rooms, etc. as well as extensive advertising material of the Salem China Co. and its competitors. Another series contains blueprints and drawings of the Salem China Company's plant and equipment. Another series contains bulletins issued by the Associated Industries of Cleveland from 1977 to 1981.
Biographical / Historical
The Salem China Company of Salem, Ohio was founded in 1898 by Pat and John McNichol, Dan Cronin and William Smith, all from East Liverpool, Ohio. It was sold to the F.A. Sebrings of Sebring, Ohio in 1918. Until retirement in 1950, Floyd W. McKee, who had been with the company since 1918, was the general manager. When he retired in 1950 J. Harrison Keller, the husband of F.A. Sebring's granddaughter, Gretchen, took over the management of the company. Harrison Keller was also president of the United States Potters Association, the principal function of which was labor negotiations. From 1898 until 1960 the company was engaged in both manufacturing and distribution. Since 1960, its function has been distribution only. In addition to the manufacture and distribution of dinnerware, novelty and souvenirware, the Salem China Co. distributed flatware, crystal and Corningware and was the American distributor for the James Sadler Company, English manufacturers of teapots. The company supplemented its sales to retail outlets by heavy reliance on bank, movie, drugstore and supermarket promotions. For example, Peoples Drug Co. used over 150,000 thirty two piece sets of dishes from the Salem China Co. in the 1930's with the buyer paying $2.98 for a set costing $2.72 at the factory. During the 30's also, about 130 carloads of Salem dinnerware were used by American Stores in Philadelphia in promotions. In 1993, the president of the Salem China Co. was Gary Keller.
Extent
10.15 Cubic feet (26 boxes, 10 map-folder)
Date
1930s-1981
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0325
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Bulletins
Records
Drawings
Clippings
Blueprints
Citation
The Salem China China Company Collection, 1930s-1981, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into ten series. Series 1: Executive and Administrative Records Series 2: Labor Relations Series 3: Sales Department Records Series 4: Promotional Photographs Series 5: Art Department Records Series 6: Plant Operating Records Series 7: Competitors' Advertising Series 8: US Potters Association Series 9: Tile Industry Series 10: Associated Industries of Cleveland
Processing Information
Collection processed by Grace Angle, 1989.
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.
Genre/Form
Bulletins
Records
Drawings -- 20th century
Clippings
Blueprints -- 20th century
Scope and Contents
The collection includes records of the Salem China Company relating to administration of the company, its sales and art department and other material relating to plant operations prior to 1960 when the company ceased manufacturing and became a distributor only. There are a number of photographs of various promotions, Salem China patterns, factory buildings, sales staff, show rooms, etc. There is extensive advertising material of both the Salem China Co. and of its competitors. Another series consists of blueprints and drawings of the Salem China Company's plant and equipment. There is also a series of bulletins issued by the Associated Industries of Cleveland from 1977 to 1981. Series 1: General Administration, includes a history of Salem, Ohio as well as a history of the United States pottery industry written by Floyd W. McKee, long time manager of the Salem China Company, after he retired. Issues of the Stylon News from 1954 to 1957 indicate the company's interest in tile. Union materials relate to the several craft unions concerned with organizing pottery plants. There is some generalized anti union material. Series 2 contains bulletins of the Associated Industries of Cleveland (AIC). These bulletins include material of general interest to members, bulletins from the legal counsel, a newsletter for executives, bulletins relating to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and surveys of management employee relations, salaries and benefits and wage settlements. The third series consists of the Sales Department's records, including advertising brochures, pamphlets and photographs relating to various promotions supermarket, bank, movie, department store as well as those for general advertising of Salem products, the records of a factory outlet store operated by the Salem China Company, bulletins, a notebook and other materials directed to the sales staff. Art Department records incorporate mats, photographs, some drawings and occasional negatives of nearly 40 patterns of china as well as service plates and souvenir plates. The notebooks relate to premiums, specialized ware such as children's ware, proofs, photos, half tones and ads. Over 65 companies are represented in the competitors' advertising material, most of which relates to china although there are a few tile and other manufacturers included. With the exception of the art department notebooks, and the drawings and blueprints, most of the collection is in good condition.
Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
NMAH.AC.0325
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8d3c42798-e287-4b04-a398-0c57713bab43
NMAH.AC.0325
ACAH
Record ID
ebl-1503512974809-1503512974811-0

  • Images 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 346 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings (visual works) 17 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Documents 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Visual works (works) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1910s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection 346 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 7: Competitors' Advertising 73 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 3: Sales Department Records 54 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 11: Blueprints and Drawings 39 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.1: Patterns 39 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 1: Executive and Administrative Records 22 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 2: Labor Relations 14 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 10: Associated Industries of Cleveland 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 4: Promotional Photographs 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.5: Miscellaneous Art Department Records 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 6: Plant Operating Records 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.3: Service Plates 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.6: Art Department Notebooks 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 9: Tile Industry 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.4: Souvenir Plates 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 5: Art Department Records / 5.2: Cake Sets 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • The Salem China Company Collection / Series 8: U. S. Potters Association 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 346 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • No 343 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yes 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • ead_component 346 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sebring

  • Dinner Ware Photos Proofs and Ads

  • Gardenia

  • Photographs

  • Ashtrays Souvenir

  • Stamping royalties

  • Federal Trade Commission Pricing Guide

  • Mat Service II

  • Talisman Rose

  • Executive Committee Minutes

  • Gladding and McBean

  • Allied Industrial Workers

  • Primrose

  • Miscellaneous

  • Bank Promotional Brochures Crystal

  • Stamps

  • Administrative Manual for Plant Employees

  • Bisque Kiln

  • Sets

  • Royal Doulton

  • Claudia

  • Hall China Company, Liverpool, Ohio, semi-automatic circular jigger

  • Magazine and Newspaper Ads

  • Service Plates


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