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Messmore and Damon Company Records

National Museum of American History

Newspaper and Magazine Clippings
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Finding aid
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Object Details

sova.nmah.ac.0846
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bff24a52-47bd-4f0d-a54e-86e811c4bf27
Creator
Messmore, George Harold
Messmore and Damon Company
Damon, Joseph
Topic
Parades
Dioramas
Parade float designers
Parade floats
Exhibitions
Theaters -- Stage-setting and scenery
Provenance
The collection was donated by Pamela Messmore Tobiason, granddaughter of George H. Messmore, in 2003.
Creator
Messmore, George Harold
Messmore and Damon Company
Damon, Joseph
See more items in
Messmore and Damon Company Records
Summary
The records document Messmore and Damon's work in the design and construction of parade floats, museum dioramas, exhibitions, displays and scenery. The materials include business records, photographs, patents, scrapbooks, promotional materials, sound recordings and moving image.
Accruals
Additional materials (one cubic foot) were added in 2007.
Biographical / Historical
Messmore and Damon, Inc. was founded in 1914 by George Harold Messmore (1884-1961) and Joseph A. Damon (1882-1962). Messmore and Damon met in 1916 while working on floats for the Elks Convention in New York City. The two formed a partnership and in 1914 opened Messmore and Damon, Inc., a small shop where they initially constructed animal displays, but quickly expanded to theatrical scenery, parade floats, props for television, amusement park operations, seasonal displays, special effects in stores, advertising and promotional work, window displays, dioramas, and other exhibit work. Most of their parade and department store work featured mechanical devices which animated the animal and human figures involved, pioneering in what became known as "animatronics." The firm did the first Macy's Day Parade in 1924 and attained world-wide fame with their exhibit, The World a Million Years Ago at the 1933-1934, Chicago Century of Progress Exposition. A separate company, Messmore, Inc., was created to manufacture and sell a cardiology patient simulator, "Harvey," later known as "George," for use in medical schools. Joseph A. Damon, born in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, attended art school in St. Louis. A scenic artist by training he worked at Lee Lash Studios and built floats for the Hudson/Fulton Celebration in 1909. Damon married Olga Schaufelberger and had one daughter named Olga C. Damon (1922-2000). George H. Messmore, known as "GH," started his career working backstage in theaters and built displays for the Panama-Pacific Exposition (1915). Messmore married Meta Decker (1890-1985) and they had one son, Francis (1916-1997), known as "Fran." Fran joined Messmore and Damon in 1946, working on department store displays and ran the company until his death in 1997. The company was dissolved on September 2, 1998.
Extent
16 Cubic feet (40 boxes)
Date
1892 - 1998
Custodial History
Six (6) drawings by Williard G. Levitas were transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Cultural and Community Life in 2022.
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0846
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Clippings
Business records
Phonograph records
Citation
Messmore and Damon Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Arrangement
The collection is divided into eleven series. Series 1: Background/Biographical Materials, 1925-1996 Series 2: Business Files, 1918-1997 Subseries 2.1: Messmore and Damon, Inc., 1918-1988 Subseries 2.2: Messmore, Inc., 1971-1989 Series 3: Patents, 1892-1952 Series 4: Projects/Exhibitions, 1924-1997 Series 5: Parades, 1960-1997 Series 6: Product Literature, circa 1930s-1992 Series 7: Heart Patient Simulator Materials, 1977-1998 Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1925-1947 Series 9: Photographs, 1900-1997 Subseries 9.1: Family, 1900-1997 Subseries 9.2: Subjects, 1930-1995 Subseries 9.3: Chronological, 1957-1985 Subseries 9.4: Ephemera, undated Subseries 9.5: Postcards, undated Subseries 9.6: Negatives, undated Series 10: Oversize Materials, 1930-1989 Series 11: Audiovisual Materials, 1933-1937, 1997 Subseries 11.1: Audio Discs, 1933-1937 Subseries 11.2: Moving Image, 1997
Processing Information
Processed by Alison Oswald, archivist, 2013. Pamela Messmore Tobiason and Dana McKelvy provided additional biographical information and identified some photographs in Series 9: Photographs, July 2017.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Photographs -- 20th century
Clippings -- 20th century
Business records -- 20th century
Phonograph records
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of papers relating to Messmore and Damon's work in the design and construction of parade floats, museum dioramas, exhibitions, displays and scenery. The materials include business records, patents, photographs, scrapbooks containing clippings and photographs, promotional materials, sound recordings, and moving image.
Restrictions
The collection is open for research. Social Security numbers are present and numbers have been rendered unreadable and redacted. Researchers may use the photocopies in the collection. The remainder of the collection has no restrictions. Reference copies for the audio discs do not exist. Use of these materials requires special arrangement with Archives Center staff. Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives.
Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center William L. Bird Holidays on Display Collection (AC1319) Michael Cipriano Papers (AC1274) Landy Hales Papers (AC0906) John Nicholson Papers (AC1279) Edward J. Orth Memorial Archives of the World's Fair (AC0560)
NMAH.AC.0846
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep8bff24a52-47bd-4f0d-a54e-86e811c4bf27
NMAH.AC.0846
ACAH
Record ID
ebl-1503510311145-1503510311155-0

  • Images 19 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 389 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Photographs 78 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Graphic Materials 40 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Audio 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Discs 20 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Drawings (visual works) 14 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Posters 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Watercolor 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Moving Images 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Paintings (visual works) 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Electronic discs (dvd) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Maps 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sound discs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Videocassettes (betacamsp) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1890s 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1900s 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1910s 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1920s 14 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1930s 62 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1940s 31 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1950s 37 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1960s 32 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1970s 30 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1980s 50 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • 1990s 59 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records 389 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 9: Photographs / 9.2: Subjects/Topics 102 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 10: Oversize Materials 45 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 2: Business Files / 2.1: Messmore and Damon, Inc. 40 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 4: Projects/Exhibitions 38 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 7: Heart Patient Simulator Materials 26 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 9: Photographs / 9.1: Family 22 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 5: Parades 21 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 11: Audiovisual Materials / 11.1: Audio Discs 20 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 8: Scrapbooks 13 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 9: Photographs / 9.3: Chronological 12 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 6: Product Literature 9 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 3: Patents 8 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 1: Background/Biographical Materials 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 9: Photographs 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 11: Audiovisual Materials 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 11: Audiovisual Materials / 11.2: Moving Image 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 2: Business Files 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 2: Business Files / 2.2: Messmore, Inc. 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Messmore and Damon Company Records / Series 9: Photographs / 9.2: Subjects/Topics / Dinosaurs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Dinosaurs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Nudism 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Nudity 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Parade floats 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Sculpture 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Weddings 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 389 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • No 362 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Yes 27 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • ead_component 389 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ephemera for Messmore and Damon

  • Kiddie Land Park Attractions

  • Sales orders notebook

  • Outgoing shipments (notebook)

  • Family

  • Outgoing shipments (loose materials from notebook)

  • The World a Million Years Ago

  • Old New York

  • Torture

  • Inquiries

  • CAE Electronics (product literature)

  • Kooky Kastle, by Amusement Display Associates, Inc.

  • Newsclippings

  • Mannikin "George"

  • Scrapbook (A World A Million Years Ago)

  • Mechanical display

  • Gorillas

  • Financial statements

  • Smoking character figures

  • The World a Million Years Ago (reptile group)

  • Report and Analysis of Messmore and Damon, Inc.

  • Family

  • Coronation carriage of Karl VI, First Liberty Loan

  • Decca, The World a Million Years Ago


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