Art in Buttons Inc. Correspondence
Content Description
This collection consists primarily of correspondence from the company Art in Buttons, Inc. to enslisted WWI soldiers who were company employees stationed in France. Form letters were sent near or after the end of WWI in 1918 and into 1919, signed by company chairman Robert E. Consler. The letters give updates about company news, life Rochester, and soldiers returning home from France. There is also compiled news from soldiers that are compiled into a letter, and some more direct personal correspondence accompanying the formulaic text.
Other form printed materials were sent to multiple soldiers: (1) one of the company’s published two volumes of Art in Buttons (a “Factory Edition” periodical from 1906 – 1931), Vol. XVI (October 1918) and Vol. XVII (March 1919), which detail the company’s annual field days, sports teams, and updates about employees in the service; (2) an expert from the book/memoir Over There With the Australians by Captain Reginald Hugh Knyvett (15th Australian Infantry), published early in April 1918; and (3) A program for “Christmas Sing - Dec 24, 1918” which includes 8 songs, some with printed lyrics. There are additional printed exceprts from stories or journals.
Dates
- Creation: 1918-1919
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use in any current or future manifestations must be obtained in writing from the Rochester Public Library Local History and Genealogy Division.
Biographical / Historical
Art in Buttons was initially formed as the The German-American Button Company, which was founded in 1891 by Henry T. Noyes, with a factory on Champeney Terrace. By 1917, it employed over 1000 people. That year, the company began the process of changing its name to Art in Buttons, Inc, due to both the international situation at the time (World War I) and the company's sense that its current name did not fully reflect its business scope. "Art in Buttons" had been in use as by the company an advertising slogan for some years, and was felt to better express the company's business model. A new, larger plant opened on Hollenbeck Street in 1942; operations moved again, to Dowling Place, in 1946. Also in 1946, the company was sold to Michigan-based George Morrell Corporation, a national leader in button production. In 1949, Rochester operations closed down and the plant was liquidated.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet (1 box, 6 folders)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Art in Buttons, Inc. was initially formed as the The German-American Button Company, which was founded in 1891 by Henry T. Noyes, with a factory on Champeney Terrace in Rochester, NY. In 1917 the company began the process of changing its name to Art in Buttons, Inc. This collection consists primarily of typed correspondence from Art in Buttons, Inc. to enslisted WWI soldiers who were company employees stationed in France. Form letters and company publications were sent close to and after the end of WWI in 1918 and into 1919, signed by the company chairman. This correspondence give updates about company news, life in Rochester, and soldiers returning home from France, and there is some direct personal correspondence accompanying the formulaic text.
Arrangement
This collection consists of 1 box with 6 folders. The collection is arranged by the name of the soldier who received correspondence, although other instances of correspondence appear to be in some folders.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Found in collection.
Bibliography
Buttons: A Bibliography. Page 245. Accessed April 11, 2024. https://www.cooperhewitt.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chronicleofmuseum_buttons.pdf
Condition Description
Good condition.
Cultural context
Topical
- Title
- Art in Buttons Inc. Correspondence
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Kate Philipson
- Date
- 2024-04-04
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Local History & Genealogy Division Repository
115 South Ave.
Rochester 14604 USA
585-428-8370
585-428-8353 (Fax)
lochistref@libraryweb.org