Carpenter Paper Company cabinet and paper samples

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0770

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Carpenter Paper Company cabinet and paper samples consist of approximately ninety booklets and sample books of envelopes, writing paper, and cardboard dating between 1900 and the 1920s. The samples were originally arranged in a wooden cabinet. The counter top of the cabinet likely served as a surface to show the samples to customers. Paper types range in color, function, and finish, and include samples of cardboard, writing paper, blotting paper, cover paper, bristol, and envelopes.

Dates

Creation: approximately 1900-1920s

Creator

Carpenter Paper Company (Omaha, Neb.) (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Access Information

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec

Carpenter Paper Company

Incorporated in 1890 by Isaac White Carpenter, the Carpenter Paper Company was a prominent business in Omaha, Nebraska. The company was Omaha’s first paper warehouse. Over time, Carpenter successfully established branches in Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, Des Moines, and Lincoln, Nebraska. By 1937, the Carpenter Paper Corporation comprised thirteen separately incorporated companies that operated twenty-nine distribution centers in nineteen states west of the Mississippi River, making it the largest paper house west of St. Louis. The company is now defunct.

“Isaac White Carpenter.” In Omaha: The Gate City and Douglas County Nebraska, A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress, and Achievement, vol. 2, 840-843. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1917.“Carpenter Paper Company Building.” In “United States Department of the Interior National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Inventory--Nomination Form,” 9-10. 1984.Information derived from dealer description.

Extent

1.5 linear foot (5 boxes)

1 oversize box

1 item (1 wooden cabinet) ; Height: 14 inches; Width: 19 inches; Length: 13.25 inches

Additional Description

Abstract

Incorporated in 1890, the Carpenter Paper Company was the first paper warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska. The Carpenter Paper Company cabinet and paper samples consist of approximately ninety booklets and sample books of envelopes, writing paper, and cardboard dating between 1900 and the 1920s, and the coabinet which housed these materials.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchase, 2016

Shelving Summary

Boxes 1-2: Shelved in SPEC MSS shoeboxes

Box 3: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (17 inches)

Boxes 4-6: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes

Item 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize realia