Business Historical Society

Organized in 1925 to promote the study of business history and to collect and preserve the records of business operations of the past. The Society was based at Baker Library, Harvard Business School.

From the description of Records, 1925-1957 (inclusive). (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 269607999

In early 1934, the Business Historical Society at Harvard Business School was invited by the Pan American Union of Washington, D.C., to participate in "Pan-American Day," which was celebrated on April 14, 1934. The society arranged an exhibit of photographs depicting industrial, mining, and agricultural operations undertaken in numerous Latin American and South American countries. The exhibit was displayed in Baker Library at the Harvard Business School. Members of the Business Historical Society solicited the photographs and other materials from the governments of Pan American Union member countries, from United States embassies in those counties, and from local and foreign companies doing business there.

From the description of Pan-American Photograph Collection, 1913-1934 (inclusive). (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 50686517

In early 1934, the Business Historical Society was invited by the Pan American Union of Washington, D.C., to recognize “Pan-American Day” on April 14, 1934. The society planned an exhibit of “action photographs of industrial, mining, and agricultural operations carried on in the Latin American states,” accompanied by related posters, advertising materials, and wall maps. The exhibit was displayed in Baker Library on the Harvard Business School campus. Business Historical Society members contacted foreign governments, American embassies, and businesses in many Caribbean, Central American, and South American countries, explaining their intent and requesting material for the exhibit. A wide variety of photographs were submitted, and materials continued to arrive even after the Pan American exhibit was dismantled. After the exhibit, the photographs became a permanent collection held by Baker Library .

From the guide to the Pan-American Photograph Collection, 1913-1934, (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)

A large collection of photographs collected by the Business Historical Society during the 1930s for classroom use at the Harvard Business School. Letters were sent to businesses requesting "action photos of mechanical operations" for permanent deposit in Baker Library. A wide range of businesses, from automobile manufacturers to paper mills, contributed photographs. The Business Historical Society made a particular effort to solicit photographs from companies that exhibited at the Century of Progress International Exposition, a world's fair held in Chicago, Illinois, in 1933.

From the description of Industrial Life Photograph Collection, ca. 1920-1941. (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 48158392

During the 1930s and 1940s, the Business Historical Society collected photographs of various industries for teaching and exhibition use at the Harvard Business School. Between 1932 and the early 1940s, J.T. Sullivan, then the automotive writer and editor for the Boston Globe, gave the society a large collection of photographs created by automobile manufacturers to introduce and promote their new vehicles. These promotional materials and press kits were often produced for the annual National Automobile Show. The materials were distributed to Sullivan and other reporters for publication in their newspapers' automotive sections.

From the description of Automobile Industry Photograph Collection, 1931-1944 (inclusive) (bulk 1936-1942). (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 48657858

During the expansion of industry between the end of World War I and the late 1930s, photography was widely used to promote industry. Throughout the 1930s, the Business Historical Society (BHS) made a great effort to collect photographs of all the major industries in the United States. Frank C. Ayres, executive secretary of the Business Historical Society, sent out numerous letters to businesses requesting “action photos of mechanical operations” for permanent deposit at Baker Library . Ayres explained that these photographs were very useful to the students of the Harvard Business School . The photographs helped the students to visualize the industrial operations that they would experience in the future. Potential donors were told that the photographs would be displayed in the corridors and lecture rooms of Baker Library. Ayers also stressed the importance of preserving such images for use by future generations.

A wide range of businesses, from automobile manufacturers to paper mills, contributed photographs. Typically, Ayres requested specific images that he found published either in a company’s promotional materials in Fortune magazine. Ayres also made an effort to contact companies that exhibited at the Century of Progress International Exposition, the world's fair held in Chicago, Illinois, in 1933. Many of the companies that listed as exhibitors in the Official Guide Book of the Fair sent photographs to the Business Historical Society.

Professor Donald Hills Davenport, Associate Professor of Business Statistics at the Harvard Business School, also played a key role in the growth of the photograph collection. Professor Davenport collected photographs that illustrated the human factor in industry. Davenport’s guiding purpose was building a foundation for better understanding of industrial relations, as he believed most students had only a vague concept of manpower in industry. Like Frank Ayres, Davenport acquired photographs from specific companies and from Fortune magazine.

Donor companies typically sent groups of photographs that illustrated their activities during the 1920s and early 1930s. Most of the photographs arrived in 1933 and 1934. In the March 1932 (Vol. VI, No. 2) and May 1934 (Vol. VIII, No. 3) issues, the Bulletin of the Business Historical Society published articles describing the photographs and their use at Harvard Business School. By 1936, Frank Ayres stopped actively collecting photographs for the Business Historical Society. The number of incoming photographs declined, although donations were received until the early 1940s.

From the guide to the Industrial Life Photograph Collection, ca. 1920-1941, (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)

The First National Automobile Show was held in November 1900 in New York City’s Madison Square Garden . More than 40,000 visitors viewed displays of automobiles, parts and accessories presented by fifty-one exhibitors. The New York show was held each year thereafter until World War II. Automobile manufacturers displayed their latest models and newly available accessories, emphasizing new features in design and engineering. Automobile shows were increasingly held in other large cities across the United States. The manufacturers produced promotional materials and press kits, to herald the release of their newest models. These kits, which commonly included publicity photographs, were distributed to members of the press for use in the automotive sections of morning and evening newspapers. In the early 1940s, as automobile manufacturers shifted production to military vehicles and equipment, promotional materials depicted the war work being done by the manufacturers.

During the 1930s, the Business Historical Society actively collected industrial photographs for deposit in Baker Library . Charles H. Taylor, treasurer of the Boston Globe and a founding member of the Business Historical Society, and J. T. Sullivan, automotive editor and writer for the Boston Globe, assisted the BHS in these efforts. From 1932 through the early 1940s, Taylor and Sullivan provided the Business Historical Society with a large collection of photographs and printed materials illustrating the efforts of automobile manufacturers to promote their new vehicles of the 1930s and early 1940s.

From the guide to the Automobile Industry Photograph Collection, ca. 1931-1944 (bulk 1936-1942), (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)