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Friedberg collection of business cards & ephemera

Call Number

PR 350

Date

circa 1880s-2017, inclusive

Creator

Friedberg, Neal M.

Extent

6 Linear feet in six record cartons

Language of Materials

Most of the collection is in English. Many of the cards are in French or in Asian languages.

Abstract

The Friedberg collection largely includes business cards dating from about 1982 to 2017. There are also a substantial number of trade cards and business cards dating from circa late 1800s through the early decades of the twentieth century. These cards cover a wide number of businesses, non-profits, governmental bodies, and educational institutions. The subject matter ranges widely and includes, among many others, restaurants, artists, galleries, antiques, jewelry, books, and clothing. New York City organizations are a significant component of the collection, but the geographic scope is much broader and includes both other parts of the United States and several international areas, perhaps especially western Europe and Asia.

Biographical/Historical Note

In the early 1980s, Dr. Neal M. Friedberg noted that many commercial interests gave away business cards that were beautifully designed with interesting calligraphy, unique pictures or interesting products. He consequently began to collect them. He followed various practices, which evolved over time. Initially, he emphasized that the card include an address, though he eventually relaxed that requirement. He also typically dated the acquisition on the reverse, in part in recognition of the transiency of the business identified on the card. He attempted to acquire the card of succeeding businesses at a particular location, sometimes juxtaposing them in his collection. As the collection grew, he organized much of it into categories he defined. Also, while he collected the majority of the cards directly himself, a small number of other individuals contributed sets of cards tied to particular subject areas. Recognizing the connection between his collection and that of New-York Historical Society's Bella Landauer collection, Dr. Friedberg and his wife, Dorothy, who also acquired cards for the collection, donated it in 2017 to N-YHS.

(The above note is based on information provided by Dr. Friedberg in a letter to curator Marilyn Kushner at the time the collection was donated.)

Arrangement Note

The collection remains organized in the original categories as established and presented to N-YHS by the collector/donor, and those categories are reflected in the container list/folder labels. The original collection was housed in plastic enclosures held in 59 3-ring binders, but for preservation purposes the enclosures were removed to archival folders. However, the original enclosures remain and, with minor exception, are presented as compiled by the collector.

Generally, the container list presents the subject matter in the following order: the content of binders that held single, major topical areas (restaurants, artists, etc.); followed by content of binders holding a variety of smaller topical areas, arranged alphabetically; then binders with a geographic emphasis; and closing with the content of binders that were not categorized by the collector/donor.

Scope and Contents

The collection largely includes business cards dating from about 1982, when Dr. Friedberg began collecting, to 2017, when he and his wife donated the collection to New-York Historical Society. These cards cover a wide number of businesses, non-profits, governmental bodies, and educational institutions. The container list identifies the many subject areas of the cards, which include restaurants, artists, galleries, antiques, jewelry, books, clothing, and much more. Although New York City organizations are a significant component of the collection, the geographic scope is much broader and includes both other parts of the United States and several international areas, perhaps especially western Europe (England, France) and Asia.

In addition to the contemporary business cards, the collection holds a substantial number of trade cards and business cards dating from circa late 1800s through the early decades of the twentieth century. A large pocket of these can be found toward the end of the container list in the "New York City" folder and in portions of the collections not categorized by the collector. But these earlier cards can be found interspersed with the contemporary cards in most of the subject areas. The container list notes the subject areas where at least several trade or other earlier business cards can be found, but it likely does not note them all.

Given the size of the collection and the difficulty of determining dates for the cards, a date range is not included at the folder level in the container list. Generally, researchers can anticipate that the cards in most folders will date from the 1980s-2010s, with some 19th century items, but this could not be ascertained with enough certainty during processing to include at that detailed level.

The collection holds a small number of items that are not trade or business cards but are other forms of ephemera, such as postcards, bookmarks, or personal cards (e.g., calling cards or a modern equivalent). A few photographs, specifically ten cartes-de-visite and one cabinet card, are in the collection.

Access Restrictions

Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.

The collection is held in the original sheets of plastic enclosures as compiled and categorized by the collector/donor. The bulk of the collection includes two items, back to back, per pouch. While this provides a view of the front of the cards, information or images on the reverse are obscured. This enclosure also prevents the ability to open those cards that have interior views. Researchers are not permitted to remove cards from the enclosures; should they need to view an item outside of the enclosure, they will need to ask the reference librarian for assistance for each item. Items will only be removed from the enclosure by the reference librarian at their discretion and the removal of only a limited, select number of items can be accommodated during any one visit.

Use Restrictions

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org, 212-485-9228.

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as the Friedberg Collection of Business Cards & Ephemera, PR 350, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition Note

Gift of Neal and Dorothy Friedberg, December 2017.

Collection processed by

Larry Weimer

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:16 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information Note

The collection was processed by archivist Larry Weimer in February 2018, with assistance from volunteers Carol Reisner and Alison Barr.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024