Detroit Publishing Company collection
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Abstract
Founded in the 1890s by Edwin H. Husher and William A. Livingstone, Jr., the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the largest image publishers in the world, producing prints, postcards, lantern slides and advertisements.
Historical Note
Founded in the 1890s by Edwin H. Husher and William A. Livingstone, Jr., the Detroit Photographic Company was one of the largest image publishers in the world, producing prints, postcards, lantern slides and advertisements. Obtaining the exclusive rights to the Swiss developed Photochrom process (also known as Aac), the company was able to convert black and white photographs into vivid color prints. The process, unlike hand colored images, was a photomechanical process allowing images to be mass-produced. The lithographic prints required a separate stone for each color, using four to fourteen stones per image. Guided by notes the photographers took describing each scene, the company attempted to create realistic color prints.
The Detroit Photographic Company built its image files by sending out its own photographers, as well as by purchasing the work of other photographers. This included purchasing thousands of negatives from landscape photographer William Henry Jackson. In 1897, Jackson became a partner in the company, continuing to photograph for himself and the firm.
In 1905 the Detroit Photographic Company changed its name to the Detroit Publishing Company. Along with sales from its printed products, the company offered its services to other companies to produce sales literature, catalogs and promotional material as well as producing souvenirs for the tourist industry. At the height of its success, the Detroit Publishing Company employed over forty artisans and more than a dozen traveling salesman, selling millions of prints annually. However, with the development of new, cheaper printing methods used by competing companies and declining sales during World War I, the company went out of business and was liquidated in 1932.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in four series by format, then arranged alphabetically within each series by geographic location or subject.
Scope and Contents
The Detroit Publishing Company Collection spans the period from ca. 1885-1905 and primarily contains photochroms of various locations around the United States, Canada, Cuba and Mexico. The collection is divided into four series: 5 x 7 Inch Prints; 7 x 9 Inch Prints; Mounted Prints; Panoramic Prints.
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
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. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: Detroit Publishing Company Collection, PR 272, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Howard Gottlieb, December 26, 2007.