Exhibit: Corporate Letterhead

The correspondence of the US Consular Service contains a wide range of documents, including myriad letters from American businesses. When I was conducting research at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland this summer, I photographed quite a bit of it, mostly from file 125.064 (American consular offices. Commercial reading and sample rooms.) and dating to 1911 or shortly thereafter. The letterhead can certainly be used as evidence of graphic design, but it also provides insight into many aspects of social and economic history and raises questions for future research. I’ve created an exhibit that presents and interprets some of my best finds. Enjoy!