Stories From The Stacks

Dr. David Kinkela (professor of history at the State University of New York: Fredonia) discusses the history of plastics and plastic ocean waste. Kinkela traces the impact of plastic products from their initial stages of development and advertisement as a new modern convenience to the realization that the world's oceans are full of floating pieces of plastic garbage.

In this episode, Nicholas Osborne discusses the history of savings banks in America that served the emerging middle class in the nineteenth century. He traces the difference between how these banks were supposed to encourage their customers to handle their money and how they actually did. More at hagley.org

Dr. Ana Maria Otero-Cleves (assistant professor at the University of the Andes in Bogota, Colombia) discusses her use of correspondence from the Lanman and Kemp company and their business deals with Latin America, especially Colombia.

Eva McGraw (Ph.D. candidate in art history at CUNY) discusses her research on the Civil War naval art of Xanthus Smith. Smith painted naval engagements of the Civil War and during the war he was a sailor and the personal secretary of Samuel Francis du Pont. Smith tried to make his naval engagement paintings as accurate as possible, he did this by corresponding with the officers of the ships that he painted. Many of his works featured then new ironclad ships.

Jesse Tarbert discusses a time in the 1920s when good government meant big government. He explains how the Republican party sought to make the federal government run like a large corporation while the Democrats attempted to keep the federal government small and state level government strong. Tarbert is a Ph.D. candidate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Roger Horowitz discusses at the Hagley Museum and Library the history of modern kosher food and the growth and development of the kosher food industry in the 20th century. In explaining how Coke became kosher he talks about how rabbis used Jewish law and modern chemistry to determine what food products were kosher and how food manufacturers could change their ingredients and methods to adhere to Jewish dietary law. Horowitz also discusses the mass appeal of kosher foods to non-Jewish consumers. He cites a statistic that at one time only one quarter of kosher food purchasers were Jewish. Horowitz concludes with a brief section on kosher meat production and how the output of a once large industry has become a specialty product due to issues of economy and changes in the meat industry. Throughout the lecture Horowitz discusses his own family history and personal background, having grown up in an observant Jewish household.

Dr. Conn discusses his research into the history of American business schools. He talks about how he is using Hagley's materials to answer questions about how business schools react to economic crises and tensions on college campuses.

Dr. Kaufmann Buhler, an assistant professor of design history at Purdue University, discusses her research into the evolution of open plan offices and her use of trade catalogs from systems furniture manufacturers from Hagley's stacks.

Dr. Christopher Magra, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee specializing in early American history, discusses his research into chocolate in colonial America. He discusses the business papers of Mifflin and Massey at the Hagley Museum and Library and how Mifflin and Massey manufactured and sold chocolate in the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

Dr. Tanaka discusses her research on the correspondence between Pierre-Samuel du Pont de Nemours and Madame Lavoisier and the language of debt (intellectual and financial) in their letters. Dr. Tanaka is an adjunct professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Rachel Lance discusses her use of Lammot du Pont's notes on black powder explosions and how they may relate to her broader research on the sinking of the H.L. Hunley. Rachel Lance is a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering at Duke University. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Dr. Julia Abramson discusses her research into the separation between people's personal lives, their financial lives, where those two things meet and her use of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours' personal letters. Dr. Julia Abramson is professor of the French language and culture at the University of Oklahoma. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Paul Taillon discusses his research on the Pennsylvania Railroad's relationship with organized labor during the 1920s and his use of materials from the Railroad Labor Board and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Taillon is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Auckland. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

In this interview, Jonathan Free discusses his research on the coal industry and the shifting of risk from the miner's bodies on to the surrounding ecosystems and communities and his use of materials from the collections in the Hagley Library. Free is a Phd candidate at Duke University and the Miller Center and Hagley Library Dissertation Fellow in business and politics. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

In this interview, Ai Hisano discusses her project on food color and her use of materials from the collections in the Hagley Library. Ms. Hisano is a PhD Candidate and Hagley Fellow at the University of Delaware. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Wim De Wit discusses his research into industrial design history, and his use of the Thomas Lamb papers and other collections from the Hagley Library for his project. Wim de Wit is adjunct curator for architecture and design at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

In this interview, Dr. Bryce Evans discusses his research into food at the Irish pavillion in the 1939 World's Fair, and his use of materials from the Hagley Library for his project. Dr. Evans is Senior Lecturer in History at Liverpool Hope University. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

In this interview, James Panza discusses his research into the Trailer Train Company, its history and operations, and his use of materials from the Pennsylvania Railroad collection at Hagley Library for his project. Mr. Panza is a retired employee of Trailer Train Company, and member of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Dr. Mariana Saad discusses her research into institutional philanthropy and welfare reform in revolutionary France. She also discusses her use of materials from the du Pont family papers for her project. Dr. Saad is a visiting researcher at Queen Mary University of London. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.

Dr. Yda Schreuder discusses her research into immigrant labor and the leather tanning industry in Wilmington, Delaware, and her use of materials from the Hagley Library for her work. Dr. Schreuder is professor of geography at the University of Delaware. Stories from the Stacks is an ongoing program from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society featuring interviews with researchers who share the excitement of discovering the rich and varied historical materials in the Hagley Library’s collections. Listen to additional episodes at www.hagley.org/storiesfromthestacks.