Summary Information
Pohlman Studios Records
1936-1997
UWM Manuscript Collection 258
- 48.2 cubic ft. (122 boxes)
- 247 nitrate negatives
- 5 digital files (2.23 GB)
UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Pohlman Studios was one of Milwaukee's earliest commercial
photographic studios. The collection consists primarily of negatives as well as some prints
and lantern slides. Most of the images depict industrial and commercial activity in
Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. Images show manufactured products as well as
facilities, people, and processes involved in product creation. Many of the images were used
in product catalogs. Taken in its entirety the collection provides a look at the industrial
and commercial world of southeastern Wisconsin from the Great Depression into the
1990s.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0258
Biography/History
Pohlman Studios was founded in Milwaukee by Arthur E. Pohlman in April 1919. It was one of
Milwaukee's first commercial photography studios. The studio provided services to
advertising agencies, ad and sales promotion departments within companies, public relations
agencies, and many other commercial enterprises. The studio ceased operation in the
1990s.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains nitrate and safety film negatives, some prints, and a few lantern
slides taken by Pohlman Studios, Milwaukee. The negatives range in size from 35mm to 8" x
10". The studio, founded in 1919, specialized in commercial photography. The bulk of the
images were taken in the 1950s-1970s. Many images were used in company catalogs and depict
products manufactured by industrial firms. They also include images of the facilities,
people, and machinery used in the production of industrial goods.
The collection includes images from many prominent regional manufacturers, such as:
Allis-Chalmers (agricultural implements and machinery), Amity Leather Co. (wallets, purses,
etc.), Bear Automotive (automobile repair), Blackhawk Co. (hydraulic jacks), Chain Belt,
Inc. (industrial chains), Evinrude Motors (outboard motors), Falk Corp. (industrial gears),
Globe Union Co. (automobile batteries), J.I. Case (agricultural machinery), Johnson Service
Co. (thermostats), Koehring Co. (cranes), Manpower, Inc. (temporary employment), Master Lock
(padlocks), Milwaukee Electric Tool Co. (power tools), Murphy Diesel Co. (diesel engines),
Oster Manufacturing Co. (small kitchen appliances), Waukesha Engine Co. (diesel engines),
West Bend Co. (stainless steel cookware), and others.
The Blackhawk Manufacturing Company is especially well represented in the collection.
Images of this company range from the 1930s through the 1970s. There are especially fine
images taken during World War II (1941-1945). These photographs document a wide range of
company activities unique to that period: blood drives, bond drives, Red Cross rallies,
special advertising, and labor management committees. They also depict more common
activities such as bowling leagues, holiday parties, sales conventions, and product
images.
The collection contains images Pohlman took for advertising agencies (work for hire). These
images show products as they appeared in print ads. The studio worked with many agencies
including Al Herr, Ads Inc., Andrews-Mautner, Bader-Rutter, E.F. Schmidt Co., Eisenberg
Studios, Geer-Murray Co., Hartwig Display, Hoffman, York, Ken Schmidt, and Ray Klug Studios,
among others.
Pohlman Studios was founded in 1919 and existed until the late 1990s. The collection is
also valuable because it documents the company's existence. It includes images of buildings
that housed the business, studios and sets within those buildings, staff, equipment, and
advertising.
Arrangement of the Materials
Boxes 1-120 contain safety film negatives and prints, arranged by serial numbers assigned
by Pohlman Studios. They are stored in their original paper sleeves. Box 121 contains
lantern slides arranged by serial number order.
Box 122 consists primarily of printed material, i.e. catalogs and recipe books, of
companies that represent a few of Pohlman's clients. Folder two is a list of negatives taken
for the Blackhawk Company between the late 1930s and 1950s. The list is arranged by type of
product.
Other Finding Aids
Detailed description of photographs is provided in a database available in the Archives
Department.
Database Fields
|
Field Name
|
Field Content
|
| Serial Number |
Original number (or range of numbers) assigned by Pohlman. |
| Date |
Date the photograph was taken or developed. |
| Company/Advertising Agency Name |
This information was taken directly from the photograph sleeve. One asterisk
(*) sometimes follows an advertising agency's name, e.g. Bader-Rutter. It means
that the photograph was viewed but the name of the manufacturer of the product was
not evident. Two asterisks (**) follow a company name when that information did
not appear on the sleeve, but was discernible when viewing the photograph. |
| Additional Information |
Information that either appeared on the photograph sleeve or was added by
processing archivists. |
| Box Number |
Number of the box in which items are housed. |
| Form |
The form (physical media) of the photograph or photographs (e.g., safety film
negatives, nitrate negatives, lantern slides, photographic prints). |
Preferred Citation
Citation Guide for
Primary Sources
Related Material in the UWM Libraries
Administrative/Restriction Information
Nitrate negatives are located in cold storage and must be acclimated before delivery to
the reading room. Handling of the lantern slides requires the assistance of an archivist.
There are no other access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all
members of the public in accordance with state law.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin
Statutes 19.21-19.39).
Ron Bates donated the collection to the Archives in 2003 and 2004 (accessions 2003-008,
2003-042, 2003-043, 2003-044, 2003-054, 2003-060, 2003-061).
Will Dodds, Ryan Claringbole, Dan Vinson, Jenny Juno, and Tim Cary processed the
collection in the summer of 2007.
In June 2011, Bob Jaeger removed 339 nitrate negatives from the collection and placed
them with other nitrate negatives.
Contents List
|
Series: Photographs
: Photographs are arranged by a numbering scheme assigned by Pohlman Studios.
: Detailed description of photographs is provided in a database available in the Archives
Department.
|
|
|
Photographs and Safety film negatives
|
|
|
Electronic Folder
\Box 1-120\
|
Digital
5 digital files (2.23 GB)
: Digitized sample of folder
|
|
|
Box
1-120
|
Physical
|
|
|
Box
121
|
Lantern Slides
: Request the assistance of an archivist to view the lantern slides.
|
|
|
4 x 5 Nitrate Box
6
|
Negatives
4" x 5" nitrate negatives
: Nitrate negatives are located in cold storage and must be acclimated before delivery
to the reading room.
|
|
|
5 x 7 Nitrate Box
2
|
Negatives
5" x 7" nitrate negatives
: Nitrate negatives are located in cold storage and must be acclimated before delivery
to the reading room.
|
|
|
8 x 10 Nitrate Box
1
|
Negatives
8" x 10" nitrate negatives
: Nitrate negatives are located in cold storage and must be acclimated before delivery
to the reading room.
|
|
|
Series: Textual Documents
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
1
|
American Dental Cabinet Catalog, 1951
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
2
|
Blackhawk Manufacturing Company Negative Record, circa
1930s-1950s
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
3
|
Kitchen Craft Company, Recipe Book, Informational Brochure, Product Lists,
1945-1947, undated
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
4
|
Laurel Aluminum Ware, Recipe Book, undated
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
5
|
Milwaukee Faucets, Inc. Catalog K-58, undated
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
6
|
Schaefer Brewery Brush Catalog, 1939-1940
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
7
|
Vollrath Company Catalogs, 1940, 1949
|
|
|
Box
122
Folder
8
|
West Bend Aluminum Catalogs, 1947, 1949
|
|
|
