Title: Rayovac Records
Inclusive Dates: 1907-2004 (bulk 1920s-1990s)

Creator:

• Rayovac

Call Number: Mss 1170; Audio 1727A; PH 628; PH 3796; PH 6807; CC 665-CC 666; VBC 445; VHB 814-VHB 820; Micro 917; M82-059

Quantity: 4.8 cubic feet (10 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 12 oversize folders), 1 reel of microfilm (35 mm), 0.8 cubic feet of photographs, transparencies and negatives (2 archives boxes, 1 folder, and 3 oversize folders), 2 audio recordings, 3 disc recordings, 2 reels of film (16 mm), and 8 videorecordings; plus additions of 1.0 cubic foot (2 archives boxes and 1 flat box)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of the Rayovac corporation, mainly from the 1920s to the 1990s, a battery company founded as the French Battery and Carbon Company in 1906, with Rayovac currently a subsidiary of Spectrum Brands. The collection contains advertising materials, product development drawings, financial statements and audits, employee newsletters and records of a women’s employee club, a small amount of correspondence and directors meeting minutes, some legal documents, and various compiled histories of the company including interviews. The product development drawings include sketches from original concept to final design drawings – most notably for hearing aid battery dispensers. The advertising materials include: sheet music and other documents for the Ray-O-Vac Twins; golfer Arnold Palmer's hearing aid battery promotions; and basketball player Michael Jordan's campaigns. The legal documents relate to several cases from the 1950s with other battery companies over Rayovac's “leak proof” battery design and trademark.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01170

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The French Battery and Carbon Company was founded in 1906 by James Bowen Ramsey in Madison, Wisconsin. The company produced batteries for portable radios, ignition batteries, and batteries for flashlights as well as producing flashlights under the trade name “French Flasher.” In the 1930s the company changed its name to Ray-O-Vac (eventually shortened to Rayovac) based on their best-selling dry cell batteries chiefly used for vacuum tube radios.

Rayovac was responsible for several innovations including the first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid and the first “leak proof” dry cell battery. During the Great Depression Rayovac expanded their products to include waxes, polishes, shaving cream, and a “creme-freezer” for making frozen desserts. During World War II Rayovac supplied the United States Military with batteries to power gear such as radios, walkie-talkies, and mine detectors.

Rayovac brought lawsuits against several battery companies for patent infringement regarding their patent for “leak proof” batteries. While Rayovac was successful against the patent infringement suits, they did not win the trademark lawsuits for the use of the term “leak proof.”

Rayovac acquired and merged with several other battery companies during its long history including the Electric Storage Battery Company (ESB Incorporated). At the turn of the 21st century Rayovac decided to diversify and acquired many non-battery companies including Remington, United Pet Group, United Industries, and hardware companies such as Pfister and Stanley. In 2004 corporate headquarters were relocated from Madison to Atlanta, Georgia; however by 2014 the headquarters were moved back to Wisconsin. In 2009 Spectrum Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection emerging from bankruptcy later that same year.

Historical Information

1906	French Battery and Carbon Company, founded in Madison, Wisconsin
1910	First sale of flashlight batteries
1914	First sale of flashlights, under trade name “French Flasher”
1920	Trademarks Ray-O-Spark for ignition batteries
1921	Trademarks Ray-O-Lite for flashlights Trademarks Ray-O-Vac for dry batteries, chiefly used for vacuum tube radios
1928	Invention of the plug-in radio slows sales of radio batteries
1933	Patent of first portable radio with high fidelity reception Products added during Great Depression:waxes, polishes, shaving cream, and a ”creme-freezer” for making frozen desserts
1934	French Battery Company renamed Ray-O-Vac (eventually shortened to Rayovac)
1937	Patent for the first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid
1939	Invention and patent for Leak Proof “sealed in steel” dry cell battery
1941-1945	Supplies United States Military during World War II with batteries to power gear such as radios, walkie-talkies, mine detectors, etc.
1949	Ray-O-Vac introduces crown cell alkaline batteries for hearing aids and the steel Sportsman flashlight
1956	Ray-O-Vac lists stock on New York Stock Exchange
1957	Ray-O-Vac merger with Electric Storage Battery Company (eventually shortened to ESB Incorporated)
1964	Federal Trade Commission requires Ray-O-Vac to discontinue use of trademark “Leak Proof” Introduction of “Factory Seal” to avoid accidental discharge and to keep used and unused batteries from being intermixed
1971	Patent for silver oxide button cells
1972	Introduction of all zinc chloride general-purpose battery with double the life
1977	Patent for divalent silver oxide cell – more power in a thinner battery
1988	Introduction of new computer clock battery for personal computers
1993	Introduction of “Renewal,” a reusable, long-life alkaline battery
1995	Michael Jordan becomes spokesperson for Renewable Reusable Alkaline Batteries and Power Station chargers
1996	Thomas H. Lee Company acquires Rayovac
2003	Rayovac acquires Remington Products Company
2004	Relocates corporate headquarters from Madison, Wisconsin to Atlanta, Georgia (eventually moves corporate headquarters back to Middleton, Wisconsin)
2005	Rayovac changes name to Spectrum Brands – with the battery and flashlight lines still under the Rayovac trademark

For more information see the History of Rayovac series in the collection as well as the Rayovac website:
http://www.rayovac.com/Learning/History.aspx
and the Spectrum Brands website:
http://www.spectrumbrands.com/AboutUs/History.aspx

The records of the Rayovac corporation, while incomplete, cover the company’s progression through the twentieth century:from its beginnings as the French Battery and Carbon Company mostly supplying batteries for radios and flashlights; inventions of a “leak proof” battery design, and of the first wearable vacuum tube hearing aid and hearing aid batteries; and their introduction of a rechargeable battery. The records contain company histories; some administrative files; financial yearly reports most extensively from the 1930s through the 1950s; a wide range of employee newsletters, as well as fliers, memos and other documents from a women employees’ club; and documents relating to the various product lines including product development, advertising materials, and product pamphlets. The collection also includes many photographs of employees and factories, audio recordings used for training, and films and video. Many of the records include acquisitions paperwork from Rayovac’s attempts at collecting materials from past employees for their corporate archives.

The HISTORY OF RAYOVAC series contain several attempts through the years to record the company’s history, usually in time to celebrate a company milestone. The “History of Rayovac,” is a lengthy typed timeline of company activities from 1906 through 1972; whereas the “Company History and General Reference Materials” is a scrapbook of compiled reports with organizational charts, clippings, and diagrams. Also included is a booklet published to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.

To celebrate 75 years, Rayovac commissioned Ken Ruble to interview former employees including those who spent 40-50 years with the company as well as the attorney who handled Rayovac business as outside counsel. Included are Ruble’s typed notes for these interviews. The interviews were used by Ruble to write The Rayovac Story published by the North Central Publishing Company in 1981.

Also included in the History of Rayovac series are two films: Inside Story (1941) on how a Rayovac “leak proof” battery is made; and battery production in 1951 at the Madison Plant.

The ADMINISTRATIVE FILES series is divided into four subseries: Correspondence, Directors Meeting Minutes, Legal Cases, and Yearly Reports.

There is a small amount of correspondence including letters and postcards relating to merchandising of products in the 1920s, letters from William Fisher including his relocation from Texas to Chicago in 1928, and supervisors’ letters from 1953 to 1955. Also included are “jobber” reports, advertisements, and expense accounts.

The Directors meeting minutes cover two runs – from 1907 to 1924 and from 1951 to 1957. The minutes include resolutions, inventories, organizational charts and financial statements. These minutes are also available on microfilm (Micro 917).

The documents in the Legal Cases section concern several cases about Rayovac’s “leak proof” dry cell batteries, invented by one of their engineers in 1939. Included are documents from patent infringement cases brought by Rayovac against General Dry Batteries Inc., and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In addition, are memos concerning the cases brought against Rayovac for use of the term “leak proof” in both patent and trademark court cases.

The Yearly Reports, 1942-1947, published for employees, highlight the company’s activities during and after World War II. The FINANCIAL RECORDS series contains end of the year reports for much of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, covering the years of the Great Depression, World War II, and the post war period. During this time Rayovac experience significant growth with its invention of a “leak proof” battery as well as a large government contract to supply batteries to troops during WWII. There is also an audit report from 1910, a balance sheet from 1927, a few expense reports from 1927 and 1929, and a defective batteries credit form book from 1926.

The EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTERS series contains various publications produced for the employees and subsidiaries of Rayovac (and predecessor French Battery and Carbon Company) from 1919 to 1999. The longest and most complete runs are Ray-O-Lite News (1919-1926), News from Home (1925-1928) and Sparks (1945-1972). The newsletters cover news from the company, employee activities, and even recipes and contests. Also included are a few non-Rayovac newsletters as well as a few from Rayovac’s onetime parent company ESB Inc.

The GIRLS ACTIVITY CLUB series, 1949-1973, contains the records of a women’s employee association in Madison. The documents include information on various outings, luncheons and dinners, flowers given to each female employee on her birthday, and the association budget.

The PRODUCTS series is further divided into three subseries: Products Development, Advertising Materials, and Product Pamphlets.

The Products Development subseries, mainly from the 1960s with a few documents from the 1970s and 1980s, are mostly drawings of hearing aid batteries and their dispensers from inception to final design.

The Advertising Materials cover advertising for the company from 1916 through 2004: from full page ads in magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, newsletters to businesses selling their products, a sales pitch circa 1929, The Ray-O-Vac Twins, and ad campaigns set around television shows and movies, as well as sports celebrities.

The Ray-O-Vac Twins, Billy Sheehan and Russ Wildey (not in fact twins), were sponsored by Rayovac and performed on radio and vaudeville throughout the United States from around 1925 to 1928. The collection includes photographs and sheet music featuring pictures of the “twins.”

Celebrity sponsors include golfers Andy North and Arnold Palmer, football player Terry Bradshaw, comedian George Burns, and basketball star Michael Jordan. There were also advertising and product tie-ins with Sesame Street, the movies Gremlins and Space Jam, and the Special Olympics.

The Advertising Materials also include a comic book from 1952 Captain Ray-O-Vac’s Adventure and Game Book, commercial storyboards and mock-ups, and videos with examples of television commercials.

The Product Pamphlets include operating manuals and information packets on batteries and radios from the 1920s and the 1980s or 1990s.

The PHOTOGRAPHS series, 1908-1990s, includes photographs, and some slides and negatives. Early photographs depict employees working in various parts of the factory including the lab, assembly and shipping. They also depict employees at company social events such as a panorama taken of employees at the company picnic in 1919 and a Rayovac day at a Milwaukee Braves game. Photographs also include various factories in Wisconsin including Madison, Appleton, Fond du Lac, and the Signal Battery Company in Milwaukee. Many of the early photographs were taken by Photoart House of Madison, Wisconsin.

In the collection there are also many photographs taken during World War II, during which Rayovac had many government contracts. One group of images depict the factories on the home front, many depicted white and black women working in the factories. Another group of images include official photographs taken by the United States Army depicting radios, flashlights and other equipment being used. One of these photographs show two Japanese-American men serving in Italy, using a flashlight to fix another piece of equipment.

The AUDIO RECORDINGS series, circa 1950s and 1986, contains mostly employee orientation and training materials. A set of three training and sales discs recorded in the 1950s have periodic “beeps” suggesting the existence of slide shows, which are not found in the collection. There is also an employee orientation recording from 1986 and the audio for film on battery production at the Madison Plant from 1951.

The UNPROCESSED MATERIALS include advertisement scrapbooks, brochures, sale literature, several company histories, annual reports, and conference and sales reports. Many of these materials complement and/or duplicate materials found in the rest of the collection.

The Rayovac records have been arranged into nine series: HISTORY OF RAYOVAC, ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, FINANCIAL RECORDS, EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTERS, “GIRLS ACTIVITY CLUB,” PRODUCTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AUDIO RECORDINGS, and UNPROCESSED MATERIALS.

Ray-O-Vac Federal Labor Union No. 19587, Madison, Wisconsin, Records (U.S. Mss 57A)

Max Onsager Papers (M90-307)

Zieger, Robert H. Ray-O-Vac Interview Papers (M81-711)

Interviews with Evelyn Gotzion:

• Dane County Labor Oral History Project Interviews (Audio 1075A/11-12)
• Wisconsin Women during World War II Oral History Project Interviews (Mss 844; Audio 1255A/72-73)
• Women of Wisconsin Labor Oral History Project (Audio 1326A)

Acquisition Information

The Rayovac records were donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society by the Rayovac Corporation, now known as Spectrum Brands Inc., in 1982 and on September 13, 2013. Accession Number: M82-058, M82-059, M2014-111

Processing Information

Processed by Alison E. Bridger and SLIS 875-002 class, October 2014.

Mss 1170	Series: History of Rayovac
Box   1 Folder   1-4	“History of Ray-O-Vac,” before 1972
Box   1 Folder   5-8	“Company History and General Reference Materials,” 1950 March
Box   1 Folder   9	50th anniversary booklet, 1956
Box   1 Folder   10	Ray-O-Vac Milestones, 1906-1981
Box   1 Folder   11-16	Interviews by Ken Ruble, 1980s Note: Interviews used by Ruble for publication The Rayovac Story, Madison, Wisconsin: North Central Publishing Company, 1981.
Box   3 Folder   1	Correspondence regarding 75th anniversary and Ken Ruble interviews, 1981
Box   2 Folder   12	Newspaper clippings, 1950s
Box   2 Folder   13	Conference agenda, 1968
CC 665	Inside Story, 1941 Physical Description: 18 minutes: black and white; 16 mm archival positive film  Note VHS user copy assigned call number VHB 820. Produced by Ray-O-Vac.
CC 666	Battery Production at the Madison Plant, 1951 September Physical Description: approximately 20 minutes: silent, color; 16 mm film  Note: Produced by Ray-O-Vac Company.
1727A/1	Audio for battery production film, 1951 Physical Description: 18 minutes; reel to reel
Mss 1170	Series: Administrative Files	⇧
	Subseries: Correspondence
Box   2 Folder   1	Merchandizing correspondence from French Battery and Carbon Company, Madison, Wisconsin, 1920-1926
Box   2 Folder   2	1925-1929
Box   2 Folder   4	Supervisors' letters, 1953-1965
PH 6807 Box   1 Folder   18	Mailing label, undated
Mss 1170	Subseries: Directors Meeting Minutes Note: Also available as Micro 917.	⇧
Box   3 Folder   2	1907 December 21-1921 December 8
Box   2 Folder   5-6	1921 December 21-1924 December 19
Box   2 Folder   7-9	1951 January 25-1954 December 31
Box   2 Folder   10-11	1955 January-1957 November
	Subseries: Legal Cases	⇧
Box   3 Folder   3	Patent fight with Goodyear over “leak proof” design, 1941
Box   3 Folder   4	List of exhibits for case before the Examiner of Trademark Interferences, circa 1953
Box   3 Folder   5	“Ray-O-Vac” exhibit book 1, exhibit 1-25 inclusive, 105 and 107
Box   3 Folder   6-7	“Leak proof” memos, 1950s
	Subseries: Yearly Reports	⇧
Box   3 Folder   8	Employee annual reports, 1942-1947
	Series: Financial Records	⇧
Box   4 Folder   1	Audit report, 1910
Box   4 Folder   2	Balance sheet at December 31, 1927 and statement of profit and loss accounts for the two years that date together with auditors' certificate, 1927 December 31
Box   4 Folder   3-5	Auditors' report, 1930-1932, 1934-1943
Box   4 Folder   6-7	Consolidated financial statements, 1938, 1941, 1954-1957
Box   4 Folder   8	Detailed report, 1944
Box   4 Folder   9	Financial statements (after renegotiation), 1944
Box   4 Folder   10	Financial statements with auditors' certificate, 1945
Box   4 Folder   11-12	Financial statements with auditors' report, 1945-1946, 1948-1949
Box   5 Folder   1-2	Financial statements with auditors' report, 1950-1953
Box   2 Folder   3	Expense reports, 1927, 1929
Box   2 Folder   14	Defective batteries credit, form #472, 1926
	Series: Employee Newsletters Note: Not all newsletters have a complete run of issues.	⇧
Box   5 Folder   3	The French Flasher, 1919-1920
Box   7 Folder   1-3	Ray-O-Lite News, 1919-1926
Box   5 Folder   4-6	News from Home / from the Home Office of the French Battery Company, 1925-1928
Box   5 Folder   7	Ray-O-News, 1939-1940
Box   5 Folder   8	Madison's World / Ray-O-Vac, 1944-1945
Box   5 Folder   9	Scoops, 1950-1953
Box   6 Folder   1-6	Sparks, 1945-1972
Box   5 Folder   10	The Beacon: Employees' Magazine, 1973 June
Box   5 Folder   11	The Ray-O-Vac Forum, 1977 June
Box   5 Folder   12	Inside Rayovac, 1998-1999
Box   5 Folder   13	ESB Incorporated publications, 1967-1978
Box   5 Folder   14	Cellette / by RMR Corporation, 1945 May-July
Box   5 Folder   15	The Mil-Walkie-Talkie / by, for and about employees of Signal Battery Company, 1944-1945
Box   5 Folder   16	The Spark / published by the Employees of War Battery Company, Kansas City, Missouri, 1945
	Series: “Girls Activity Club” Note: Organization for women employees of Rayovac.	⇧
Box   8 Folder   1-3	1949-1955
Box   8 Folder   4-8	1955-1963
Box   8 Folder   9-11	1964-1973
	Series: Products	⇧
	Subseries: Product Development
Box   9 Folder   1	Information about product drawings
Box   9 Folder   2	Dispenser #212 drawings, 1961 January 31
Box   9 Folder   3	Hearing aid battery dispenser product drawings, 1963-1967
Box   9 Folder   4-5	Product design, project #988 - 212 Hearing aid dispenser, circa 1964-1968
Box   9 Folder   6	Hearing aid battery dispenser drawings, 1965 October 26
Box   9 Folder   7	Product sketches and engineering drawings, 1967 June-September
Box   9 Folder   8	Hearing aid battery dispenser drawings, 1967 June 28-30
Box   9 Folder   9-11	Hearing aid battery dispenser drawings, 1967 July 31
Box   9 Folder   12	Product sketches, 1967 October 18
Box   9 Folder   13	Hearing aid battery dispenser drawings, 1968? March 29
Box   9 Folder   14	Project #988 Hearing aid cell dispensers, 1969 December 8
Box   9 Folder   15	Product sketches, 1977? November 30
Box   9 Folder   16	Product drawings: photocopies, 1985 January 25
Oversize Folder   1	Hearing aid battery dispenser concept art, color, 1965-1968
	Subseries: Advertising Materials	⇧
Oversize Folder   2	“French Flasher” advertisements, circa 1916
Box   10 Folder   1	The Ray-O-Vac Merchandiser newsletter, 1923-1930
Box   11 Folder   1	French Battery Company Advertising: scrapbook, 1925
Box   11 Folder   2-3	Advertisements, The Saturday Evening Post, circa 1925-circa 1928
PH 3796 Oversize Folder   1	Advertisements, The Saturday Evening Post, 1927, 1929
Mss 1170 Box   11 Folder   3	Advertisements, The Country Gentleman, 1928 April
	Ray-O-Vac Twins
Box   11 Folder   5	Sheet music, 1925-1927 Note Deed I Do / by Walter Hirsch, Fred Rose, copyright 1926 Dream Kisses / words by Jack Yellen, music by M.K. Jerome, copyright 1927 I Wish You Were Jealous of Me / words and music by Earl Haubrich and Glen Rowel, copyright 1926 My Pal Jerry / by Fred Rose, copyright 1926 Tie Me to Your Apron Strings Again / words by Joe Goodwin, music by Larry Shay, copyright 1925
PH 6807 Box   1 Folder   7	Photographs, 1920s
Oversize Folder   1	Capitol Theater Note: Includes information on Ray-O-Vac Twins and theater.
Mss 1170 Box   9 Folder   17	“Do You Sell Flash Lights?” The Texas Druggist, Vol. 49, No. 2, Forney Texas, p. 30, 1928 March
Box   9 Folder   18	Sales pitch, circa 1929?
Oversize Folder   4	Magazine advertising schedule, circa 1929-1930
Box   9 Folder   22	Product packaging, mockups, circa 1920s
Box   11 Folder   6	Radio “B” battery, 1928 August 8
	Product specs and ads, circa 1930s
Box   9 Folder   19	Flashlights
Box   9 Folder   20	Ignition and telephone
Box   9 Folder   21	Radio
Box   9 Folder   23	Captain Ray-O-Vac's Adventure and Game Book, 1952
Box   10 Folder   3	Advertising supplement, Capital Times and Wisconsin State Journal, 1967 May 26-27
Box   11 Folder   8	Commercial storyboards, 1980 August 8
Box   11 Folder   9	Terry Bradshaw ad campaign mock-up, 1980
Box   11 Folder   8	George Burns ad campaign mock-up, 1982
Oversize Folder   10	Special Olympics/Wisconsin Tourism ad campaign mock-ups, 1983
	Gremlins movie ad campaign, 1984
Box   11 Folder   10	Mock-ups
Oversize Folder   6	Mock-ups (continued)
Oversize Folder   11	Mock-ups (continued)
Box   11 Folder   9	Sesame Street ad campaign mock-up, 1986
Box   10 Folder   4	Trademarks: drawings, after 1986
Box   10 Folder   5-6	Rayovac Andy North Invitational for the Benefit of Special Olympics, circa 1986-1994
	Hearing aid battery ad campaigns
Oversize Folder   7	General, 1987, 1989
Box   9 Folder   24	Arnold Palmer, 1980s-1990s
Oversize Folder   7	Arnold Palmer, circa 1990-1993
VHB 816	Proline Better Hearing video with Arnold Palmer Physical Description: VHS
VHB 815	Power Up1988-1989 ad campaign, 1988 July 8 Physical Description: VHS
VHB 814	Chamber of Commerce, 1989 January 30 Physical Description: VHS
Mss 1170	Michael Jordan ad campaigns
Box   11 Folder   11-13	1990s
Oversize Folder   8-9	Mock-ups, 1990s
Oversize Folder   12	Mock-ups, 1990s (continued)
Oversize Folder   12	Posters, 1990s
Box   10 Folder   7	Space Jam campaign, 1995
PH 6807 Box   1 Folder   17	Space Jam story board slides, circa 1995
VHB 817	Sales meeting with Michael Jordan, 1995 May 9 Physical Description: VHS
VHB 818	Renewal with Michael Jordan, 1995 November 7 Physical Description: VHS
VHB 819	Jordan announcement, undated Physical Description: VHS
Mss 1170 Box   11 Folder   14	Rayovac Lifestyles, circa 2003-2004
	General advertisements
Box   11 Folder   4	1920s-1940s
Oversize Folder   3	circa 1929-1930
Box   10 Folder   2	1930s
Oversize Folder   5	1940s
Box   11 Folder   7	1980s-1990s
VBC 445	Commercials, undated Physical Description: 3/4-inch U-Matic
Mss 1170	Subseries: Product Pamphlets	⇧
Box   9 Folder   25	French Ray-O-Vac Radio Operating Manual and Broadcasting Station Directory, copyright 1925
Box   9 Folder   26	Radio batteries, 1920s
Box   9 Folder   27	Miscellaneous pamphlets, 1920s
Box   9 Folder   28	“A Visit to Ray-O-Vac,” undated
Box   9 Folder   29	“What is a Battery?”
Box   9 Folder   30	“Household Batteries and the Environment”: pamphlet, 1980s or 1990s?
Box   9 Folder   31	Facts about Storage Batteries / Exide Sales, Automotive Division, 1961
PH 6807	Series: Photographs	⇧
Box   1 Folder   1	French Battery and Carbon Company staff, 1908
Oversize Folder   2	“Employes [sic] of French Battery and Carbon Co.,” 1916 September 1
Oversize Folder   2	“French Battery & Carbon Co. Picnic, Bernard's Park,” 1919 June 28
Box   1 Folder   2-3	First factory, 1910s-1920s
Box   1 Folder   4	Female employees, 1919-1926
Box   1 Folder   5	Office staff, 1920s-1960s
Oversize Folder   1	Luncheon, 1950s
Box   1 Folder   6	Labs, 1920s
Box   1 Folder   7	Ray-O-Vac Twins, 1920s
Oversize Folder   1	Capitol Theater and the Ray-O-Vac Twins, 1928
PH 628	French Battery and Carbon Company, Madison, Wisconsin / photographs by Photoart House of Madison, Wisconsin, circa 1921 Note Wrapping flashlight batteries Assembling dry batteries Another view of sealing dept. Sealing dept. Making tubes Making zink [sic] tubes Making tests Corner of laboratory Dining room for employes [sic] Part view of office Front view of main building
PH 3796 Box 1 Folder 1	French Battery and Carbon Company, Madison, Wisconsin factory / photographs by Photoart House of Madison, Wisconsin, 1926
Box 1 Folder 2	World War II, circa 1941-1945 Note: Includes official United States Army photographs.
PH 6807 Box   1 Folder   8-9	Rayovac and Signal Battery companies during World War II
Box   1 Folder   10	“Sparks” EEs socializing, 1940s-1950s
Box   1 Folder   11	Plant interiors and employees, circa 1954
Box   1 Folder   12	Madison plant operations, 1955 Note: Mostly black and white prints taken by The Port of New York Authority. Also includes a few negatives.
Oversize Folder   1	Zinc Can Manufacturing Plant, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, undated
Oversize Folder   1	Plant interiors, undated
Box   1 Folder   13	Rayovac day at Milwaukee Braves game, circa 1953-1965
Box   1 Folder   14	Appleton plant color slides, 1973-1974
Box   1 Folder   15-16	Madison plant insurance valuation photos, 1982
Box   1 Folder   17	Advertising storyboard slides, circa 1990s
PH 3796 Box 1 Folder 3	Products, circa 1949
Box 1 Folder 4	Portraits, 1930s-1970s
Box 1 Folder 5	Groups, including Ray-O-Vac Twins, 1930s-1970s
Box 1 Folder 6	Miscellaneous, circa 1950s-1960s
Audio 1727A	Series: Audio Recordings	⇧
1727A/1	Battery production at the Madison Plant, 1951 September Physical Description: 18 minutes; reel to reel  Note: Audio to be played with film: CC 666.
1727A/2	Employee orientation, 1986 Physical Description: Cassette tape
	Training and Sales Physical Description: 16-inch discs, 33 1/3 rpm  Note: Discs originally to be played with slide shows (not in collection).
1727A/3	Ray-O-Vac Company presents “Background for Leadership” sales version
1727A/4	Ray-O-Vac Company presents “More Life in a Padded Cell” sales version
1727A/5	The Story of Ray-O-Vac (training version); first copy
M82-059	Series: Unprocessed Materials	⇧
Box 1 Folder 1	"History of Ray-O-Vac Company," before 1966
Box 1 Folder 2	The Rayovac Story: The First 75 Years / by Kenneth D. Ruble, 1981
Box 1 Folder 3	Annual reports, by-laws, organization structure, 1938-1966
Box 1 Folder 4	General sales conferences, 1951-1957
Box 1 Folder 5	Sales catalogs, 1920s-1960s
Box 1 Folder 6	Trademarks, patents, 1920s-1950s
Box 1 Folder 7	Carl "Doc" Swenson, 1965-1967
Box 1 Folder 8	"Current Industrial Report Dry Cell Batteries and Cases," 1961
Box 1 Folder 9	Rayovac collection, 1990
Box 1 Folder 10	Miscellaneous publications, 1920s-1980s
Box 1 Folder 11	News clippings and miscellaneous, 1920s-1950s
Box 2 Folder 1-2	Catalogue and price pages, 1921-1926
Box 2 Folder 3	"Ray-O-Lite Sales Idea Book," circa 1924
Box 3	Scrapbooks with advertisements, 1920s-1940s