Inventory of the Paul Bunyan Campaign Collection, 1950s
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: In the 1950s, the Mead Sales Company, then a division of the Mead Corporation, used artists' renderings of Paul Bunyan for a magazine advertising campaign.
The collection consists of 95 color art prints, all featuring different renderings of Paul Bunyan. The prints were used in magazine advertisements by the Mead Sales Company during the 1950s. The Mead Company also mailed out the prints as gifts to various individuals on a mailing list. The art images themselves measure 6.75 inch x 8.5 inch and many are within larger paper frames. All of the prints include caption information printed at the bottom, as well as series numbers on the back. The prints in this collection range from 1 to 75 in the numbered series, and were created by seven different artists: Edward C. Smith, Joseph Bolden, Henry C. Pitz, S. W. Wilcox, Hugh Hutton, Herschel Levit, and John Huehnergarth.
Title: Paul Bunyan Campaign Collection, 1950s
Creator: Mead Corporation
Repository: Forest History Society Library and Archives
Call Number: 2008-002
Language of Material: Material in English
Extent: 1.0 linear feet (1 archival box)
Historical Note
The Mead Sales Company was established in 1921 as a separate corporation to sell white paper produced by Mead mills and other U.S. and Canadian mills. In 1935, the Mead Sales Company became a part of the Mead Corporation. In the 1950s, the Mead Sales Company, a division of the Mead Corporation, used artists' renderings of Paul Bunyan for a magazine advertising campaign.
Collection Overview
The collection consists of 95 color art prints, all featuring different renderings of Paul Bunyan. The prints were used in magazine advertisements by the Mead Sales Company during the 1950s. The Mead Company also mailed out the prints as gifts to various individuals on a mailing list. The art images themselves measure 6.75 inch x 8.5 inch and many are within larger paper frames. All of the prints include caption information printed at the bottom, as well as series numbers on the back. The prints in this collection range from 1 to 75 in the numbered series, and were created by seven different artists: Edward C. Smith, Joseph Bolden, Henry C. Pitz, S. W. Wilcox, Hugh Hutton, Herschel Levit, and John Huehnergarth.
Collection Arrangement
- Paul Bunyan Art Prints, 1950s
Subject Headings
- Advertising -- Paper industry -- United States
- Bunyan, Paul (Legendary character)
- Bunyan, Paul (Legendary character) -- Pictorial works
- Folklore -- United States
- Forest products industry -- United States
- Huehnergarth, John
- Hutton, Hugh McMillen, 1897-1976
- Levit, Herschel
- Mead Corporation -- Advertising
- Paper industry -- United States
- Pitz, Henry Clarence, 1895-1976
- Wilcox, S. W.
Detailed Description of the Collection
1. Paul Bunyan Art Prints, 1950s.
(95 color prints)
Includes prints in the series numbered 1-55, 58-59, and 61-75.
Print No. 5 in the Mead Company Paul Bunyan series. Caption reads: "A giant fir was tinder in the arms of Paul Bunyan, as he and Babe headed back to camp after a day's logging." Artist: Edward C. Smith.
Print No. 7 in the Mead Company Paul Bunyan series. Caption reads: "When Paul Bunyan won the fight with Hels Helson, on the bottom of the upside-down mountain, the remaining debris was known ever after as the Black Hills." Artist: Hugh Hutton.
Print No. 74 in the Mead Company Paul Bunyan series. Caption reads: "When Paul Bunyan learned that more timber in the United States is lost to insects than to fire, he filled his lungs with a powerful insecticide and sprayed the whole North Woods in one breath." Artist: John Huehnergarth.
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Copyright Notice
The nature of the Forest History Society's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Forest History Society claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Paul Bunyan Campaign Collection, Library and Archives, Forest History Society, Durham, NC, USA.
Acquisitions Information
23 prints received from Ken House of the Weyerhaueser Company Archives in June 2008.
72 prints received from Ermine Venuto in September 2011.
Processing Information
Processed by Eben Lehman, July 2008
Encoded by Amanda Ross, June 2009
Finding aid updated in September 2011
Funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission supported the encoding of this finding aid. Support for digitization and outreach provided by the Alvin J. Huss Endowment.
