Finding Aid to the Accounts and Scrapbook of J. Barton Benson, Inc., 1942-1952

Col. 105

© Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library  
Winterthur, DE 19735  
Winterthur Logo
Table of contents

Background note:
J. Barton Benson, Inc. was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, firm of metalsmiths, active in the 1940s. The date of incorporation was December 19, 1928, with J. Barton Benson as president, Maurice P. Felton as vice-president, and George E. Kolb as secretary-treasurer. Their shop was located at 425 N. 54th St. The company did welding, forging, and ornamental ironwork, some in the Pennsylvania Dutch style. Among their customers were shops, churches, cabinetmakers, individuals, and the Railway Express Agency. The firm also received income from rent. The circumstances surrounding the company's demise are unknown.

Scope and content
The collection includes two volumes of financial accounts and a scrapbook featuring clippings that highlight ornamental metalwork. Financial transactions recorded include: receipts, expenditures, cash disbursements, purchases, bills unpaid, sales (listing customer and salesperson), journal entries, cash records, accounts receivable, insurance and tax payments, employee salaries and benefits, depreciation, etc. Items depicted in the scrapbook include iron fencing, lighting devices, interior fixtures, weather vanes, knockers, etc. The clippings are from published sources, including the work of Todhunter, Inc., Standard Plumbing Fixtures, and weather vanes by Egbert G. Jacobson.

Organization
Volumes 1 and 2 contain financial information; volume 3 is a scrapbook.

Administrative information
Restrictions
None

Copyright restrictions may apply

Provenance
Purchased from Robert Edwards.

Additional descriptive information
Note
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Repository code: DeWint File name: col105.xml Abstract: J. Barton Benson, Inc., of Philadelphia, did welding, forging, and made ornamental ironwork. Extent: 0.8 linear foot Date range: 1942-1952 Related materials: Language: English Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera Winterthur, DE 19732 (302) 888-4853 J. Barton Benson, Inc. Accounts and Scrapbook Col. 105 Creator: J. Barton Benson, Inc. Title: Accounts and Scrapbook Dates: 1942-1952 Call No.: Col. 105 Acc. No.: 91×49 Quantity: 3 volumes Location: 17 I 4

Added entries
Subjects
  • Art metal-work.
  • Arts and crafts movement - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.
  • Benson, J. Barton.
  • Business records - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.
  • Decoration and ornament.
  • Decorative arts.
  • Felton, Maurice P.
  • Financial statements - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.
  • House furnishings.
  • Interior decoration - Design.
  • Jacobson, Egbert G.
  • Kolb, George E.
  • Metal-work.
  • Standard Plumbing Fixtures.
  • Todhunter, Inc. (New York, N.Y.)

    Genre terms
  • Account books.
  • Ledgers.
  • Scrapbooks.

    Functions and occupations
  • Art metal designers.
  • Art metal workers.
  • Metal workers.

    Contact information

    Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library
    [http://www.winterthur.org]
    Winterthur, DE 19735

     

    Collection inventory
    Financial records
    		Vol. Volume 1

    Receipts. January 1946-September 1948
    January 1946-September 1948

    Expenditures. November 1945-Decenber 1948
    November 1945-Decenber 1948

    Cash Disbursements. January 1949-December 1952
    January 1949-December 1952

    Purchases. December 1945-February 1947
    December 1945-February 1947

    Bills unpaid. March 1, 1947
    March 1, 1947

    Cash receipts. February 1949-December 1952
    February 1949-December 1952

    Sales. December 1945-August 1948
    December 1945-August 1948

    Journal entries. November 1944-December 1951
    November 1944-December 1951


    Financial records
    		Vol. Volume 2

    Cash records. January 1944-December 1949
    January 1944-December 1949

    Accounts Receivable. January 1944-December 1950
    January 1944-December 1950

    Various financial transactions regarding business; firms with which business was conducted, and cash received

    Insurance, tax, employee salaries and benefits, depreciation, and various other financial records


    Scrapbook
    		Vol. Volume 3

    		A scrapbook, 75 pages long, of metalwork, including photographs and clippings from magazines and catalogs. Various forms are featured: iron fencing, lighting devices, fireplace fixtures, window latches, candle sticks, statues, furnaces, weather vanes, shoe scrapers, and door knockers. The work of Todhunter, Inc., New York City, Standard Plumbing Fixtures, and weather vanes by Egbert G. Jacobson are among the items pictured. On the first page is a hand-drawn picture of a wall-mounted outdoor lighting fixture. Laid into the volume is a sheet of stationery with the heading “J. Barton Benson, Theo. D. DeBow - Associate, 425 N. 54th Street, Philadelphia.”