The collection of College of Textiles photographs depict the school's people, activities, and facilities from its early days in Tompkins Hall to a few recent photographs from Centennial Campus. Many photographs of equipment and machinery are included, as well as laboratories and other facilities. A portion of the collection also features students of the college and their academic activities, including class portraits and Style Shows.
The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) was founded in 1887 and expanded the textiles program through the early 1910s, and beyond. The Textile Exposition and Style Show provided students the opportunity to display their work. Research efforts of the college have aided war efforts and contributed to medical developments. The college has also been closely involved with the textile and other industries through the extension and applied research programs.
The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later North Carolina State University) was founded in 1887 and expanded the textiles program through the early 1910s, developing courses in chemistry and dyeing, weaving, design, and manufacturing. The school was first housed in Tompkins Hall, built in 1901, and later moved to Nelson Hall and Centennial Campus, to accommodate increasingly technological equipment and facilities.
Through the early 1900s the Textile Exposition and Style Show provided students the opportunity to display their work, from fabrics and fashions to manufacturing machinery and processes. Research efforts of the college aided the war effort during World War II, and through the mid-twentieth century contributed to medical developments, including the invention of the artificial aorta and the study of brown lung disease.
From the 1980s to the present the college has been closely involved with the textile and other industries by hosting a number of national and international conferences and through the extension and applied research programs.
The collection of North Carolina State University College of Textiles photographs depict the school's people, activities, and facilities from its early days in Tompkins Hall to recent photographs from Centennial Campus. Many photographs featuring people associated with the school can be found throughout the collection. These include DeansThomas Nelson, Malcolm Campbell, David Chaney, and Dame Hamby and faculty members Henry Rutherford, George H. Dunlap, Elliot B. Grover, and Edward Shinn. Photographs feature the college's laboratories, equipment, classrooms, and other facilities. Included are photos of the Textiles Library in Nelson Hall, various weaving rooms in Nelson and Tompkins Halls, and chemical and radiationlaboratories. There are also many photographs of dyeing machinery, jacquard and dobby looms, cards and draw frames, and spinning and roving machinery, as well as high-tech equipment, such as the Cobalt-60 radiation testing equipment and Pyro-Manthermal protection mannequin. Many photographs show students, faculty, and technicians demonstrating or actually using these facilities.
A large portion of the collection also features students of the college and their academic activities. Class portraits from 1919 to 1949 are included, as well as pictures of participants in the Textile Exposition and Style Show. Photographs from meetings and conferences, seminars and short courses, dedication and award ceremonies, and other events are also included in the collection.
Organized into the following series:
The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections 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.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
[Identification of item], University Archives Photograph Collection, College of Textiles Photographs, UA 023.017, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Transferred to the University Archives.
Processed by Terra Kridler, 2006 May
Encoded by Terra Kridler, 2006 June
The collection is organized into eighteen principal series:
0.25 albums (18 prints)
Seventeen photographs are of an Althouse textile manufacturing and research facility, and one is an informal head-and-shoulder snapshot of R. Milliken. The series contains several non-photographic items, including three typed photograph captions without related photographs providing detailed lists of textile students.
0.25 albums (11 negatives)
There are several negatives of style show winners.
0.25 albums (57 prints)
This series contains photographs of deans and faculty members. Deans include Thomas Nelson, Malcolm Eugene Campbell, David Webb Chaney, and Dame Scott Hamby. Professors include Henry M. Wilson, H. A. Rutherford, George H. Dunlap, E. B. Grover, Bertram Whittier, and others.
0.25 albums (12 prints)
This series contains photographs of classrooms, office space, and the Textiles Library in Nelson Hall.
1 album (52 prints)
Here are images of textile research laboratories and equipment. Most photographs feature facilities in Nelson Hall. Those older than 1939, however, were taken in Tompkins Hall. A significant number of photographs are of the Cobalt-60 and the textiles radiation laboratory created in the late 1950s. A couple sets of proofs also feature the Man-made Fibers Spinning Lab and Environmental Lab.
This series contains photographs of dyeing machinery, jacquard and dobby looms, cards and draw frames, spinning machines, Draper and other looms, roving machinery, and other equipment. Many images show lab technicians, students, or faculty using or demonstrating the equipment. Eight slides show Pyro-Man and Coppelius, mannequins used for experimentation in the thermal protection and comfort laboratories. Locations include laboratories and weave rooms in Tompkins and Nelson Halls.
3 albums (219 prints, 8 color slides)
In addition to the numerous black-and-white photographic prints of textiles equipment in this album, there are also eight 35mm color slides of the computer-controlled mannequins Pyro-Man and Coppelius.
1 album (43 prints)
Here are senior class photographs of Textiles College students. Some include DeanThomas Nelson and other faculty. Many portraits are accompanied by typed captions listing people in the photographs.
1 album (149 prints)
This series contains photographs of students in classroom settings and working with machinery in weaving rooms and labs. There are also group photos of High School Day, fraternity events, Textiles Open House, field trips and other Textiles College events.
0.1 albums (14 prints)
This series contains two photographs of the speakers and participants in the Gossett textile lecture series in 1950.
0.125 albums (8 prints)
This series contains photographs of students at the School of Textiles student party, and other events.
0.125 albums (5 prints)
Here are images of the dedication of the Textiles Library by Burlington Mills. Some images show NC State University and Clemson University faculty at the Textile Bowl. Other events are also depicted.
0.125 albums (16 prints)
This series contains numerous photographs of award presentations to Textiles College students and faculty. An image shows the Outstanding Student Award is presented to Henry K. Brannon, Jr. Another image shows Malcolm E. Campbell and W. Edward Shinn receiving a piece of testing machinery from Fidelity Machine Company. A representative from Henkel Corporation presents a check to placement director Lennie Barton. Other presentations are also depicted.
This series contains mostly group photographs, and images of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Deering Milliken affiliates, and others touring the Textiles College and facilities. There are also photos of visits from the Maid of Cotton contestants and Miss Wool of America.
0.33 albums (61 prints)
Contains a color photograph of Al Gore visiting the College of Textiles thermal laboratory.
0.33 albums (13 prints)
This series features speakers at a textile conference held in 1947. Several of the individuals are identified through an accompanying letter dated 1985, including Edward Shinn, Tom Kerr, and F. L. Gerdes.
0.33 albums (34 prints), 1 flatfolder
Older photographs in the series displays of fabrics manufactured by textiles students and parade floats featuring textile machinery, most as part of a college open house. Also included is a photograph of the dedication of the William H. Harriss Fabric Collection, currently housed at the Textiles Library. Brand-name fabric displays were also photographed, including Burlington, Stevens, Fieldcrest, Morgan-Jones, and Amerotron. Images also show a Textiles Library display that was part of a Teaching Effectiveness Workshop with librarian Joe Tuttle.
The School of Textiles Style Shows featured women from local colleges modeling fashions designed with materials made by NC State University Textiles School students. The shows were held in conjunction with the Textile Exposition, which displayed manufacturing and design methods. The photographs in this series depict Style Show participants, including models and textiles students. Participants and many of their home colleges are identified.
1 album (86 prints)
0.25 albums (11 prints)
Included here are group photographs of textile industryexecutives and faculty members who participated in short courses offered by the School of Textiles extension office. Several classroom scenes are also depicted, as well as a photograph of a televised session.
Here are many photographs of demonstrations of textile and chemical machinery and equipment. Some show the artificial aorta in use. A number of images show carding samples for comparison, and cotton samples for nap comparison. Close-up photographs of defects in knitted fabric. A couple photos and an article depict the use of cotton fabric in the construction of roads in 1937.
1.75 albums (151 prints)
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111
Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], University Archives Photograph Collection, College of Textiles Photographs, UA 023.017, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The nature of the NC State University Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NC State University Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections 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.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.