Marshall Johnson Visits the Manuscripts and Archives Department

Monday, November 19, 2018

Marshall Johnson came for a visit to Hagley on October 23 and 24, 2018 to see some of the materials he had been bringing here for the past several years. Johnson, an industrial designer, began his career designing tools and packaging for Black and Decker in Towson, MD. He went on to work for ALCOA (the Aluminum Company of America) in a variety of positions, eventually designing small appliances and cookware for Wear-Ever, Proctor-Silex, and Hamilton Beach. 

Marshall and I had a very enjoyable time discussing the many boxes of appliances, appliance ephemera, plans, personal materials, and other historic material that he has been donating. He had an expansive career, inventing and designing many popular products that people often used. I will focus on some of those in my next newsletter post – I am sure many readers will recognize his products!

Marshall Johnson with some of the many products he designed.
Marshall Johnson with some of the many products he designed.

The collection at Hagley includes concept and design drawings by Johnson, as well as other materials used in the production of the products. Additionally, Johnson collected various product information booklets and promotional cookbooks that came with the appliances, as well as ads, articles, and other information on appliances and cookware and their histories.

This is the front and rear cover for a promotional cookbook from Wear-Ever, 1980 – all of the products on these pages were designed by Johnson! 
This is the front and rear cover for a promotional cookbook from Wear-Ever, 1980 – all of the products on these pages were designed by Johnson 

While here, Johnson participated in an oral history interview about his career and his reasons for giving his collection to Hagley's Manuscripts and Archives Department. His oral history will be available on Hagley’s website, along with the finding aid for his collection, when the project is completed.

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Gail Stanislow is a Project Archivist at Hagley Museum and Library.

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