William L. Bird Factory Postcards Collection
name: label: Donor
content: Bird, William L.
topic: label: Topic
content: Factories
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The collection was assembled and donated by William L. Bird. Jr., curator.
creator: label: Donor
content: Bird, William L.
setName: label: See more items in
content: William L. Bird Factory Postcards Collection
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection contains postcards from North America and England depicting factories in the first half of the twentieth century.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: William Lawrence "Larry" Bird, Jr. received his Bachelor of Art (B.A.) degree in History from the University of Maryland in 1973 and two years later his Master of Art (M.A.) degree also in history from the University of Arizona.  He went on to obtain his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in History from Georgetown University in 1985. 

Bird spent much of his museum career as a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, in its Division of Political History.  He curated numerous exhibitions including Design for Victory: World War II Posters on the American Home Front (with Harry R. Rubenstein, 1998); Paint by Number: The How-to Craze that Swept the Nation (2001); Holidays on Display (2007); America's Doll House: The Miniature World of Faith Bradford (2010); Souvenir Nation: Relics, Keepsakes, and Curios from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (2013); and is co-author and co-curator of American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith (2017). 

Bird's many publications include "American Television from the Fair to the Family, 1939-1989;" "Vote: The Machinery of Democracy;" "Paint by Number: Accounting for Taste in the 1950s;" "Holidays on Display;" "America's Doll House: The Miniature World of Faith Bradford;" and "Souvenir Nation: Relics, Keepsakes and Curios from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History."  He is currently Curator Emeritus and continues to write.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: .2 Cubic feet (1 box)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1905-1950, undated
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry in March 2022.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1572
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Picture postcards
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Collection is arranged in one series.
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivist, 2023. Finding aid encoded by Audrey Willius, intern, 2023.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Picture postcards -- 20th century
scopecontent: label: Content Description
content: Collection consists of postcards collected by William Lawrence (Larry) Bird Jr. The postcards contain color images of factories, stores, and buildings located throughout the United States with a few from England. They are arranged first by country and then in alphabetical order by state.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution


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William L. Bird Postcard Collection, NMAH.AC.1465