Saul Nesbitt Papers
name: label: Designer
content: Nesbitt, Saul, 1920-1993
label: Names
content: Archway Cookies, Inc.
label: Names
content: Borden's Farm Products Co. of Illinois
label: Names
content: Campbell Soup Company
label: Collector
content: Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive
label: Names
content: Eastman Kodak Company
label: Names
content: Florists' Telegraph Delivery Association
label: Names
content: Franco American Food Co.
label: Names
content: Lever Brothers and Unilever, ltd.
label: Names
content: National Distillers and Chemical Corporation
label: Names
content: Nesbitt Associates, Ltd.
label: Names
content: P. Ballantine & Sons
label: Names
content: Philip Morris Incorporated
label: Names
content: Revlon, Inc.
label: Names
content: Schick (Firm)
label: Names
content: Scott Paper Company
label: Names
content: Seagram Company
label: Donor
content: Nesbitt, Esta
topic: label: Occupation
content: Graphic designers
label: Occupation
content: Industrial designers
label: Occupation
content: Packaging designers
label: Occupation
content: Packaging designers -- United States
label: Topic
content: Consumers' preferences -- United States
label: Topic
content: Consumers -- Research
label: Topic
content: Corporate image -- Design
label: Topic
content: Design, Industrial -- United States
label: Topic
content: Graphic arts -- United States
label: Topic
content: Housewives as consumers
label: Topic
content: Labels -- Design
label: Topic
content: Logos (Symbols) -- Design
label: Topic
content: Packaging -- Design
label: Topic
content: Packaging -- 20th century
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Collection donated by the designer's wife, Mrs. Saul Nesbitt, in 1994.
creator: label: Designer
content: Nesbitt, Saul, 1920-1993
setName: label: See more items in
content: Saul Nesbitt Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: Collection primarily consists of photographic materials, original artwork, press releases, articles, correspondence, client lists, and surveys documenting the work of packaging, industrial, and graphic designer Saul Nesbitt.
bioghist: label: Biographical
content: Saul Murry [Nussbaum] Nesbitt (August 10, 1920 - August 11, 1993) a packaging, industrial, and graphic designer, was born to Max Nussbaum (May 24, 1895 - August 3, 1941) and Gussie Moskowitz (May 1, 1897 - January 1970) in New York City.   He was a student of sculptor Chaim Gross and studied art at many New York institutions including Art Students League, New York University (NYU), Columbia University, Pratt Institute of Art, and the New School.

Nesbitt served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945 where he worked as a cartographer and as the head of the visual aid section in a military intelligence training center. In 1945, he joined the staff of Harper's Bazaar magazine where he was an illustrator assisting art director Alexey Brodovich. In 1946, Nesbitt was hired by the industrial design studio of Raymond Loewy as a hand letterer and packaging designer.  Also, that year he married Esta Feuerman (November 18, 1918-November 26, 1975) and to the union three children were born.

Saul Nesbitt worked with Lippincott Industrial Design from 1948 to 1951. He opened his own design studio, Nesbitt Associates, Ltd. in 1951. The firm specialized in package design, trademarks, and corporate identities. Some of his most recognizable designs were for the label for Campbell's Soup and the Florists' Telegraph Delivery (F. T. D.) Winged Mercury 'Interflora' figure, still used today. Nesbitt's other clients included: Franco American; Revlon; Ballantine Beer; Borden; Champion spark plugs; Kodak; Phillip Morris cigarettes; Schick razors; and Archway cookies. In addition, Nesbitt developed the "Karry Kit" for Ballantine Beer which came to be widely used and known as the six pack.

Nesbitt was known for his revealing studies and surveys of the buying needs and preferences of the "average American housewife" and consumers in general. His opinions on what he referred to as "underpackaging" were widely publicized in professional magazines and journals. In 1984, Nesbitt retired from the design field and went to California to resume his career as a sculptor until his death in 1993 at the age of seventy-three.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4.5 Cubic feet (12 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1947-1981, undated
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: The collection was transferred from the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum to the Archives Center in 2012.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1275
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Blueprints
label: Type
content: Client lists
label: Type
content: Clippings
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Magazines (periodicals)
label: Type
content: Media lists
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Press releases
label: Type
content: Samples
label: Type
content: Slides
label: Type
content: Sketches
label: Type
content: Transparencies
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged in six series:


Series 1: Biographical and Background Information, 1951-1961, undated


Series 2: Design Files, 1948-1976, undated


Series 3: Correspondence, 1954-1963


Series 4: Records of the Public Relations Office, 1955-1963, undated


Series 5: Photographic Materials, 1951-1981, undated


Series 6: Samples, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Collection processed by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons, archivist, 2024.  Finding aid encoded by Meredith Clowse, intern, 2024.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
label: Genre/Form
content: Client lists
label: Genre/Form
content: Clippings
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Magazines (periodicals) -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Media lists
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Press releases
label: Genre/Form
content: Samples -- 1920-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides
label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
label: Genre/Form
content: Transparencies
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Collection primarily documents the design work of Nesbitt and his company, Nesbitt Associates, Ltd., for consumer and a small number of commercial products representing major American companies from 1951-1984.  There are materials containing biographical and background information relating to both Nesbitt and Nesbitt Associates, Ltd.  A substantial amount of the material was created by Nesbitt Associates, Ltd.'s office of public relations documenting its research and communications to the press. General office correspondence can also be found among the materials. In addition, photographic materials including prints, negatives, and transparencies of design work is included. Three dimensional objects consisting of sample presentation boxes and a prototype for a design award can be found among the paper materials. The collection is arranged in six series including: series 1, biographical and background information, 1951-1984; series 2, design files; series 3, correspondence, 1954-1963; series 4, records of the public relations office, 1955-1963; series 5, photographic materials, 1951-1981, undated; and series 6, samples, undated.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Materials
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History

NW Ayer Advertising Agency Records, NMAH.AC.0059


Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC.0060


Marlboro Oral History and Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0198


Alan and Elaine Levitt Advertisement Collection, 1920-early 1960s, NMAH.AC.0303


Stanley Lomas Television Commercial Collection, NMAH.AC.0342


Campbell Soup Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0367


Cover Girl Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0374


Product Cookbooks Collection, NMAH.AC.0396


Whitman's Chocolates Collection of Print Advertisements, NMAH.AC.0437


Landor Design Collection, NMAH.AC.0500


Francis Mair Papers, NMAH.AC.0548


Eskimo Pie Corporation Records, NMAH.AC.0553


Albert W. Hampson Commercial Artwork, NMAH.AC.0561


Sandra and Gary Baden Collection of Celebrity Endorsements in Advertising, NMAH.AC.0611


Virgil Johnson Collection of Cigarette Packages, NMAH.AC.0645


Hallye M. Cornelius and Glendora Horne Collection of Cigarette Packages, NMAH.AC.0826


Aladdin Industries, Incorporated Records, NMHA.AC.0844 


Revlon, Incorporated Advertising Collection, 1936-1986, NMAH.AC.0939


Christian Heurich Brewing Company Records, NMAH.AC.1104


Walter H. Voigt Brewing Industry Collection, 1891-1979, NMAH.AC.1195


Marilyn E. Jackler Memorial Collection of Tobacco Advertisements, NMAH.AC.1224


Dan Friedman Papers, 1967-1995, NMAH.AC1277


Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate Company Records and Blumenthal Family Papers, NMAH.AC.1344


Archives Center Brewing History Collection, NMAH.AC.1419


Mahler Product Packaging and Advertising Collection, NMAH.AC.1482

Saul Nesbitt's sculpture are in the collections of:

Smithsonian Institution


Western Washington University,
Bellingham, Washington


City Hall Outdoor Scilpture Garden,
Vacaville, California