Photographs
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Messmore, George Harold
label: Collection Creator
content: Messmore and Damon Company
label: Collection Creator
content: Damon, Joseph
setName: label: See more items in
content: Messmore and Damon Company Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1900 - 1997
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0846, Series 9
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The photographs consist of black-and-white and color prints, slides, negatives, and transparencies documenting the Messmore family, parades, float and display construction, and other World's Fairs.  

The series is arranged topically into five subseries: Subseries 9.1: Family; Subseries 9.2: Subjects; Subseries 9.3: Chronological; Subseries 9.3: Chronological; Subseries 9.4; Miscellaneous, and Subseries 9.5: Postcards; Subseries 9.6: Negatives. 

The majority of the photographs are family-related images and depict the Messmore family traveling, in their home, and celebrating holidays and birthday parties, especially children's birthdays. Some of the earlier family photographs, circa 1900-1930, contain portraits of various family members. In some instances, individual photographs were removed from albums.  

Many of the subjects relate to specific projects undertaken by Messmore and Damon, Inc. such as their History of Federal Hall Exhibit. This subseries is arranged alphabetically. The Century of Progress photographs include a nudist wedding. 

Many of the parade/float photographs depict completed floats on parade routes, especially Labor Day Parades, and in some instances depict the employees/display makers constructing floats and other elements in the shop. The Labor Day Parade photographs contain patriotic themes such as "Build a Stronger America" and placards on floats such as the "Clinton/Gore" campaign.  Many of the parade floats were designed for various labor unions.  Streetscapes of various U.S. cities are also included and presumably were taken for planning parade routes.