Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of the business records of Edward F. Caldwell & Co of New York City and its successor, Edward T. Caldwell Lighting. The records contain letters, draughtsman's sketches, and group schedule of designs, design records, invoice books, ledgers and records of the firm's subsidiary, the Plastic Illuminating Company. The draughtsman's sketches represent the bulk of the collection. The sketches are arranged by the number assigned to the individual sketch. There is no subject index. These pens and an ink sketch were drawn on onion skin and include detailed front views of the light fixtures, order numbers and "type numbers" (drawn to scale). The group schedule of designs, 1930-1949, is sketches of multiple lighting fixtures required for a job (not drawn to scale). The designs are arranged alphabetically by customer and include the customer's name and address, date of order, order number and "type number". The design records, 1900-1941 (23 volumes) contain small sketches of lighting fixtures, scales, and titles of the fixtures, draughtsman's names, customers' names, order numbers and "type numbers". Invoice books, 1943-1946, arranged chronologically, include descriptions of the materials sent, prices, customers' names and addresses. The remainder of the material is one volume of records of material received, 1955-1956, that contains the firms' names and numbers, item numbers, prices, quantities and dates received; ledgers, 1953-1956, (3 volumes) containing accounts payable and receivable, alphabetically arranged; shipment record, 1951-1954 (1 volume); employees' salary records, 1953-1956, and an index to customers. The Plastic Illuminating Company Records consist of order books, 1954-1956; receipts and disbursements, 1947-1956; and checkbooks, 1952-1957.
Arrangement
Seven series: Personal Correspondence; Business Correspondence, Financial Documents; Draughtman's Sketches; Group Schedule of Designs; Design Records; Invoice Books; Additional Business Records