Name/Title
Ads, magazine, 3, for Venus Pencils in campaign "...was started with a pencil." American Lead Pencil Co., Hoboken, N.J. 1934Entry/Object ID
2013.005.0174Scope and Content
Magazine advertisements, three, for Venus Pencils in campaign "...was started with a pencil." American Lead Pencil Co., Hoboken, N.J. 1934.
All ads are in black-and-white. Venus pencils was a brand-name product made by the A.L.P.C. in Hoboken. Address was 500 or 508 Willow Ave. (and sometimes stated as just Fifth St. & Willow Ave.), but factory covered most of that block and extended onto other blocks.
1. "The world's tallest building was started with a pencil." Empire State Building, New York City.
Venus Pencils; American Lead Pencil Company, Hoboken, N.J. As published in Fortune, February 1934, pg 96. Leaf, 10-3/8" wide x 13-3/8" high, as removed from publication. Text of this ad only is in notes.
2. "The Golden Gate Bridge was started with a pencil."
The World's Longest Suspension Bridge.
Venus Pencils; American Lead Pencil Company, Hoboken, N.J. As published in Fortune, September 1934, pg 171. Leaf, 10-3/8" wide x 13-1/4" high, as removed from publication.
Pencil portrait of Joseph B. Strauss, Chief Engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge & Highway District.
Two pencil drawings of bridge, lower one credited to F.V. Carpenter.
3. "England's Super Liner was started with a pencil." Cunard White-Star ocean liner, Queen Mary.
Venus Pencils; American Lead Pencil Company, Hoboken, N.J. As published in Fortune, September 1935, pg 165. Leaf, 10-13/16" wide x 14" high, as removed from publication.
A pencil drawing at top with a view of the vessel; bottom small vignette of work on a propeller.Acquisition
Accession
2013.005Source or Donor
Lukacs, ClaireAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Museum Collections. Gift of a Friend of the Museum.Archive Details
Date(s) of Creation
1934 - 1935Archive Notes
Date(s) Created: 1934, 1935
Date(s): 1934-1935General Notes
Note
Notes: Archives 2013.005.0174
Text of ad 1 as typical copy for campaign.
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The world's tallest building was started with a pencil.
Taller than man has ever built before— looms the Empire State Building in New York City. Not only the world's tallest office building, but the tallest structure of any kind, which man has yet erected. Reaching 1265 feet into the sky, the Empire State surpasses by almost 300 feet the famed Eiffel Tower of Paris.
This building is capable of housing 25,000 tenants —and the visitors are estimated at 40,000 daily.
Today it towers in majesty. Four years ago it did not exist! An idea was born in the minds of men. Then pencil was set to paper—and sketch by sketch, the building took shape. The first plan was amended to a second, a third, a fourth. And when finally—through pencil and paper—the minds of men came into agreement—then plaster casts were made to check the proportions.
On March 17, 1930, the first steel was laid. And —because the planning had been sure and accurate—the Empire State Building was formally opened to the public on May 1, 1931 . . . barely thirteen months later.
The architects for the Empire State Building were the well-known firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. To them goes the credit, not only for the preliminary pencil visualizations, but for the final detailed plans which contributed so greatly to the record performance for fast building.
In the extensive offices and drafting rooms of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon —each architect and draftsman chooses his own equipment. We are proud of the fact that a majority of the pencils used are Venus Drawing pencils.
The preference for Venus pencils can invariably be traced to the "colloidal" lead* found only in Venus (and Venus-Velvet) pencils.
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[illustration center: drawing of Empire State Building]
Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, Architects
An original pencil drawing by F.V. Carpenter
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"Colloidal" lead is the important contribution of Chemistry to smooth and easy writing. The proof of "colloidal" lead you can determine for yourself by any test you care to make—in your regular work. You find three big advantages. (To be completely fair in comparing pencils, it is important that you take pencils of the same degree of hardness, sharpen them by the same method; test them on the same paper.)
In any such test you find that "colloidal" lead is quieter. You find that it is much smoother. Lastly, you find that you have discovered true pencil economy; the colloidal point outlasts the other by 2 or 3 times as much writing, before it is time to resharpen.
Venus pencils are available in 17 shades of black—Venus-Velvet in five shades. Some one of these 22 pencils will exactly fit your hand-give you the feel you have always sought. Your dealer carries a complete stock.
We invite you to try a Venus or a Venus-Velvet pencil in your regular work. Put it to whatever test you consider fair! At 5ct or 10ct you will find exactly the pencil you want—for office use, school use, drafting room, copying, or in any one of 28 colored leads. American Pencil Company, Hoboken, N. J.
U. S. Pat. No. 1,738,888
Venus Pencils 10 cents [cent symbol]
Venus Velvet Pencils 5 cents [cent symbol]
C [copyright] 1934, A.L.P.Co.
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Status: OK
Status By: dw
Status Date: 2013-07-19
