B+W photos, 5, of life test, Black & Decker circular saw torture test, at or near United States Testing Co. facility, Hoboken, N.d., ca. 1970-1980.

Photograph

Hoboken Historical Museum

U.S. Testing: photo 1 of 5, Black & Decker saw torture test; daytime

Name/Title

B+W photos, 5, of life test, Black & Decker circular saw torture test, at or near United States Testing Co. facility, Hoboken, N.d., ca. 1970-1980.

Entry/Object ID

2013.042.0019

Description

Black-and-white photos, five, of a life test, Black & Decker circular saw torture test, at or near United States Testing Co. facility, 1415 Park Ave., Hoboken. No date, circa 1970-1980. 8" x 10" wide prints; documentation or publicity photographs taken by staff of the Photographic Department. Reverse of most are blank - see descriptions below. Donor Bill Willard (a long-time employee of the company) provided primary description of scene. All photos include two young men cutting wood at an outside location believed to be grounds behind the main building. Photo 1: daytime view looking northeast with the Franklin Baker building (white) in the left background and the former Lipton Tea / Standard Brands building in the far right background. One man is seen using the saw to cut 2" x 12" wood. A chalk board is seen behind with name of the test and "elapsed time" for which there is no note. Photo 2: a dusk view looking northwest; a designed banner sign is in the background: Black & Decker (trademark logo) Saw Torture Test. Piles of cut pieces are on the ground and a fire is seen in a steel drum to the left. Photo 3: a night scene, direction not determined; labeled in ink in lower margin: 7152A. A staged photo? There are two men sleeping on folding cots (one with a leopard print blanket / throw) about ten feet from where the saw is being used. It is unlikely a person would nap with amount of noise that is typical of such an electric tool in use. Fire is seen in the steel drum behind the man using the saw. Photo 4: a night scene with the same banner sign in view as seen in photo 2; two copies - copy 1 numbered in pencil on back 7152-B. Photo 5: a night scene with the banner partially seen and a large pile of offcut or now scrap wood in the foreground. --- Engineering Business & Commerce Sciences Exteriors Signs Buildings

Acquisition

Accession

2013.042

Source or Donor

Willard, Bill

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Bill Willard in tribute to United States Testing Co., Hoboken.

Made/Created

Artist

n/a

Date made

1970 - 1980

Place

Location

Hoboken

Notes

Date: 1970-1980

Dimensions

Height

8 in

Width

10 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

General Notes

Note

Notes: United States Testing Co., Inc., 1415 Park Avenue, Hoboken. No longer in Hoboken. Building was erected in 1918. (Initially occupied by B.F. Goodrich Co.) U.S. Testing signed lease Feb. 1, 1926 for building and grounds; company left Hoboken ca. 2000, for Fairfield, N.J., and building was converted to a parking garage; demolished winter 2013. U.S. Testing was founded 1880 and located in New York City until it moved to Hoboken which became its new headquarters with several branches in other American cities. It became a subsidiary of SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance, a Geneva based company founded in 1878) in 1963 (SGS U.S. Testing Company Inc. filed as a Foreign for Profit Corporation on Wednesday, October 16, 1963 in the state of New Jersey.) In May 1996, the name was changed to SGS U.S. Testing Company, Inc. Subsidiaries of U.S. Testing that were located at the Hoboken address: Nationwide Consumer Testing Institute (established circa 1963.) Research and Testing Co., Inc. Qualitest Inc. ==== Original or Copy: Original Status: OK Status By: dw Status Date: 2013-06-27