Deep River Lace Company Records

Collection

Identifier: 1990-0002

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The collection consists of administrative and financial information concerning company operations, mostly during the 1950s and 1960s, when the company was known as Arthur Smith Inc. and then, beginning in 1964, as the Deep River Lace Company. The collection also holds a large number of patterns used for making lace produced by the company.

Dates

undated, 1922-1983

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from the owner(s) of the copyright.

History

Deep River Lace Company was the last lace manufacturer using the Leavers lace machines when it closed its doors in June 1990. Housed in a historic building in Deep River, Connecticut, the four partners -- Anne Denette, Stanley Jakiel, Leo Denette and >Peter DeCarli -- were among the last of a group of skilled workers familiar with the older, and more labor intensive, process of lace-making. The company was bought in 1964 from the Arthur Smith family.

Extent

36.7 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection contains administrative and financial records, correspondence, patterns and samples documenting the later years of the last Leavers loom lace manufacturer in the state of Connecticut.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into four series:

Series I: Correspondence (undated, 1953-1973) includes correspondence between the Deep River Lace Company and its vendors and clients, as well as with professional and community organizations. There is a small amount of correspondence (1955-1960) to Herbert Wheatley of Arthur Smith Inc., the predecessor company of Deep River Lace Company, from Lester or Jack Wiener of Wiener Laces Inc. of New York, New York, about sketches of patterns.

Series II: Reference and Information Files (undated, 1922-1981) includes professional and industry publications concerned with employment and production issues.

Series III: Financial Records (1933-1968) include documentation of production costs.

Series IV: Production Records (undated, 1956-1970) includes patterns, sketches and information on individual machines.

Series V: Photographs (undated, 1983) contains 14 images of staff, production and products.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated to Archives & Special Collections in June 1990 by Peter DeCarli, president of the company. The piece work record (1957-1968) and a color photograph of the former owners (1964) were donated by the Museum of American Textile History in September 1990. A small donation of patterns, correspondence and publications was made in December 2011 by Felicia Jakiel, wife of one of the last owners of the company.

Subjects

Administrative records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Connecticut (state) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Deep River (inhabited place) Subject Source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
Financial records Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Lace and lace making Subject Source: Fast
Notebooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Patterns (guides) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photocopies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Publications (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Sketches Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Swatches Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Textile industry Subject Source: Fast