This collection, digitized here in its entirety, consists of black-and-white print photographs of the Norda Essential Oil and Chemical Company manufacturing and laboratory facilities in Boonton, New Jersey, circa 1950's. The collection is essentially divided into two parts: the first half of the photographs documents the plant's equipment and supplies, while the second half depicts the laboratory facilities and steps in the manufacturing process, such as compounding, fractionation, and analytical testing. The equipment pictured includes vacuum stills, autoclaves, centrifuges, and spices used in the production of perfumes and essential oils, as well as specialty apparatus like refractometers and micro-stills.
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Aldehyde Equipment
- 1950s
View of the aldehyde equipment at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Analytical Laboratory
- 1950s
Interior view of the analytical laboratory at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey, showing various glassware and apparatuses used in the manufacture of perfumes and essential oils.
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Aromatic Research Chemist
- 1950s
View of an aromatic research chemist at work checking fractional distillation of an oil sample at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Aromatic Research Chemist
- 1950s
View of an aromatic research chemist filtering charge into a distillation apparatus at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Benzaldehyde Plant
- 1950s
View of the benzaldehyde plant at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Building #1 and Still Tower
- 1950s
Exterior view of the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey. Photograph includes view of building #1 and the still tower.
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Cetyl Alcohol Plant
- 1950s
Overhead view of the cetyl alcohol plant at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Checking Odor Values
- 1950s
View of chemists checking the odor values of the fractions of the distilled oil before bulking at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Column and Stills
- 1950s
View of a column and stills at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Compounding a Base
- 1950s
View of a chemist compounding a base from abyssinian civet, otto of rose from Bulgaria, and absolutes floral oil from Italy, France, and Palestine at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Control Laboratory
- 1950s
Interior view of the control laboratory at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey, showing various bottles, glassware, and apparatuses used in the manufacture of perfumes and essential oils.
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Esterification Plant
- 1950s
View of the esterification plant at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Fractionation
- 1950s
View of the fractionation of an essential oil for the production of a terpeneless product in the laboratory at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Hydroxy Building
- 1950s
Exterior view of the hydroxy building at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Hydroxy Equipment
- 1950s
View of hydroxy equipment at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Interior of Building #1
- 1950s
Interior view of building #1 at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey, showing various machinery used in the manufacture of perfumes and essential oils.
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Master Perfumer
- 1950s
View of a master perfumer pouring a sample of essential oil at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Master Perfumer
- 1950s
View of a master perfumer checking test samples of perfume compounds at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Micro-still
- 1950s
View of a chemist checking temperature changes on a micro-still in the laboratory at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Norda Plant
- 1950s
Exterior view of the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey. Photograph includes view of smokestack and water tower branded with "Norda," as well as neighboring railroad tracks.
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Oil Sample - Analytical Testing
- 1950s
View of a chemist preparing regents for analytical testing of oil samples at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
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Oil Sample - Gravity Check
- 1950s
View of a chemist checking the specific gravity of a sample of essential oil at the Norda Company plant in Boonton, New Jersey.
