This collection, the bulk of which is digitized here, consists of nylon-related photographs and ephemera collected by Joseph X. Labovsky, a lab assistant to Wallace Carothers, during the early stages of nylon development and production at DuPont. Primarily dating from the 1930s and 1940s, the photographs document the experimental work, semi-works and pilot plant stages that led to the commercial production of nylon, including the preparation of nylon polymers and the development of equipment such as spinning machines, salt kettles, and autoclaves. Photographs from the DuPont Experimental Research Station in Wilmington, Delaware make up the bulk of the collection, which also includes a smaller subset of photographs from DuPont's subsequent nylon plants in Seaford, Delaware and Martinsville, Virginia. Several photographs of Labovsky and other members of the technical staff complete the collection, which notably lacks any photographs of Wallace Carothers, the inventor of nylon.
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Group photograph of staff at nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia
- 1950s
Group photograph of staff from DuPont's nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia. Supervisor C.P. White is visible in the front row, far left side. The rest of the individuals depicted in the photograph are unidentified.
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Caroline Cooper and staff at nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia
- 1950s
Group photograph of staff from DuPont's nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia. Caroline Cooper, the first forewoman promoted to shift supervisor, is visible in the front row, fourth from right. The rest of the…
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Joseph X. Labovsky and staff at nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia
- 1954-Dec-10
Group photograph of staff responsible for the development and manufacture of the "Type 9" textile at the DuPont plant in Martinsville, Virginia. Team supervisor Joseph X. Labovsky is seated at the center of the…
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Group photograph taken at nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia
- 1953
Group photograph of DuPont shift supervisors and foremen at the nylon plant in Martinsville, Virginia. This photograph was taken on the occasion of team supervisor Joseph X. Labovsky receiving his 20-year service pin…
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Group photograph of DuPont "Type 9" textile team
- 1948
Group photograph of DuPont shift supervisors and foremen responsible for the development of the "Type 9" textile at the DuPont plant in Martinsville, Virginia. Team supervisor Joseph X. Labovsky is seated on the far…
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Two-gear melt-pool booster pump
- 1947-Apr
General view of the component parts of a two-gear melt-pool booster pump used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Typically, such booster pumps were used to feed a bubble-free…
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Monomer still used in production of nylon
- 1947-Apr
General view of a monomer still used during the early stages of nylon production and research at DuPont. The photograph is labeled "Figure 2," indicating that it appeared in a report or publication.
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Continuous polymerizer salt holding tank
- 1947-Apr-09
General view of a continuous polymerizer salt holding tank used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont.
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Yarn windup for production of synthetic fibers
- 1947-Mar
General view of a yarn windup used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. The components of the windup are identified as follows: windup rolls (left); gear box (center); and…
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Wide-roll crimper chamber
- 1947-Mar
Detail view of a wide-roll crimper chamber used to crimp textile fibers during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Typically, fibers entered a crimper machine via drive pulleys and…
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Trumpet and chamber for roll crimper
- 1947-Mar
Detail view of a trumpet and chamber for a 2.5-inch-wide roll crimper used to crimp textile fibers during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Typically, fibers entered a crimper…
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Thermoswitch and thermoregulators used in production of synthetic fibers
- 1946-Aug-09
- 1947-Mar
Assorted apparatus, including a Fenwal Thermoswitch and Thermoregulator, H-B Mercury-in-glass Thermostat, and Scaico Thermostat, used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont.…
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2 items
Six-position staple spinning unit
- 1947-Mar
Two views of a six-position staple spinning unit used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Various components of the spinning unit are visible in the photograph, including a pump…
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Pump block for six-position spinner
- 1947-Mar
Close-up view of the pump block of a six-position spinner used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. During the production of nylon, melt from the spinning machine typically…
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3 items
Measuring tension on drawing machine used for production of nylon
- 1947-Mar
Three close-up views of tension measurements taken on various components of a drawing machine, including the draw, creel, and crimper, used during the early stages of nylon production and research at DuPont. The…
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2 items
Measuring cell used in production of synthetic fibers
- 1947-Mar
Two views of a measuring cell used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Typically, such cells were placed in an electrolyte bath as part of a metered device used to measure the…
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High-speed creel guide
- 1947-Mar
Detail view of a high-speed creel guide used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. "Creel" refers to a rack holding bobbins or spools for spinning. The photograph is labeled…
- Subject Nylon, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Machinery
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Detail view of crimper used for production of nylon
- 1947-Mar
Detail view of a type of crimper used to crimp textile fibers during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. Typically, fibers entered the machine via drive pulleys and were fed into a…
- Subject Nylon, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Machinery
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Continuous denier meter used in production of synthetic fibers
- 1947-Mar
General view of a continuous denier meter used to measure the denier, or thickness, of filaments during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. The spool of yarn to be measured is visible…
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Inspection of staple drawing machine at DuPont facility
- 1947-Feb
General view of technicians inspecting the creel (a rack holding bobbins or spools for spinning) on a staple drawing machine used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. During the…
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Inspection of autoclave at DuPont facility
- 1947-Feb
General view of technicians inspecting an autoclave located in the Polymer Wing at a DuPont facility during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research. The individuals visible in the photograph are…
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Inspecting feed to spinning machine at nylon pilot plant
- 1947-Feb
General view of technicians inspecting the feed to the two-position spinning machine used at the DuPont plant in Seaford, Delaware during the early stages of nylon production and research. The two cylindrical hoppers…
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Distillation units at DuPont facility
- 1947-Feb
General view of the distillation units located in the first floor Organic Laboratory at a DuPont facility during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research. The individuals visible in the photograph are…
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Continuous polymerizer at DuPont facility
- 1947-Jan-07
General view of component parts, including a holding tank, flash tube, condenser, and finisher, of a continuous polymerizer used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont. The…
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Continuous polymerizer at DuPont facility
- 1947-Jan-07
General view of component parts, including a holding tank, flash tube, spinner, and finisher, of a continuous polymerizer used during the early stages of synthetic fiber production and research at DuPont.