1907-1951, undated
85M-01-314-Z-F-0207
GUSN-369565
The North Bennet Street School ephemera collection consists of 86 pieces of ephemera, including but not limited to advertisements, booklets, design drawings, pamphlets, price lists, and trade catalogues. The materials were compiled by the North Bennet Street Industrial School in Boston, Mass., and span the first half of the 20th century. The majority of the ephemera centers on trades and arts that were part of the North Bennet Street School curriculum over the decades. These materials were removed from a larger collection of North Bennet Street School records that were donated to the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University in the 1960s and 1970s. During processing, many items were removed from the collection and donated to other repositories; EP011 contains materials received by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) from the Schlesinger Library in 1980. The reason for the removal and donation of these specific items is unknown.
trade catalogs
price lists
pamphlets
booklets
advertisements
pottery (object genre)
ceramics (objects)
jewelry making
advertising
printing (process)
concrete
decorative arts
fine arts
metalwork
furnishings (artifacts)
appliances
finance
design drawings
textiles
outdoor sculpture
vocational schools (institutions)
ephemera
printed ephemera
86 items; 13 folders (1 legal-size document case)
An electronic finding aid is available through Historic New Englands Collections Access Portal. A paper finding aid is available in the Library & Archives.
The records of the North Bennet Street Industrial School were given to the Schlesinger Library by the School in 1968 and 1976. Following the processing of the collection, many items were separated, deaccessioned, and donated to other repositories. In 1980, the Schlesinger donated a selection of "Pamphlets, etc. re: interior decoration" to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England); these materials now make up EP011.
EP011
North Bennet Street School ephemera collection
1980
EP011
Collection of ephemera including advertisements, booklets, design drawings, pamphlets, price lists, and trade catalogues compiled by the North Bennet Street Industrial School in Boston, Mass. spanning the first half of the 20th century.
Gift
Gift of Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, 1980.
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
North Bennet Street Industrial School (Boston, Mass.) (Compiler)
ephemera
printed ephemera
North Bennet Street Industrial School (Boston, Mass.)
This collection is available for research.
The collection was put in folders and rehoused. Several delicate items were put in protective sleeves.
Collection
85M-01-314-Z-F-0207
Accruals are not expected.
Materials are entirely in English.
Item identification. Folder #. North Bennet Street School ephemera collection (EP011). Historic New England, Library & Archives.
Sophia Cos, Assistant Archivist, April 2025.
2nd-edition DACS compliant
The North Bennet Street Industrial School (NBSIS) was founded in Boston, Mass., in 1881 in efforts by various local charities seeking to provide employment training and social services for the growing immigrant population in Bostons North End neighborhood. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the School continued to grow and expand its services; courses were offered to adults and children alike, including job skills and vocational training, home economics, and language classes. The School also provided a library and gymnasium, organized social outings, and childcare services. Adapting to the changing needs of the community throughout the 20th century, the North Bennet Street Industrial School ran programs to retrain soldiers returning from both World Wars, strengthened its courses in traditional trades and crafts, and partnered with many local Boston businesses to provide opportunities to its students. By the 1980s, the bulk of the Schools social services programs were phased out or transferred to similar public entities as well as the North End Union. It was at this time that the School removed the word "Industrial" from its name, emphasizing the Schools evolving focus on training in traditional fine crafts. The North Bennet Street School received accreditation from the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools in 1983 and continues to be a leader in community-based educational and vocational services.
North Bennet Street School (n.d.). Our History. https://nbss.edu/about/history/\n
Records of the North Bennet Street Industrial School, 1880-1973: A Finding Aid. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. https://id.lib.harvard.edu/ead/sch00829/catalog. Accessed April 21, 2025.
North Bennet Street Industrial School Records, 1880-1973; MC 269. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Saturday Evening Girls Records, 1915-1991; MC 1081. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
The collection is arranged in folders alphabetically by topic.
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact info@historicnewengland.org.
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