Finding Aid for the Fred S. Lang Company Archive 1904-1948
Processed by Ashley Johnston.
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
University of California, Los Angeles
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018
Phone: (323) 731-8529
Fax: (323) 731-8617
Email: rfenning@humnet.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/clarklib/
©2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Fred S. Lang Company Archive,
Date (inclusive): 1904-1948
Collection number: Press coll. Archives Lang
Creator: Fred S. Lang
Company
Extent:
7 boxes
(4.5 linear feet)
Repository:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Los Angeles, California 90018
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence,
ephemera and other materials of and made by The Fred S. Lang Company of
Los Angeles, from academic prospectuses to an invitation for an exhibit
of Mr. Lang's work held by the Rounce & Coffin Club.
Physical location: This collection is stored at the Southern Regional Library Facility. Please contact Clark Library staff at least 2 weeks
in advance if you would like to view the materials in this collection.
Language of Material: Collection materials in English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library, UCLA. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Clark Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the William Andrews
Clark Memorial Library, UCLA as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Fred S. Lang Company Archive, Press coll.
Archives Lang, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of
California, Los Angeles.
Acquisition Information
Portions of the collection were a gift of Mrs. Fred S. Lang in 1945
or were collected over time by the William Andrews Clark Memorial
Library.
Processing History
In December 2009 the entire collection was fully processed and this
finding aid was written by Ashley Johnston.
Biography
Fred S. Lang was born in Marshalltown, Iowa on September 22, 1872. In
his early teens he worked with his brother to produce a small newspaper
on a hand press. Mr. Lang became a California resident in 1887, and
married Jewel Fuller in 1900. He operated his own press, The Fred S.
Lang Company, from 1895 until the year of his death in 1945.
Scope and Content
This collection, given to the Clark Library by Mrs. Fred S. Lang
shortly after her husband's death in 1945, contains invitations,
prospectuses, pamphlets and other ephemera printed by The Fred S. Lang
Company in Los Angeles, CA. A framed photograph of Mr. Lang as well as
awards for excellence in printing are also parts of the collection.
Seven wood blocks (from which printed reproductions were made for an
exhibit held in Mr. Lang's honor by the Rounce & Coffin Club after
his death) were also included as part of the original gift to the Clark
Library. The variety of companies and events for which Mr. Lang printed,
from the Los Angeles Grand Opera Association to the World Premiere of
Walt Disney's FANTASIA, display his role in the developing cultural
landscape of Los Angeles.
Arrangement
Series are organized thematically, and then further sorted
chronologically when possible.
The collection is organized into the following series:
- Series 1. Fred S. Lang Company Records and Ephemera, 1904-1945. 2
boxes (1.3 linear feet)
- Series 2. Printed Ephemera, 1910-1945. 5 boxes (3.25 linear
feet)
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Lang, Fred
S., 1872-1945.
Printers -- California --
20th century.
Small presses -- California
-- 20th century.
Genres and Forms
Ephemera -- California
-- 20th century.
Series 1.
Fred S. Lang Company Records and Ephemera
1904-1945
Physical Description: 2 boxes (1.3 linear feet)
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains material created by and for The Fred S. Lang
Company in Los Angeles. Items include an inventory of the original gift
to the Clark Library and printed ephemera including prospectuses, awards
and greeting cards for the company, as well as two framed awards and a
framed photograph of Fred S. Lang.
Arrangement
This series was arranged first thematically and then chronologically
where possible.
Box 1, Folder 1
Accession Records,
1945-1948
Scope and Content Note
Includes a background and brief inventory of the donation of the Fred
S. Lang archive to the Clark Library.
Box 1, Folder 2
Correspondence,
1940
Scope and Content Note
Includes one letter from the University of California Press and Fred
S. Lang's reply.
Box 1, Folder 3
Fred S. Lang Company Prospectuses,
1904, undated
Box 1, Folder 4
Fred S. Lang Company Greeting Cards,
1919-1926, undated
Box 1, Folder 5
Fred S. Lang Company Ephemera,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes objects printed by Fred S. Lang for his own business,
including change of address notices and stationery.
Box 1, Folder 6
Awards,
1927,1931
Scope and Content Note
Awards and certificates given to acknowledge the quality of printing
by the Fred S. Lang Company.
Box 2
Framed Ephemera,
1919,
1926
Scope and Content Note
Includes two framed awards and one framed photograph of Fred S. Lang.
Series 2.
Printed Ephemera
1910-1945
Physical Description: 5 boxes (3.25 linear feet)
Scope and Content Note
This series contains ephemera that was printed by The Fred S. Lang
Company for a variety of Los Angeles and Southern California area
companies and events in the first half of the twentieth century. The
items are primarily prospectuses, invitations and pamphlets but there
are also seven wood blocks included in the collection.
Arrangement
This series was arranged first thematically and then chronologically
where possible.
Box 3, Folder 1
Academic Prospectuses,
1911-1934, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes academic prospectuses from private schools, such as the
Westlake School for Girls and Harvard School for Boys prior to their
merger, and military academies in Los Angeles, CA.
Box 3, Folder 2
Invitations,
1912-1931, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes invitations to a variety of events in Los Angeles, from
annual business meetings to golf club openings.
Box 3, Folder 3
Souvenir Programs,
1905-1948, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes programs and menus from events in the Los Angeles area,
including a program from the dedication of the Mary Andrews Clark
Memorial Home in 1913.
Box 3, Folder 4
Printed Ephemera,
1910-1932, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes various printed objects from printed stationery to
announcements of classes.
Box 4, Folder 1
Greeting Cards,
1925-1928, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes greeting cards distributed by businesses and individuals.
Note
Two items are Christmas cards illustrated with block prints by
Erle Kenton (a film director) and sent from Erle and Florence
Kenton.
Box 4, Folder 2
Prospectuses,
1927,
1940,
undated
Box 4, Folder 3
Reproductions from Wood Blocks,
undated
Box 5, Folder 2
Pamphlets,
1924-1945, undated
Box 6
Wood Blocks,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes 7 wood blocks, from which woodcut print reproductions were
made for a Rounce & Coffin Club exhibit in Fred S. Lang's honor.
Box 7, Folder 1
Woodcuts (Prints),
1924, undated
Note
Includes woodcut prints that were William Andrews Clark Jr.'s
holiday greetings from 1924.
Box 7, Folder 2
Academic Prospectuses (Oversize),
1936-1943, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes academic prospectuses from the Chouinard School of Art.
Box 7, Folder 3
Souvenir Programs (Oversize),
1940
Scope and Content Note
Includes the program from the World Premiere of Walt Disney's
FANTASIA.
Note
Small card attached indicating "Typographical styling by Fred
S. Lang, Los Angeles, Calif."
