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Smithsonian Acquires Borden World's Fair Materials
Advertising Icon "Elsie the Cow" Visits National Museum of American History
| Source: Borden
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - June 5, 2007) - In a special ceremony today, the
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History received a collection of
personal memorabilia documenting the Borden Company's participation in the
1939 New York World's Fair in commemoration of Borden's 150th anniversary.
The donation includes yearbooks, photographs, personal scrapbooks and other
materials. A selection of the Borden-related collection will be on
temporary display in the museum's "Treasures of American History"
exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum beginning
July 12.
Jim Cavanaugh, Chester Steen and Herbert Petree were among the 60 "Borden
Boys" -- young agriculture and dairy college students recruited to handle
the 150 cows at the Borden pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair, "The
Dairy World of Tomorrow." The exhibit was designed as a showcase for the
most modern, sanitary methods used in the dairy industry. These young men
cared for the animals, kept careful statistics on milk production and
demonstrated dairy operations to the public. Today, the three men once
again accompanied "Elsie the Cow" to a major event, this time in the
nation's capital.
"Back then, Elsie was a sensation, and we knew we were a part of something
special and wanted to preserve our memories," said Cavanaugh, who helped
select the first "real" Elsie after visitors to the World's Fair inquired
as to which of the cows was the one featured in the company's
advertisements.
"The Borden brand and Elsie have not only played major roles in popular
culture and advertising in American history, but they also reflect the
importance of the development of the dairy industry," said Brent D. Glass,
director of the National Museum of American History. "We're pleased that
the personal memorabilia of the 'Borden Boys' will be preserved in the
museum's archives center."
At the World's Fair, Borden soon discovered that although impressed with
the technology on display, most visitors really wanted to know which animal
was Elsie, a fictional cow featured in the company's recent advertisements.
An especially sweet-dispositioned Jersey was swiftly identified as Elsie
and introduced to the public. She became the focus of the exhibit, where
she and her calf Beulah lived in a luxury stall with framed "portraits" of
her ancestors on the wall. Due to her immense popularity at the fair, the
Borden Company made Elsie its primary advertising icon, a role she still
plays today.
The Borden materials will be added to the museum's archives center
collections, supplementing existing collections related to the 1939 World's
Fair as well as advertising history.
Gail Borden created the Borden brand in 1857, when he established the
nation's first milk condensery in Burrville, Conn. A team of artists
introduced Elsie in the late 1930s as part of a project to find a trademark
animal for Borden. Through a licensing agreement in 1997, Elsie and Borden
Cheese became part of the Dairy Farmers of America. DFA is the nation's
largest producer-owned dairy marketing cooperative and food company.
The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays
American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific
and military history. Documenting the American experience from Colonial
times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United
States. The museum is closed for major renovations and will re-open in
summer 2008. For information about the museum, please visit
http://americanhistory.si.edu or call Smithsonian Information at (202)
633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).
To view this release on line, go to:
http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2007/Blick_060507/index.html