David H. Killeffer Collection of Chemical Industry Photographs

This collection consists of black and white photographs of various industrial and agricultural processes, primarily dating from the 1940s and 50s. Photographs are grouped by subject, including some miscellaneous groups that consist of various plants, equipment and processes. Some topics presented are grease production, industrial chemistry as related to agriculture, plastics production, magnesium, potash, sulphur and phosphate production, kelp harvesting (for the extraction of potash) and ammonia storage applications. Included in the collection are photographs of modified transfer molds, extrusion presses, ammonia applicators, chemical plants, photograms of chemistry equipment, pilot plant production of food, spectrometers and ammonia storage spheres. Many of the chemical companies involved in these practices are represented such as Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Squibb, Pfizer, Merck, Standard Oil, General Electric and others. Plant and mining locations are depicted in Nevada, Georgia, California, Nebraska, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and India. The collection also contains images of flow sheets, equipment, laboratory research and a portrait and magazine cover featuring John William Turrentine, President of the American Potash Institute. Most of the photographs in the collection were compiled by David Killeffer for use in his publications. Descriptions of photographs are often included on the back, frequently with a news release from the company that provided the materials. The collection includes copies of some of Killeffer’s articles in which the photographs originally appeared; additional articles can be found in the Records of Chemist’s Club at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Notably, the collection does not include any photographs of David Killeffer and copyright ownership for many of the photographs is unclear, particularly in the case of photographs related to corporations.