Douglas Leigh papers, 1903-1999, bulk, 1924-1999

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A Finding Aid to the Douglas Leigh Papers, 1903-1999, in the Archives of American Art, by Jean Fitzgerald

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Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Douglas Leigh was born in Anniston, Alabama, in 1907. After graduating from the University of Florida in 1928, he began his career as a salesman for the General Outdoor Advertising Company of Atlanta, Georgia. He moved to New York City in 1930 and developed his ideas for animated and illuminated advertising signs primarily in the vicinity of Times Square. He established his own advertising company, Douglas Leigh, Inc., in 1933 and created the popular Camel Cigarette billboard that featured a man's face exhaling smoke rings over Broadway.

Dubbed "The Man Who Lit Up New York" in his New York Times obituary, he was responsible for festooning Broadway with miles of spectacular electrical and animated signs, such as a steaming coffeepot, a winking penguin on a cake of ice for Kool cigarettes, and the giant Camel sign that puffed smoke rings from a Times Square sign from 1941 and 1967. These effects led to creating animated billboards, an innovation called the Leigh-EPOK animated, billboards matrix display, or EPOK. Leigh developed numerous dirigible advertising projects involving both painted logos and networks of lights over the surface of the dirigible. These sequentially-timed lights caused dramatic animated effects against the night sky.

Leigh was also a pioneer in the illumination of city skylines and buildings and thought of lighting up Manhattan's skyscrapers, beginning with the Empire State Building, in 1976 and continuing with the lighting and gilding of the Con Edison Building, the Helmsley Building, and the Crown Building. This idea was adopted by many other cities, including Cincinnati, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, and Baltimore with Leigh traveling there to supervise the final installation. Leigh was also involved with numerous urban improvement and renewal projects.

Leigh's career continued into the 1990's, and he died in 1999.

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Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The collection measures 17.8 linear feet and dates from 1903 to 1999 (bulk 1924-1992) and documents the career of advertising designer and executive Douglas Leigh. Found are 83 volumes of publicity scrapbooks that contain mostly photographs, clippings, printed materials, and scattered letters, drawings, and blueprints. Also included are professional correspondence; photographs of project installations, aerial advertising, and entertainers; plaques and awards received by Leigh; and printed material, which includes clippings, press kits, advertising materials, designs and original sketches for projects by Leigh. The material reflects Leigh's continuously imaginative use of a wide range of innovative media in promoting his clients' products.

Among the projects and campaigns represented in the papers are 7up, Airships (Tydol, Flying Red Horse, MGM, Wonder Bread and others), Allied Chemical Tower, Amoco, BlueCross-Blue Shield, Camel cigarettes, Coca-Cola, EPOK, Eveready, Flamingo Frozen Foods, Four Roses Whiskey, Fram Oil Filters, Helmsley Building, Old Gold Cigarettes, Pan Am Building, Pepsi-Cola, R. J. Reynolds, Schaefer Beer, Spectaculars, Stag Beer, Times Tower Building, and Wilson Whiskey.

The Personal Scrapbooks Series (.06 linear feet) consists of 4 scrapbooks that contain photographs, letters, and printed material that document Douglas Leigh's interaction with family, friends, and colleagues.

The General Scrapbooks Series (4.0 linear feet) consists of 16 scrapbooks containing clippings, miscellaneous printed material, letters, interview transcripts, artwork, photographs, and a metal Tydol pin that document the development of miscellaneous projects by Douglas Leigh and his company.

The Billboard Project Files Series (5.0 linear feet) consists primarily of scrapbooks, photographs, and individual product files that document the development of billboard advertising projects.

The Poster Project Files Series (1.6 linear feet) consists of notes, reports, artwork, photographs, miscellaneous printed material, 4 scrapbooks, and individual product files that document the development of poster advertising projects, primarily those used on Railway Express Agency delivery trucks.

The Dirigible Project Files Series (3.7 linear feet) consists of notes, reports, artwork, photographs, miscellaneous printed material, 12 scrapbooks, and individual product files that document the development of dirigible advertising projects involving both painted logos and networks of lights over the surface of the dirigible. These sequentially-timed lights caused dramatic animated effects against the night sky.

The Urban Improvement Project Files Series (2.2 linear feet) consists of photographs, a promotion book, clippings, miscellaneous printed material, 18 scrapbooks, and individual urban improvement project files that document the development of urban improvement projects involving both the construction design of new buildings and the lighting of prominent buildings in New York City and elsewhere.

Arrangement and Series Description

Scrapbooks within Series 8-13 (Personal Scrapbooks, General Scrapbooks, Billboard Project Files, Poster Project Files, Dirigible Project Files, and Urban Improvement Project Files) have been arranged into as accurate a chronological order as possible. They have been numbered consecutively within each series, and scrapbooks containing material concerning multiple products appear before those concerning individual products.

Oversized materials from various series have been housed in Boxes 6-11, Boxes 12-32 (sols), BV 33, and OV 34, and are noted in the Series Description/Container Listing Section at the appropriate folder title with see also/see references. Additional oversized boxes may be listed with the appropriate series when they contain oversized material from one series only.

The collection has been arranged into 13 series:

• Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-1988 (Box 1, 12; 7 folders)
• Series 2: Correspondence, 1924-1999, n.d. (Box 1; 16 folders)
• Series 3: Notes, 1941-1997, n.d. (Box 1; 3 folders)
• Series 4: Writings by Others, 1962, n.d. (Box 1; 2 folders)
• Series 5: Artwork, 1958 (Box 1; 1 folder)
• Series 6: Photographs, 1913-1990 (Box 1, 12; .03 linear feet)
• Series 7: Printed Material, 1905-1999, n.d. (Box 1; 8 folders)
• Series 8: Personal Scrapbooks, 1942-1982 (Box 12-13; .06 linear feet)
• Series 9: General Scrapbooks, 1933-1951 (Box 2-5; 4.0 linear feet)
• Series 10: Billboard Project Files, 1929-1997 (Box 1, 6-7, 14-25, BV 33; 5.0 linear feet)
• Series 11: Poster Project Files, 1943-1963 (Box 7-8, 14; 1.6 linear feet)
• Series 12: Dirigible Project Files, 1944-1954 (Box 8-11, 14, 26-28; 3.7 linear feet)
• Series 13: Urban Improvement Project Files, 1903-1992 (Box 9, 14, 28-32, OV 34; 2.2 linear feet)

Provenance

The Douglas Leigh papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Leigh's widow, Elsie M. Leigh, in 2000.

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Jean Fitzgerald in August 2003.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy. Original scrapbooks are closed to researchers because of their fragile condition.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Douglas Leigh papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Available Formats

The collection has been filmed on microfilm reels 5840-5848, and is available through interlibrary loan.

How to Cite this Collection

Douglas Leigh Papers, 1903-1999. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

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Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1943-1988 (Box 1, 12; 7 folders)

Military records document Leigh's service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Biographical material includes certificates of membership in naval and real estate organizations, and award plaques and certificates. Records are arranged chronologically.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1924-1999, n.d. (Box 1; 16 folders)

The chronologically-arranged correspondence consists of business letters that do not directly relate to a specific project.

Series 3: Notes, 1941-1997, n.d. (Box 1; 3 folders)

Notes consist of address lists of business associates, a haphazard collection of clippings entitled "Recognition of Results Obtained," and miscellaneous notes.

Series 4: Writings by Others, 1962, n.d. (Box 1; 2 folders)

This series consists of miscellaneous poems and a typescript of remarks by James Felt to the Broadway Association.

Series 5: Artwork, 1958 (Box 1; 1 folder)

Artwork consists of three caricatures of Douglas Leigh by Faruk Alpkurt.

Series 6: Photographs, 1913-1990 (Box 1, 12; .03 linear feet)

Photographs are of Douglas Leigh, his boyhood home, family members, and business colleagues. Photographs of Leigh and business colleagues ca. 1939 include a photo of Mickey Rooney. An album contains photographs of office parties at Douglas Leigh, Inc.

Series 7: Printed Material, 1905-1999, n.d. (Box 1; 8 folders)

Printed material including clippings, brochures, picture postcards, 2 books, a sample book of business stationery, and miscellaneous printed material.

Series 8: Personal Scrapbooks, 1942-1982 (Box 12-13; .06 linear feet)

These personal scrapbooks contain photographs, letters, and printed material documenting Douglas Leigh's interaction with family, friends, and colleagues. One scrapbook contains photographs of Leigh's parents and a skiing holiday. The other scrapbooks record annual business luncheons of the New York Sales Executive Club and the Broadway Association. Personal Scrapbook 3 contains 2 letters and a photograph of John D. Rockefeller III.

Series 9: General Scrapbooks, 1933-1951 (Box 2-5; 4.0 linear feet)

The sixteen general scrapbooks found here contain clippings, miscellaneous printed material, letters, interview transcripts, artwork, and photographs documenting the development of miscellaneous projects by Douglas Leigh and his company. General Scrapbook 1 contains a cartoon of Douglas Leigh by Stookie Allen. General Scrapbook 13 contains a metal pin reading "Honorary Tydol Pilot/ Feb 1947."

Series 10: Billboard Project Files, 1929-1997 (Box 1, 6, 14-25, BV 33; 5.0 linear feet)

This series consists primarily of 29 scrapbooks and photographs documenting the development of billboard advertising projects, including Leigh's inventions of the Leigh-EPOK Electric Display Board and the Tri-Vision Billboard. Also found are notes, letters, interview transcripts, clippings, miscellaneous printed material, and individual product files. Scrapbooks have been consecutively numbered within this series. Scrapbooks containing material concerning multiple products appear before those concerning individual products. Leigh referred to his billboards as "Spectaculars" because they often were illuminated or displayed mechanized animation.

This series is arranged chronologically within each project, with the exception of 10.2: General Photographs, which has been arranged according to subject matter, and 10.5: Individual Billboard Product Files, which has been arranged alphabetically. The series is divided into 5 subseries:

• 10.1: General Notes, 1934-1997
• 10.2: General Photographs, 1929-1996
• 10.3: Leigh-EPOK Electric Display Board, 1966-1993
• 10.4: Billboard Scrapbooks for Miscellaneous Products, 1933-1977
• 10.5: Individual Billboard Product Files, 1936-1980

10.1: General Notes, 1934-1997

10.2: General Photographs, 1929-1996

10.3: Leigh-EPOK Electric Display Board, 1966-1993

10.4: Billboard Scrapbooks for Miscellaneous Products, 1933-1977

Billboard Scrapbook 8 includes a photo of Joan Crawford; Billboard Scrapbook 9 includes a photo of cartoonist Otto Soglow; Billboard Scrapbook 10 includes photos of dancers Bill Robinson and the De Marcos; and Billboard Scrapbook 16 includes a photo of Sophia Loren.

10.5: Individual Billboard Product Files, 1936-1980

Billboard Scrapbook 25 includes photographs of Broadway performers Joan McCracken, June Havoc, Bambi Linn, and the De Marcos; Wilson Whiskey Billboard Scrapbook 27 includes a photograph of Joan Crawford.

Series 11: Poster Project Files, 1943-1963 (Box 7-8, 14; 1.6 linear feet)

This series consists of notes, reports, artwork, photographs, miscellaneous printed material, 4 scrapbooks, and individual product files that document the development of poster advertising projects, primarily those used on Railway Express Agency delivery trucks that would circulate the poster advertisements throughout urban areas. Individual product files typically contain photographs, notes, clippings, and other printed materials. Although scrapbooks have been consecutively numbered within this series, they either focus on multiple projects or are solely associated with one project and arranged with that project. There is also a file concerning the Shopping Center Network Semaphore Poster Display that involved the placement of hanging posters on light poles in shopping center parking lots.

Series 12: Dirigible Project Files, 1944-1954 (Box 8-11, 14, 26-28; 3.7 linear feet)

This series consists of notes, reports, artwork, photographs, miscellaneous printed material, 12 scrapbooks, and individual product files that document the development of dirigible advertising projects involving both painted logos and networks of lights over the surface of the dirigible. Sequentially-timed lights caused dramatic animated effects against the night sky. Individual Product/Project Files are arranged alphabetically and typically contain photographs, scrapbooks, printed material, and scattered drawings. Leigh compiled scrapbooks of general information on dirigible advertising and for specific dirigible projects. General scrapbooks have been arranged by date and are interspersed throughout the series and specific project scrapbooks have been arranged with the appropriate product/project file.

Series 13: Urban Improvement Project Files, 1903-1992 (Box 9, 14, 28-32, OV 34; 2.2 linear feet)

This series consists of photographs, a promotion book, clippings, miscellaneous printed material, 18 scrapbooks, and individual project files that document the development of Leigh's urban improvement projects involving both the construction design of new buildings and the lighting of prominent buildings in New York City and elsewhere. Project files typically contain photographs, printed materials, notes, floorplans, blueprints, and scattered letters. The 18 consecutively numbered scrapbooks document both individual project files and general multiple projects. Scrapbooks containing material concerning multiple products have been numbered first.