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Charles F. Berg photographs collection, 1900-1974

Overview of the Collection

Title
Charles F. Berg photographs collection
Dates
1900-1974 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 cubic feet, (1,029 photographs and 122 safety negatives in 3 boxes; 15 photographs in 1 album; and 1 glass lantern slide)
Collection Number
Org. Lot 103
Summary
Photographs collected by Charles F. Berg (1871-1932) and his son, Forrest Talbot Berg (b. 1901), owners and operators of Charles F. Berg Company, a major women's apparel store in Portland, Or. The photographs depict the stores owned by the company, as well as its predecessors, as well as store events, fashions, sales, and personnel, 1900-1974.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

Charles F. Berg Company was first established as Lennon's in Portland, Or. in 1907 when the San Francisco retailer by that name purchased John Allesina's Umbrella Store at 309 Morrison Street. Charles F. Berg joined the firm that same year and moved to Portland to manage the new store. Berg sold women's specialty items such as umbrellas, gloves, and hosiery at Lennon's until 1921, when he became sole owner of the Portland store and changed its name to Charles F. Berg. Shortly thereafter, he expanded the store to include moderately priced to better women's apparel and opened shops at other downtown locations. "Who's Your Hosier?" and "Glovingly Yours" became well-known advertising slogans for the stores.

Forrest Berg joined the staff in 1922 to manage the store's newly opened Ready-to-Wear Department. At a time when most stores catered to the "mature woman," he saw a market for younger fashions, and under his direction, Berg's became a leader in selling apparel in smaller sizes to younger women. The store formed the first college board in the Pacific Northwest in 1924 and, in the early 1940s, added high school boards. These students boards, which were representative of local colleges and high schools, were employed as sales clerks on alternate Saturdays throughout the year. Board members were also actively involved in sales promotions such as fashion shows and "Date with Dad" nights. The 1920s also saw the introduction of the "Chumley" label. Later the slogan "Chumley Young Fashions" was adopted.

In 1929 Charles Berg leased and significantly renovated in the art deco style Dolph Building at 614 S.W. Broadway, and in 1930, the store moved to that location. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1983. In response to the growth of west suburban Portland, Charles F. Berg, Inc. purchased the Dark Horse store in Beaverton in 1960. Renamed The Charles F. Berg Dark Horse, the Beaverton store operated with the same merchandise and took part in the same promotions and employee activities as the downtown Portland store. Forrest T. Berg sold the company to Rusans, a Washington clothing chain, in 1975.

For additional historical background, such as explanations of special store promotions and staff activities, see Folder A in Box 1. Included there are descriptions of store activities provided by Doris Wills Setzer, formerly Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Charles F. Berg, Inc. Ms. Setzer provided valuable assistance in organizing and identifying photographs in the collection.

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Content Description

This collection consists of photographs, dating from 1900-1974, that were collected by Charles F. Berg (1871-1931) and his son, Forrest Talbot Berg (b. 1901), owners and operators of Charles F. Berg Company, a major women's apparel store in Portland, Or. The collection includes images of the downtown Charles F. Berg stores as well as their predecessors, the John Allesina Umbrella Store and Lennon's, and the Charles F. Berg Dark Horse, a branch store in Beaverton, Or. Photographs of store interiors, displays, and promotions illustrate changes in fashion, market emphasis, and merchandising techniques during the history of the company. Images relating to store personnel document efforts by the management to motivate employees and encourage good relations between executive and sales personnel.

The works of numerous Portland commercial photographs, including Ackroyd Photos, Allen J. DeLay, Columbia Studio, and Photo Arts, are represented in the collection. Photographs dating from the 1960s are primarily color snapshots photographed by members of the store's personnel department. There is also one lantern slide in the collection.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Charles F. Berg photographs collection, Org. Lot 103, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • Series A: Background information
  • Series B: Predecessor stores, 1900-1916
  • Series C: Charles F. Berg stores, circa 1920-1974
  • Series D: The Dark Horse store, Beaverton, Or., circa 1960-1974

Acquisition Information

Library accession no. 14599 (Photo accession no. 1978D092); Library accession no. 17706 (Photo accession no. 1986D036); and Library accession no. 17654 (Photo accession no. 1986D019).

Separated Materials

Manuscript materials were separated into the Charles Forest Berg papers, Mss 2512, in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fashion merchandising--Photographs
  • Retail trade--Employees--Oregon--Portland--Photographs
  • Stores, Retail--Oregon--Portland--Photographs

Personal Names

  • Berg, Charles F., 1871-1932--Photographs
  • Berg, Forrest Talbot, b. 1901--Photographs

Corporate Names

  • Charles F. Berg, Inc. (Portland, Or.)--Photographs.

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Photographs.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Lantern slides
  • Photographic prints
  • Safety film negatives

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Ackroyd Photos (Portland, Or.) (photographers)
    • Photo Arts (Portland, Or.) (photographers)
    • DeLay, Allen J. (photographer)
    • Columbia Studio (Portland, Or.) (photographers)


2006

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

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