Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company / Miss America Collection

About this collection

Joseph Bancroft, an Englishman trained in textile weaving in Lancashire, established his own cotton mill on the Brandywine near Wilmington, Delaware in 1831. The firm was incorporated as the Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company in 1889. The collection consists of general advertising, fashion photography, and product information for "Ban-Lon" and "Everglaze" -- synthetic fibers produced and marketed by Bancroft in the 20th century. In particular, the collection documents the Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company's sponsorship of the Miss America Pageant and the promotion of fabrics by Miss America from the years 1953 to 1967. Click here to view the finding aid for the Joseph Bancroft and Sons Company photographs, or click here to view the finding aid for the Joseph Bancroft and Sons Company, Miss America collection.

    Image: 1961 Ban-Lon fashions. Click to view.

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