Introduction

By Keith W. Lauer

     Celluloid, not to be confused with cellulite, is truly the grand-daddy of all plastics.� Celluloid is the material of many desirable collections, unlike cellulite.
     Celluloid was the patented name of cellulose nitrate, the first semi-synthetic plastic, and the name celluloid has evolved through popular use into the generic term for cellulose nitrate. The term celluloid shall be used in this work to identify this classic material which was commercially produced for over one hundred years, beginning in 1870.
     Guide books for collectors have been recently printed for many types of plastics in general including celluloid, but this is the first attempt to produce an historically accurate account of the early American pyroxylin plastics industry and the collectible articles produced by the manufacturers thereof.
     This work is an attempt to offer information in word and graphics that will help others share in the satisfaction of collecting and preserving some of the approximately 50,000 different products that have been made of celluloid since its development.
     Information is provided about identification sources, developmental history, and preservation of celluloid items. The fullest satisfaction cannot be attained merely by accumulation of celluloid collectibles. Only by an understanding of the history, properties, preservation, uses, and variety of celluloid items can they be fully appreciated.
     Collecting celluloid is a challenge, and the thrill of discovery is bound to come to the serious collector as he or she comes across the material in a form which is unknown and unexpected by the collector. Collectors will marvel that items of celluloid have endured so long in view of its flammability, abuse in childrens play activity, and its fragility when produced in thin sections, as in blow-molded items.
     This author has made his observations on celluloid from his location in Leominster, Massachusetts. Leominster is the pioneer plastic city with a background in the production of items made of horn, hooves, ivory, and tortoise shell, continuing through celluloid and into the modern synthetic materials. Leominster also has had four men of the community named to the Plastics Hall of Fame, which is housed in the recently opened National Plastics Center.

By Julie P. Robinson

     I first became interested in researching celluloid in 1991 after receiving several small advertising premiums that had belonged to relatives and held special sentimental significance. I sought to locate information on my small collection of early plastic goods and knew just where to find it.
     At the time, I was a student at the Institute for the Study of Antiques and Collectibles in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. The tremendous research library at the Institute houses thousands of books on antiques and collectibles. To my disappointment, I discovered there were none written exclusively on the topic of celluloid. It had been featured insignificantly in a few minor categories on early advertising and toys, but overall the subject had been largely ignored.
     Shortly thereafter, during the course of my studies, I was required to write a thesis on a subject of which I had little prior knowledge. Being well aware that pyroxylin plastic was a subject still widely unexplored by both the collector and scholar, I set to work gathering resources, only to find that very little information regarding celluloid and its inventor, John Wesley Hyatt, Jr., was readily available.
     The quest for knowledge led me to contact Andra Behrendt, an Illinois collector of decorative celluloid boxes and albums. Andra's boundless enthusiasm for the subject and generosity in sharing her many resources were remarkable; she responded to my request for information by sending me a portion of her extensive collection and also providing me with several technical documents (in the form of related articles and book references) that I needed in order to get started on my research project. Furthermore, Andra put me in contact with Keith Lauer, historical archivist at the National Plastics Center and Museum in Leominster, Masschusetts.
     A visit to Massachusetts in the summer of 1993 brought me to the National Plastics Center and Museum where Keith Lauer and I finally met face to face. His extensive knowledge regarding the matter of early plastics was indeed impressive, as was his personal collection of celluloid objects. I had never seen so many toys and novelties, utilitarian items, decorative goods, and advertising items assembled together in one place. They say a first impression is a lasting one,� and I must emphasize, it's true! I am still amazed at the extraordinary collection Mr. Lauer has accumulated throughout the years. In addition, the resource materials he has gathered while archivist of the NPC provide numerous possibilities for a student of plastics history.
      By the summer of 1995, I had finally gathered enough information to fulfill the I.S.A.C. thesis requirement. The story, John Wesley Hyatt and the Invention of Celluloid,� was published nationally in the June 19th edition of AntiqueWeek, a trade paper distributed by Mayhill Publications of Knightstown, Indiana. With this project behind me, it became obvious that Mr. Lauer and I should join forces to write an extensive work on the history and applications of the first commercially successful semi-synthetic thermoplastic  celluloid.
     Perhaps the reason for celluloid's great success as a material had to do with the conservative approach with which the Hyatts marketed their product; carefully adapting and establishing celluloid as an alternative material for traditional substances before moving on to new applications. This is clearly evident with its establishment as a replacement for Vulcanite in denture plates, celluloid's primary use for the first five years. By 1875, when celluloid was introduced as an alternative for expensive luxury materials in fashion accessories, the impact of mass production was felt in both industry and consumerism.
     Among the most significant changes were those felt in industries where traditional skills were replaced by the mass production of molded plastic articles. Craftsmen, who had been trained as horn and shell smiths soon found themselves in competition with machinery that mass produced items in minutes, when previously it had taken hours of skillful handiwork.
     The social impact of celluloid's introduction as an imitation for expensive luxury materials was equally significant; it bridged the gap between the wealthy and the working classes. For the first time in history, all people could indulge in owning elegant looking jewelry and accessories, even if they couldn't afford the genuine article.
     Celluloid was by far one of the most significant inventions of the nineteenth century. It gave birth to the modern plastics industry of the twentieth century, which today is continuing to advance our standard of living the world over; and just as celluloid found a multitude of uses from the late 1800s through the 1920s, modern plastics are finding useful applications in art, industry, consumerism, science, and medicine.
     Early plastics are a wonderful and vast subject, a matter that deserves the respect and attention of serious antiques dealers and collectors. It is hoped that this book will further the appreciation for the material that had over 50,000 different applications ranging from the most personal of accessories,  dentures,  to the most influential social medium of the twentieth century,  cinema film.