Identity elements
Name and location of repository
Beschrijvingsniveau
Collectie
Titel
Erwin G. Harris archive of advertising and commercial art
Datum(s)
- 1946-2013 (Vervaardig)
Omvang
15.79 linear feet (7 document cases, 1 record storage carton, 6 oversized flat archival boxes, and 1 oversized flat file)
Naam van de archiefvormer
Biografie
Born in Yonkers, New York on August 15th, Erwin Goldblum Harris (1921-2013) was a renowned advertising executive, primarily based out of Miami, Florida. He received his undergraduate degree in New York University and his postgraduate degree in aerial mapping from Columbia University. He also served in the United States Military Forces as a Combat Intelligence Officer during World War II and married Therese Deutsch Harris, with whom he had three children and six grandchildren. In 1947, he went into a business partnership with Hank Meyer (Meyer & Harris) and later went on to form his own company (Harris & Company Advertising, Inc.) in 1952.
While leading Harris & Company Advertising, Inc., Harris secured several large, notable clients for his firm, including the Fontainebleau Hotel, the Eden Roc Hotel, the American Hotel, Intercontinental Hotels, the Havana Riviera, Cutty Sark, the American Society of Travel Agents, and Miami's infamous Interama Exhibition, which never came to fruition. His works largely focused on commercial promotional materials within the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America, but he also contributed to advertising for former President John F. Kennedy's campaign in Florida, as well as the election campaigns for former Senator Spessard Holland and former Governor Farris Bryant.
Though Harris had gained a modest amount of fame and respect for his prolific design aesthetic, he became well known on a global scale during 1960 and 1961, while the Communist Revolution was at its height in Cuba, when he had obtained court documents to seize goods from the Cuban government after he had been left unpaid for the advertising campaign he had created for the Instituto Nacional de la Industria Turística (INIT) in Cuba. Among the goods seized were two Cubana Airlines passenger planes, five cargo planes, a Cuban Navy vessel, a boatload of Cuban cigars, 1 million pounds of insecticide, and 3.5 million pounds of cooking lard. His legal dispute with the Fidel Castro regime had gained him a lot of fans and support, but unfortunately, he had been unable to fully recover financially and had to eventually file for bankruptcy.
Content and structure elements
Bereik en inhoud
A rich collection of graphic design prints, transparencies, sketches, mock-ups, and maquettes, as well as promotional materials (pamphlets, flyers, leaflets, brochures, advertisements) created by Erwin G. Harris and his design firm. Included within are commercial advertising materials for hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions in Florida, other parts of the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean; wines and spirits; and other companies, such as IGENE Biotechnology, Scopitone, and Mastro Plastics.
The collection also includes correspondence to and from Erwin G. Harris, photographs, advertisement proposals, resumes, biographies, portfolios and other documents pertaining to Harris and Company Advertising, and Inc. and Erwin G. Harris’ other businesses, along with legal documents, correspondence, and news clipping detailing Harris' feud with the Cuban government under Fidel Castro during the early 1960s.
Ordeningstelsel
This collection has been organized into the following series:
Series I. Harris and Company Advertising, Inc. and other business ventures: Contains company profiles, resumes, photographs, news clippings, correspondence, and other documents associated with Harris & Co. Advertising Agency and Erwin G. Harris’ other businesses.
Series II. Florida advertising materials: Contains news clippings, advertising and marketing proofs, graphic and promotional materials, drawings, photographs, correspondence, and ephemera.
Series III. United States, Latin America, Caribbean, and other advertising materials: Contains news clippings, advertising proposals, graphic and promotional materials, photographs, and drawings.
Series IV. Cuba advertising materials: Contains news clippings, advertising proposals, graphic and promotional materials, photographs, and drawings.
Series V. Dispute with Fidel Castro regime: Contains correspondence, legal proceedings, news clippings, art, and ephemera documenting Harris’ feud with Fidel Castro shortly after the Communist Revolution in Cuba.
Conditions of access and use elements
Voorwaarden voor raadpleging
This collection is open for research, except for Box 14 which is restricted.
Physical access
The collection is currently being kept on campus at the Otto G. Richter Library. Please contact us at asc.library@miami.edu for further information on how to request and access the materials.
Technical access
Voorwaarden voor reproductie
Erwin G. Harris archive of advertising and commercial art finding aid © 2023 University of Miami. All rights reserved. Requests to reproduce or publish materials from this collection should be directed to asc.library@miami.edu.
Languages of the material
- Engels
- Spaans
Scripts of the material
- Latijn
Taal en schrift aantekeningen
Toegangen
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Geschiedenis beheer
Directe bron van verwerving
This collection was donated by Jayne Harris Abess and family, 05-30-2023.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Aanvullingen
Related materials elements
Bestaan en verblifplaats van originelen
Bestaan en verblijfplaats van kopieën
This collection has been digitized and can be accessed from our digital collections site.
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Regels of conventies
Sources used
Aantekeningen van de archivaris
This collection was processed by Jordan Jedry, Purdy Processing Archivist, and Yvette Yurubi, Processing Archivist, summer 2023.