Inventor Name
Cramer-Sachs, Charlotte
Repository
National Museum of American History
Smithsonian Institution
Archives Center
P.O. Box 37012
MRC 601/Room 1100
Washington, DC 20013-7012
202-633-3270
http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives
Physical Description
4 cubic feet, (13 boxes, 3 oversized folders)
Summary
Inventor, b. Berlin, Germany, 1907. Moved to New York in 1924, where she later obtained her first patent: Improvements in Combined Key and Flashlight in 1940. In the early 1940s she developed, manufactured, and marketed Joy Products mixes, the first successful line of instant food products. Her other inventions include a line of pet accessories; musical-themed games; numerous temperature controlled, vibration-free specialty wine cabinets; and temperature and humidity controlled custom storage devices for musical instruments, cigars, furs, and archival materials. Married Alexander Sachs in 1945. She died on March 11, 2004 at age 96. Papers relating to Sachs's life and career as an inventor: correspondence, photographs, business papers, awards, patents, printed materials, notes, and miscellany. The collection primarily consists of invention-related marketing ephemera; as well as patent materials, invention samples and prototypes, notes, clippings, business correspondence, and customer account records, which document the numerous inventions of Charlotte Cramer Sachs. Joy Products records offer the most complete documentation of the invention process with materials ranging from handwritten recipes and sample mix packages, to newspaper clippings and promotional materials. Photographic prints of artworks, original poetry, sheet music, and songbooks document the inventor's artistic, musical, and literary creativity. The collection contains few financial and production records, and little personal or biographical information.
Finding Aid
http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/AC0878.pdf
