This year at the NAMTA show, Strathmore incorporated a birthday theme into the booth which included a birthday cake and balloons to celebrate their 125th anniversary. The celebration will continue throughout the year with special themed activities and events for consumers and retailers, so watch for special activities on social media platforms to share with your customers.
As part of the anniversary celebration, Strathmore created a unique cover for the standard 400-8 400 Series Drawing pad. The composition and construction of the pad is identical to the standard product, with the exception that the pad artwork has been revised to include an image of founder Horace Moses, done in graphite by artist Heather Rooney. The cover also includes the Strathmore 125 year anniversary logo. The product with the commemorative cover will ship automatically on orders throughout 2017.
The history of the Strathmore Paper Company began on St. Patrick’s Day in 1892 when its founder, Horace Moses, opened the Mittineague paper mill in West Springfield, MA.
Soon after opening the first mill, Horace visited the Valley of Strathmore in Scotland. The thistle was in full bloom and the beauty of the site impress him so much that he started using the name Strathmore and the thistle as a symbol of high quality art and printing papers. The Strathmore brand name began to appear on fine art papers in 1899 and quickly became known as one of the highest quality art papers used by many leading artists around the world.
Strathmore’s long history includes a commitment to innovation, listening to artists and continuing to introduce new products that enhance artistic ideas and aspirations, like producing the first recycled sketch papers in 1972 called Shelburne Phase II Sketch. Strathmore strives to manufacture their products in the USA, which allows them to control the quality and consistency artists have come to expect from the brand.
Beyond founding Strathmore, Horace Moses was known not only as an industrialist, but also as philanthropist who made many generous contributions of his time and finances towards the betterment of youth, the furthering of the arts, and the study of agricultural science. His gifts continue to enrich the lives of people all over the world to this day.
In 1919, Horace Moses founded Jr. Achievement, with the mission to provide boys with practical training in running small businesses of their own. The United States Postal Service honored Mr. Moses in 1984 with a commemorative 20¢ stamp.
In addition to Jr. Achievement, Horace Moses made many significant contributions financially and through the gift of land for other organizations including Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, Green Mountain Junior College, Eastern States Farmer’s Exchange, Valley View Cemetery Chapel, Moses-Ludington Hospital, Ticonderoga Community Building, Liberty Monument, Hancock House, and the New England’s state fair.
Reminisce with these historical photos from Strathmore’s past:
Strathmore employees in 1900:
The Strathmore Paper Company – 1916
Sorting cotton rags to be used for cotton paper:
The pulper:
