The Enoch Taylor & Co archive provides a representative documentation of the history of this Australian founded shoe company from 1851 - 2004 and complements a collection of shoes which also form a part of this acquisition made during the company's peak in the 1940s-1950s.

The archive includes immaculately written letter book correspondence between Mr Enoch Taylor and various suppliers, recording shoe import processes, material and machinery sources, as well as comments on various worldly events happening in the mid-late 19th century which impacted on the shoe trade. The archive also consists of extensively documented salary books, which reflect the earnings of various occupations involved in the shoe trade at the time, records of accounts and expenditures and stock which is evidence for the scope of the company and its degree of success. Photographs, employee memorabilia, merchandise catalogues and promotional material and certificates are a testimony to the changing face of the company, as they relocated premises several times in their long history, and changed owners.

This archive serves as an important resource for shoe manufacture and shoe import in Australia and in particular, reflects the changing social conditions in Australia as evidenced through the different waves of demand for shoe designs over more than 150 years.

Archive, Enoch Taylor & Co., shoemakers, leather / paper / metal, made and used by Enoch Taylor & Co, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1892-1953

The Enoch Taylor & Co. archive contains:

- Accounts Ledger (1), January 1893-1902

- Salary books (8) including: i) 'Operators' October 1892-November 1893; ii) 'Machinists' October 1892-May 1893; iii) 'Machinists' April 1894-August 1894; iv) 'Sundry Salaries' October 1892-March 1895; v) 'Clickers' April 1894-May 1895; vi) 'Makers' January 1898-April 1898; vii) 'Makers' May 1900-October 1900 and viii) 'Salaries' September 1899-March 1901

- Centenary Book, 'Enoch Taylor & Co. Pty. Ltd. 1851-1951'

- Trade Mark Certificates (21), registering the company's various trademarks, October 1895

- Promotional and Sales Material (11), including: i-iii) Product catalogues; iv) Promotional card for Enoch Taylor & Co Pty Ltd mobile shoe shop; v-vi) Clarence shoe promotional flyers; vii) Shoes in classic designs promotional flyer; viii) Clarence shoes for children promotional flyer; ix) Men's shoes promotional flyer and x) Women's shoes promotional flyer; and xi) Letter and stock list of S. Cook imported shoes, dated July 14, 1885

- Miscellaneous Printed Material: Menu for first annual picnic for employees of Enoch Taylor & Co., dated September 25, 1901; invitation to Mrs J. Russell to attend a picnic at Pearl Bay, dated April 2, 1898; Certificate of appreciation from G.J Coles & Coy Limited on that company's 50th anniversary

- Correspondence, press copy letter books(4) and single letter: i) July 1887-December 1894; ii) January 1915-February 1925; iii) May 1920-January 1925; iv) February 1925; and v) Letter from W. H. Thompson, J. Watts and C. Roberts to Mr and Mrs Russell, dated June 7, 1894

- Photographic prints (6), black and white, including: i-ii) First injection mould for making vulcanized rubber moulds for work boots, 1960s; iii) Foundations for new staff lunch rooms at the old Windsor site on the corner of Bridge and George Street, 1960s; iv) The house of Windsor factory manager, Horace Hollier v) Windsor factory manager, Horace Hollier with engineer, Norm Simmonds; and vi) Windsor School of Arts

- Reference Books, (5) including: i) Book, 'Shoe Machinery', The British United Shoe Machinery Company Ltd, Union Works, Leicester, undated; ii) Catalogue, 'The "Standard" Shoe Machinery (2nd ed.)', The Standard Engineering Co. Ltd, Leicester, England, undated; iii) Book, 'Pocket Dictionary of Shoe Manufacturers for 1938', Shoe & Leather Reporter, Directory of Shoe Manufacturers, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1938; iv) Book, 'Textbook of Footwear Manufacture', ed. J. H. Thornton, The National Trade Press Ltd, London 1953; and v) Book, 'Textbook of Footwear Materials', ed. J. H. Thornton, The National Trade Press Ltd, London 1955

- Framed portrait of Enoch Taylor, lead pencil sketch on paper mounted in wooden frame, artist unknown, displayed in the Enoch Taylor & Co. Pty. Ltd. factory, Botany, Sydney, Australia, pre 1988

- Sales invoices (2) for boot and shoe purchases, dated November 18, 1914 and December 14, 1914. Acquired from separate source (anonymous donor)

Made: 1892 - 1953

2009/91/1

1892 - 1953