| | Abstract: | Work Wear Corporation, Inc. was founded in 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio, as the Cleveland Overall Company by Samuel Rosenthal. In 1919 Rosenthal bought the National Railroad Overall Company, maker of bib overalls and other work garments. Beginning in the 1920s, the enlarged Cleveland Overall Company transformed the uniform industry by producing stylish, functional work garments available on a rental basis. The company was also involved in the industrial laundry industry. In 1961, under Leighton Rosenthal, son of Samuel Rosenthal, Cleveland Overall became the publicly held Work Wear Inc. The name was changed in 1976 to Work Wear Corporation, Inc. Paine Webber Capital, a subsidiary of Paine Webber Group, Inc. of New York City, acquired Work Wear in 1986. The collection consists of correspondence, minutes, newsletters, financial statements, deeds, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, brochures and catalogs, speech texts, and award certificates. | |
