Collection search - Public Relations Department [multiple media]

Record information – Brief
1
Public Relations Department [multiple media]

Hierarchical level:

Series

Date:

1863-1981

Reference:

R231-522-8-E, RG30-V-A-9-j

Type of material:

Textual material, Art, Photographs

Found in:

Archives / Collections and Fonds

Item ID number:

164439

Context of this record:

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Canadian National Railway Company fonds

Public Relations Department
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Record information – Details
Series includes:

2351 lower level description(s)
View lower level description(s)

Date(s):

1863-1981

Place of creation:

Canada

Extent:

39.53 m of textual records.
13 collage : cut and paste.
7 drawings : coloured markers, other.
4 paint samples.
2150 photographs : 1806 b&w and 344 col. prints; col. slides 35 mm; col. and b&w prints; col. negs.
1 photograph : b&w panorama.

Language of material:

English
Accession:

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Central administration of Canadian National, Montréal [textual records, graphic material]

Miscellaneous records [textual record]

Public relations and advertising, Visual Redesign Program [textual record, graphic material]

Discours et allocutions prononcés par des cadres du CN [document textuel]
Scope and content:

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Series consists of records created and/or maintained by the Canadian National Railway's Public Relations Department.

The series is split into the following subseries, and there is further information in the lower level descriptions:

141437 : Employee photographs

180442 : New York City radio scripts

5080534 : CNR Public Relations Department photographs

5223854 : CNR tourist publications

5959113 : Miscellaneous Public Relations records

6026153 : CN Visual Redesign Program

6026154 : Designs relating to the creation of CN logo

Within the series, in more detail, the records include:

Tourist marketing literature dating from 1929-1959. The literature promoted various CNR services in Canada and abroad, including steamships and telegraphs. Included within these records are timetables, travel pamphlets and booklets (some with attached maps), menus, posters, Christmas and Easter cards, and postcards. Most tourist booklet covers, particularly from the 1920s and 1930s, are in colour and include stylized artwork, and many of the booklets contain black and white photographs of various scenic locations in Canada and elsewhere. This material can be found in volumes 14783 - 14804. Some of this material has been digitized. See lower level sub-series CNR Tourist Publications for more details.

Employee public relations files, which document the careers of various notable CN and associated services managers and other high profile employees. Each file can contain synoptical employment histories, copies of newspaper clippings, newsprint quality portrait proofs, notices of promotion, copies of press releases and other forms of documentation. There are related employee photographs, which can be found in a lower-level sub-series, and these can be found in volumes 16180-16185.

Other photos can be found in another more general lower level sub-series. In this lower-level sub-series, there are photos of scenes across Canada, railway cars, steamships, hotels, and various passenger trains. These photographs can be found in volumes 15816 - 15822.

There is also a small but important collection of artwork relating to the creation and implementation of the iconic CN corporate logo, ca. 1959-1960 (this material has been digitized). There is also a somewhat larger collection of records relating to the CN visual redesign program that was an ongoing operation after the new CN logo was created.

Additional name(s):

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Canadian National Railways. Public Relations

Biography/Administrative history:

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Canadian National Railways. Public Relations : The Public Relations Department's role was/is to advance the public reputation of Canadian National Railways and its associated services, and to ensure public support for the welfare of the Railway system. The duties of this Department therefore covered every form of advertising and publicity work for the all inclusive railway system and associated services such as steamships. The principle medium of promotional advertisement was through the daily newspapers, magazines, radio and television, while a second most favored category was through the issuance of tourist, hotel and steamship booklets, leaflets and dodgers (circulars).

The department began in the early 1920s as the Advertising Bureau under the directorship of Billy Robinson. The bureau was responsible for creating, among other things, the Canadian National Railways Magazine. During the mid-1930s, the then named Publicity Department was composed of various `services' including press, Advertising, Photographic and Display and Magazines, and in addition to headquarters, regional offices were located in London, New York, Toronto, Moncton, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Additional offices were eventually established in Ottawa, Chicago and London, England. Over time changes were made to the organizational structure, and included a News Service, the issuance of a Daily Report (compilation of selected press reports, editorials and the like) and an employee magazine that was published in English and French, beginning January 1958.

From the late 1950s onward a subsection of the Public Relations Department was called the Visual Redesign Program and later, the Corporate Identification Program.
Subjects covered include: design and application of the new CN, CV (Central Vermont) and GT (Grand Trunk) corporate symbols, revised equipment colour schemes, visual redesign studies for CN Ferry Terminals and CN Autobus Service Newfoundland and design and use of the CN Hotels' Red Key Symbol. The program was also responsible for the interior design of the Turbo Train

Finding aid:

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(Electronic) Finding aid 30-18 is a computer generated volume list relating to volumes 14434-14441, 14449-14510, 14516-14537, 14773-14780, 14783-14878. 30-18 (90: Open)

Additional information:

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Source of title:

Title is based on the contents of the series.

Accruals:

Further accruals are expected.

Related material:

The original photographic portraits which were included in many of these files were removed and have been transferred to the Visual and Sound Archives.

Note that further information about the photographic portraits can be found in the lower level sub-series (see MIKAN 141437), For more photographs relating to CNR, please see the series entitled Canadian National Railways photographs and the sub-series Canadian National Land Settlement Association photographs., For other miscellaneous photographs relating to the Public Relations Department, please see sub-series MIKAN 5080534., For other publicity material, please see the Series entitled Reference Material from the CNR Library, MIKAN 191171, an in particular the sub-series Marketing, publicity, and miscellaneous reports MIKAN 4281536.

Container note(s):

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15816 : Couleur: Fort Garry Hotel;Nova Scotian Hotel;Ships;various col. photos.
15817 : N/B Ships A to R.
15818 : N/B Ships S to Y;Fort Garry, Hilton Executive staff, Queen Elizabeth hotels;Ports;rolled panorama;various.
15819 : Locomotive, stations, railways, etc.
15820 : Canadian National Railways album;letter from Miss A.R. Wolf, 1918.
15821 : Various oversized photos.
15822 : Photograph of Canadian Western Fuel Co. "Ferry Slip".
Subject heading:

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Public relations

Canadian National Railways - marketing - advertising - branding

visual design

corporate logo

corporate branding
Source:

Government

Related control no.:

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120-000214-8
1992-93/215 GAD
1996-04082-0
1996-04088-X
1996-97/1083 GAD
1996-97/1089 GAD
1997-00222-1
1997-98/512 GAD
2000-00938-7
2000-00941-7
RG30
RG30-I-A-4-f
RG30-I-A-6-j
RG30-IV-1-g
RG30-V-A-10
RG30-V-A-15
RG30-V-A-4-f
RG30-V-A-5-a
RG30-V-A-9
RG30-V-A-9-b
RG30-V-A-9-j
RG30-V-A-9-l
VSA-PHOTO POE 97-549 (1997-08-27)

Former archival reference no.:

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RG30-V-A-9-j
Ordering and viewing options

Conditions of access:

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Textual records

[Consultation90 Open]

Volume [RG30]

[Consultation 90 Open]

14434--14441;

[Consultation 90 Open]

14449--14510;

[Consultation 90 Open]

14516--14537;

[Consultation 90 Open]

14773--14780;

[Consultation 90 Open]

14783--14878;

[Consultation 90 Open]

Volume [R231] 16838--16850

[Consultation 90 Open]

Volume [R231]

[Consultation 90 Open]

17021--17023;

[Consultation 90 Open]

17129--17132;

[Consultation 90 Open]

17186;

[Consultation 90 Open]

17225;

[Consultation 90 Open]

Graphic (art)

[Consultation90 Open]

Volume [R231] 7--24

[Consultation 90 Open]

Graphic (photo)

[Consultation90 Open]

Volume [R231]

[Consultation 90 Open]

15816--15822;

[Consultation 90 Open]

16845--16846;

[Consultation 90 Open]

16848--16849;

[Consultation 90 Open]

Terms of use:

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Date modified:: 2024-07-24