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Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 7144

Hardy, Thora M. Plitt, 1902-

Thora M. Plitt Hardy Papers, 1940-1948

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:Hardy, Thora M. Plitt, 1902-
Title:Thora M. Plitt Hardy Papers
Dates:1940-1948
Quantity:0.5 cu. ft. (1 document box)
Collection:Record Unit 7144
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

These papers include correspondence and articles for journals concerning research on fur fibers.

Historical Note

During the Second World War, Thora M. Plitt Hardy (1902-1993) was a microanalyst for the Division of Wildlife Research, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior, in charge of fur hair projects at the Beltsville Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland. A good portion of the studies were in conjunction with requests from the War Production Board and the Quartermaster General's Office on the use of fur fibers for the armed forces. On June 30, 1946, Hardy was transferred to the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture. Hardy's files were transferred to the Bird and Mammal Laboratories of the Fish and Wildlife Service located in the United States National Museum.

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Descriptive Entry

These papers include correspondence and articles for journals concerning research on fur fibers.

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7144, Thora M. Plitt Hardy Papers

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Container List

Box 1

Folder 1 Caribou, Elk, Reindeer, 1942-1944. Correspondence concerning the use of deer and elk hides for leather during wartime; reindeer hair study for buoyancy and insulation, requested by War Production Board. Includes Thora M. Plitt Hardy "Report on the Buoyancy of Caribou Hair." Correspondents include Frank G. Ashbrook, Colonel G.F. Doriot, Charles E. Kellogg, and the Fouke Fur Company.

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Folder 2 Fur Fibers: Fiber Identification, 1943-1944

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Folder 3 Fur Fibers: Waste Fur Fibers - Deer. Request by the Quartermaster General's Office, 1943-1944.

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Folder 4 Fur Fibers: Waste Guard Hairs - General, 1942-1946

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Folder 5 Furs: Fur Resources, 1942-1944

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Folder 6 Furs: Patuxent, 1944

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Folder 7 Muskrats: Comparative Studies, 1943-1946

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Folder 8 Muskrats: General, 1945-1946

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Folder 9 Muskrats: "Permanent-Waved" Muskrats, 1942-1944

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Folder 10 Raccoons, 1942-1948. Includes Herbert L. Dozier, Thora M. Plitt Hardy, and Merle H. Markley, "Fur Characteristics of Two Eastern Raccoon Races," 1947.

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Folder 11 Fur Seals, 1940-1946

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Folder 12 Hair Seals and Fur Seal Skins, 1940-1946. Tested for use by ski climbers.

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Folder 13 Wolverine: Bleaching Test, 1943

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Folder 14 Wolverine: Fur Frosting Experiment, 1942-1948. In conjunction with Quartermaster General's Office. Includes Hardy, "Wolverine Fur Frosting," circa 1948.

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