Accession GA171 - Kaufman Footwear fonds : 2005 accrual.

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Kaufman Footwear fonds : 2005 accrual.

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  • Source of title proper: Title from contents of the fonds.

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SCA173-GA171

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Physical description

.5 m of textual records
ca 400 photographs : b&w and col., 26 x 21 cm or smaller.

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1907-2000)

Administrative history

Kaufman Footwear was founded as Kaufman Rubber Co. in Berlin, Ontario (now Kitchener) in 1907 by Jacob Ratz Kaufman. The plant opened in 1908 with 350 employees and produced rubber footwear for both domestic and foreign markets. After Jacob Kaufman's death in 1920, his son, A.R. Kaufman, became president of the company until 1964, when he retired to become Chairman of the Board. During this time the company's product line expanded to include rubber clothing for industry, such as fishermen, miners and policemen.

The company eventually began to manufacture footwear not necessarily made from rubber, the most popular being "Foamtread" slippers, which were introduced in 1953. In 1954 Kaufman became "a pioneer in the slush-molding of waterproof footwear from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) under the name Showertogs." ("Wm. H. Kaufman, Inc", leaflet.), and also began manufacturing leather workboots. The Sorel line of winter sport/work boots, introduced in 1959, became its most successful product line.

In 1964 the Kaufman Rubber Co. changed its name to Kaufman Footwear Ltd., then to Kaufman Footwear Inc. in 1973 when William H. Kaufman became Chairman of the Board in his father A.R. Kaufman's place. In 1961 Kaufman purchased L.H. Packard & Co. of Montreal, and in 1966 purchased Prospect Shoes Ltd. of Sherbrooke, Québec, only two of several companies in Canada and the United States owned and operated by Kaufman. After A.R. Kaufman's death in 1979 Kaufman Footwear became Kaufman Footwear, division of William H. Kaufman Inc. Irvin Weber became president of the footwear division in 1986, followed by John Loucks in 1991. In 1997 Tom Kaufman, son of William H. Kaufman, was named president. In 2000 Kaufman Footwear declared bankruptcy.

The Kaufman Rubber Co. plant at the corner of Victoria and King. St. in Kitchener, Ont. was designated in 1996 by the Kitchener LACAC as architecturally and historically significant. The industrial complex was designed by Albert Kahn, "foremost industrial architect" of the early 20th century. (Industrial Artifacts Project, "A history of the Kaufmans and their rubber company," 2001.)

Custodial history

Scope and content

Accrual consists of records retained by members of the Kaufman Family relating to Kaufman Footwear. Most files originated with A.R. Kaufman and include factory orders and memoranda, catalogues, material relating to shoe testing, material relating to the history of the company and photographs. Fonds contains clippings, correspondence, ephemera, publications, mss., newsletters, photographs, and videocassettes,.

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Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by the Kaufman Family in 2005. Note that additional material on the steam engine was provided by Gerhard Peysar in 2014.

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Description by Jane Britton.

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