Historical Perspective: Cataloging’s Early Years

With so many product departments, it was a great chance for me to learn not only their numbers and product lines, but the people in each. For example, plumbing was department 632, and Zula Estes was its copywriter.

Since all the page-jackets passed through the creative division, I became familiar with the six layout artists. The most interesting person was the divisional head, Leonard Kemper, a gray-haired, quiet-spoken man who was a creative genius. He could draw with both hands at the same time! He was legendary for being able to quickly and attractively organize a catalog page or spread, to fit precisely, from just a brief review of the products involved. And in many cases, it could be different products, such as hardware and tools, or dishes and cutlery.