Dearborn Independent Graphics Files
Photoprints and drawings used to illustrate articles in The Dearborn Independent during a portion of Henry Ford's ownership.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Dearborn Independent began publication in 1901 in Dearborn, Michigan. It was published between 1901 and 1905 by J.J. Brown of the Suburban Publishing Company, and from 1905 until 1918 by M.T. Woodruff. Henry Ford purchased the small-town...
MoreThe Dearborn Independent began publication in 1901 in Dearborn, Michigan. It was published between 1901 and 1905 by J.J. Brown of the Suburban Publishing Company, and from 1905 until 1918 by M.T. Woodruff. Henry Ford purchased the small-town weekly in November 1918 to provide a forum in which to rectify what he felt were misinterpretations of his opinions by the press, and as an outlet for his ideas on social issues. The Dearborn Publishing Company, which published The Dearborn Independent, was formed in November 1918, with Henry Ford as president, Clara Ford, vice-president, Edsel Ford, secretary-treasurer and E.G. Pipp, editor. The first publication under Henry Ford's ownership was issued on January 11, 1919.
Articles covered a wide range of topics and geographical areas, both national and international. The following fields were particularly well-covered: politics; industry and agriculture; transportation; education and training; science and technology; health and welfare; leisure and travel; entertainment and the arts.
The newspaper is remembered chiefly as a vehicle for Henry Ford's anti-Semitic views, aired in two campaigns in 1920-1921 and 1924-1925. The second, and most notorious, campaign criticized Chicago attorney Aaron Sapiro for organizing farmers into what Ford felt were unfair marketing monopolies. Sapiro brought a defamation of character lawsuit against Henry Ford in March 1927 which was settled out of court the following July. Henry Ford published his last issue of The Dearborn Independent in December 1927.
Despite its vast circulation, with subscriptions exceeding 900,000 at its peak in 1925 and 1926, The Dearborn Independent was not a commercial success during the Ford era, losing $5 million in 8 years. In late 1928, The Dearborn Independent subsequently resumed publication as a triweekly newspaper, under the new ownership of George O. St. Charles. It was amalgamated with The Dearborn Press in 1961, under the title, The Dearborn Press-The Dearborn Independent. In 1963, the name was dropped entirely from the newspaper, which continued to be published as The Dearborn Press.
LessScope and Content Note
These files were found in the home of James Clyde Gilbert, who was secretary to William J. Cameron for 20 years, including the period of Cameron's editorship of The Dearborn Independent between 1921 and 1927. The collection was acquired by the Benson...
MoreThese files were found in the home of James Clyde Gilbert, who was secretary to William J. Cameron for 20 years, including the period of Cameron's editorship of The Dearborn Independent between 1921 and 1927. The collection was acquired by the Benson Ford Research Center of The Henry Ford in 1991.
The collection includes photoprints and drawings which were used to illustrate articles in The Dearborn Independent during a portion of the period of Henry Ford's ownership. The range of subject matter of the images is vast. The following examples give an idea of the diversity: laboratory technicians smashing plates in Washington DC to test the relative durability of American and imported crockery; hydro-electric power plants; blind war veterans plucking chickens in a rehabilitation project; inventions that include lie detectors, electronic medical equipment to diagnose disease, and coffee decaffeinators; Seminole Indians in full tribal costume instructing wealthy American women in archery; children visiting art galleries; bread lines in New York; the destruction of illegal gambling and distilling equipment during Prohibition; and an elderly African-American woman fleeing the flooded Mississippi River with her few remaining possessions.
The illustrations, and corresponding texts in which the images appeared, are organized by date of issue. The images are further subdivided by individual article within each folder. Related images taken to illustrate articles but never published are included in the corresponding folders. Miscellaneous graphics that cannot be identified with a particular article in The Dearborn Independent are included in box 16. There is also a box 17 which holds oversize material.
LessCollection Details
Object ID: 91.98.1
Creator: Dearborn Publishing Company
Inclusive Dates: circa 1750-1926
Size: 5.33 linear ft. and 1 oversize box
Language: English
Collection Access & Use
Item Location: Benson Ford Research Center
Access Restrictions: The records are open for research.
Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Digitized Artifacts From This Collection
In many cases, not all artifacts have been digitized.
Contact us for more information about this collection.
Newly Completed State Flour Mill, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1921-1922
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1921-1922
Creators
Place of Creation
Object ID
91.98.655
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Newly Completed State Flour Mill, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1921-1922
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Looking South toward Randolph Street from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, Illinois, 1920-1922
Details
Looking South toward Randolph Street from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, Illinois, 1920-1922
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1920-1922
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.465
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Looking South toward Randolph Street from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Chicago, Illinois, 1920-1922
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Hop-Pickers in a Field, Oregon, 1923-1924
Artifact
Photographic print
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.358
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Hop-Pickers in a Field, Oregon, 1923-1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Farm Workers with Mechanical Potato Harvester and Baskets of Potatoes, 1923-1924
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Beginning in 1920, the Henry Ford-owned weekly newspaper The Dearborn Independent ran a series of front-page articles that denounced all things Jewish. Though the series ended in 1922, the weekly continued anti-Jewish diatribes in other articles, most notably those attacking Aaron Sapiro, a farm cooperative organizer. This photograph of typical farmworkers appears harmless, but typewritten comments on the back expose its true purpose.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.601
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Farm Workers with Mechanical Potato Harvester and Baskets of Potatoes, 1923-1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Sheep Waiting for a Ferry on the Columbia River in Oregon, 1923-1924
Artifact
Photographic print
Summary
Beginning in 1920, the Henry Ford-owned weekly newspaper The Dearborn Independent ran a series of front-page articles that denounced all things Jewish. Though the series ended in 1922, the weekly continued anti-Jewish diatribes in other articles, most notably those attacking Aaron Sapiro, a farm cooperative organizer. This photograph, though it appears harmless, was part of that campaign.
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.606
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Sheep Waiting for a Ferry on the Columbia River in Oregon, 1923-1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Barbecue Day in Lexington, Kentucky, 1923-1924
Artifact
Photographic print
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.348
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Barbecue Day in Lexington, Kentucky, 1923-1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Blue Grass Seed in Lexington, Kentucky, Bound for Golf Courses across the United States, 1923-1924
Details
Blue Grass Seed in Lexington, Kentucky, Bound for Golf Courses across the United States, 1923-1924
Artifact
Photographic print
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.346
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Blue Grass Seed in Lexington, Kentucky, Bound for Golf Courses across the United States, 1923-1924
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Dearborn Independent Newspaper for September 9, 1922
Artifact
Newspaper
Date Made
09 September 1922
Summary
Henry Ford purchased The Dearborn Independent and published it under his name from 1919 to 1927. It served as a forum for Ford's views, free from other media outlets that had attacked his work and values and were outside his control. The Dearborn Independent covered world events, business and economic news, and fiction from noted authors. Sadly, it also served as an outlet for Ford's anti-Semitic sentiments. Between 1920 and 1922, the weekly paper ran a series of front-page articles that denounced all things Jewish. Even after this series, many articles contained anti-Jewish language. Though Ford later apologized and printed a retraction, these notoriously anti-Semitic editorials and articles forever tarnished the influential automaker's reputation.
Creators
Object ID
91.98.909
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Related Objects
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Dearborn Independent Newspaper for September 9, 1922
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
Disabled Veteran Carl Bronner Displays Typing Abilities, Dearborn Independent, September 1922
Details
Disabled Veteran Carl Bronner Displays Typing Abilities, Dearborn Independent, September 1922
Artifact
Photographic print
Date Made
1921-1922
Creators
Keywords
Object ID
91.98.48
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford R. Bryan.
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Related Objects
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
Disabled Veteran Carl Bronner Displays Typing Abilities, Dearborn Independent, September 1922
What is The Henry Ford?
The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America’s spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
