Mrs. John L. Strong
Encyclopedia
Mrs. John L. Strong is a privately held American luxury company and manufacturer of custom papers and stationery
. Founded in 1929 by Mrs. John L. (Flora) Strong, the company has created papers and custom luxury products for seven presidential families, royal houses, prominent members of international society, film stars and celebrities. Called the “ne plus ultra of chic stationery companies,” Mrs. John L. Strong has an important international clientele.
Mrs. Strong offers hand-engraving to its clients, and is one of only a handful in the world that has not adopted modern computer or photo engraving processes. Mrs. Strong’s bespoke products display a range of crafts which are no longer used by others in the industry, including hand engraving
of die
s in steel
, hand-stamping of dies, hand-mixing of custom varnish
ink
s, hand-beveling and bordering, and hand-lining of envelopes. Mrs. Strong creates its own 100% cotton archival quality papers in its signature color “Strong’s Vanilla” based on Mrs. Strong’s original formulas.
shop called Bournefield Linens, Mrs. Strong began selling wedding and social papers to New York’s elite from Bournefield’s location at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Mrs. Strong’s business soon outstripped the space at Bournefield, and she moved her location twice, first to 714 Madison Avenue, and later to the landmark 699 Madison Avenue, originally built as a New York home for the firm Fortnum & Mason
, where the firm remains with a fifth floor atelier for private clients and a duplex ground floor boutique.
Mrs. Strong joined the “Street of Shops” on the first floor at Henri Bendel’s in the 1950’s. Mrs. Strong also sold through Gump’s Department store in San Francisco. From her locations Mrs. Strong created papers for the Duke of Windsor
and Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor
, Barbara Hutton
, the Rockefeller, Astor
, Vanderbilt
, and DuPont
families, as well as Bette Davis
, Diana Vreeland
, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Barbara Paley, and other icons of style.
After the death of Mrs. Strong in 1979, the firm was sold by Strong’s heirs to Robert and Joy Lewis. As director, Joy Lewis maintained Strong’s standards of quality, refusing to adopt modern methods, and preserving vital techniques of the crafts of artist-engraving and hand-stamping. The Lewises brought master engraver Fred Diefenbach to the firm, where he created dies for twenty years before retiring from engraving in his 90’s, leaving Mrs. Strong with one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of dies from the 19th through the 20th century. The firm now boasts a collection of thousands of artist-engraved dies.
In 2002, the company was purchased by financier Jeffrey Lubin and his wife, designer Nannette Brown. Since 2002, Brown has pioneered the launch of seasonal collections based on fashion trends, known as “ready to write” collections, and has expanded the offerings of the company at its various locations by creating new goods in leather and silver. The company continues to expand, attracting an ever-younger and more fashion-oriented clientele, including important fashion designers, architects, artists, and interior designers, in addition to its long-standing clientele of social and international leaders.
On May 21, 2009, Nannette Brown announced that she would close the business.
On September 29, 2009, Crain's New York Business reported that the brand had been purchased in an auction (after filing for Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of New York in August) by Houston-based private equity firm J.P. Kotts & Co., under the name The 1929 Paper Co.
Flora Strong, Born 28 July, 1896, died New York March, 1979.
Source: Social Security Death Index, http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Bush, and Clinton, Source: MJLS Archives, NYC
Papers have been made for members of the Royal Houses of Great Britain, Greece, and Jordan, as well as various Princely Houses. Source: MJLS Archives, NYC
Vogue, Conde Nast Publications, May 2006
AIA Guide to New York
Stationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
. Founded in 1929 by Mrs. John L. (Flora) Strong, the company has created papers and custom luxury products for seven presidential families, royal houses, prominent members of international society, film stars and celebrities. Called the “ne plus ultra of chic stationery companies,” Mrs. John L. Strong has an important international clientele.
Mrs. Strong offers hand-engraving to its clients, and is one of only a handful in the world that has not adopted modern computer or photo engraving processes. Mrs. Strong’s bespoke products display a range of crafts which are no longer used by others in the industry, including hand engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
of die
Die (manufacturing)
A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material using a press. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create...
s in steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, hand-stamping of dies, hand-mixing of custom varnish
Varnish
Varnish is a transparent, hard, protective finish or film primarily used in wood finishing but also for other materials. Varnish is traditionally a combination of a drying oil, a resin, and a thinner or solvent. Varnish finishes are usually glossy but may be designed to produce satin or semi-gloss...
ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
s, hand-beveling and bordering, and hand-lining of envelopes. Mrs. Strong creates its own 100% cotton archival quality papers in its signature color “Strong’s Vanilla” based on Mrs. Strong’s original formulas.
History
Mrs. John L. Strong (née Flora Feldstein) established her eponymous firm in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929. Joining forces with her sister, the owner of a luxury trousseauTrousseau
Trousseau may refer to:*A dowry*The outfit of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing*A name for the Bastardo grape in some regions*A white mutation of the Trousseau grape, known as Trousseau Gris...
shop called Bournefield Linens, Mrs. Strong began selling wedding and social papers to New York’s elite from Bournefield’s location at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue.
Mrs. Strong’s business soon outstripped the space at Bournefield, and she moved her location twice, first to 714 Madison Avenue, and later to the landmark 699 Madison Avenue, originally built as a New York home for the firm Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum & Mason, often shortened to just "Fortnum's" is a department store, situated in central London, with two other branches in Japan. Its headquarters is located at 181 Piccadilly, where it was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason...
, where the firm remains with a fifth floor atelier for private clients and a duplex ground floor boutique.
Mrs. Strong joined the “Street of Shops” on the first floor at Henri Bendel’s in the 1950’s. Mrs. Strong also sold through Gump’s Department store in San Francisco. From her locations Mrs. Strong created papers for the Duke of Windsor
Duke of Windsor
The title Duke of Windsor was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1937 for Prince Edward, the former King Edward VIII, following his abdication in December 1936. The dukedom takes its name from the town where Windsor Castle, a residence of English monarchs since the Norman Conquest, is...
and Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, previously Wallis Simpson, was an American socialite whose third husband, Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and the Dominions, abdicated his throne to marry her.Wallis's father died shortly after her birth, and she and her...
, Barbara Hutton
Barbara Hutton
Barbara Woolworth Hutton was an American socialite dubbed by the media as the "Poor Little Rich Girl" because of her troubled life...
, the Rockefeller, Astor
Astor
Astor is a surname and may refer to:* Brooke Astor , American philanthropist* David Astor , British newspaper publisher* John Jacob Astor, the 4th richest American of all time* Madeleine Astor , wife of John Jacob Astor IV...
, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
, and DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
families, as well as Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland
Diana Vreeland was a noted columnist and editor in the field of fashion. She worked for the fashion magazines Harper's Bazaar and Vogue and the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Born as Diana Dalziel, Vreeland was the eldest daughter of American socialite mother Emily Key Hoffman...
, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Barbara Paley, and other icons of style.
After the death of Mrs. Strong in 1979, the firm was sold by Strong’s heirs to Robert and Joy Lewis. As director, Joy Lewis maintained Strong’s standards of quality, refusing to adopt modern methods, and preserving vital techniques of the crafts of artist-engraving and hand-stamping. The Lewises brought master engraver Fred Diefenbach to the firm, where he created dies for twenty years before retiring from engraving in his 90’s, leaving Mrs. Strong with one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of dies from the 19th through the 20th century. The firm now boasts a collection of thousands of artist-engraved dies.
In 2002, the company was purchased by financier Jeffrey Lubin and his wife, designer Nannette Brown. Since 2002, Brown has pioneered the launch of seasonal collections based on fashion trends, known as “ready to write” collections, and has expanded the offerings of the company at its various locations by creating new goods in leather and silver. The company continues to expand, attracting an ever-younger and more fashion-oriented clientele, including important fashion designers, architects, artists, and interior designers, in addition to its long-standing clientele of social and international leaders.
On May 21, 2009, Nannette Brown announced that she would close the business.
On September 29, 2009, Crain's New York Business reported that the brand had been purchased in an auction (after filing for Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of New York in August) by Houston-based private equity firm J.P. Kotts & Co., under the name The 1929 Paper Co.
Sources
Flora Strong, Born 28 July, 1896, died New York March, 1979.
Source: Social Security Death Index, http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi
Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Bush, and Clinton, Source: MJLS Archives, NYC
Papers have been made for members of the Royal Houses of Great Britain, Greece, and Jordan, as well as various Princely Houses. Source: MJLS Archives, NYC
Vogue, Conde Nast Publications, May 2006
AIA Guide to New York