American Dyestuff Reporter
“In the issue of American Dyestuff Reporter for December 7, 1942, there is a very complete account of the
publication and its antecedents, together with a considerable amount of incident and detail which affected the
growth of the magazine.” Thus begins an article that discussed the origins during World War I. ADR was the
outgrowth of a dyestuff department or “section” published by “Dry Goods Guide” – a publication which catered to
the department store field during World War I. This Guide was under the editorship of A. P. Howes, the present
publisher of the Reporter. The purpose of this “department” was to inform the textile consumers of the
difficulties being encountered by the infant U. S. dyestuff industry during the war. (Note: Prior to outbreak of the
war in Europe, the United States’ textile industry was happy to import quality dyes from the well-established
companies in Germany, Switzerland and other European suppliers. The home-born industry was a mere
shadow of the imports in terms of size and quality. When war broke out and the Lusitania was sunk, the British
blockaded shipments to and from Germany. The U. S. textile industry was in a jamb and needed to grow an
industry.) The first home-made dyes were in no way equal to the quality of imported dyes that came from
companies with decades of experience in dye manufacture. American chemists followed chemical routes
outlined in patents only to find missing steps and extra ingredients, all left by the applicant to drag cheaters off
the trail.
The first issue of the American Dyestuff Reporter was a little 16-page newspaper without a cover, 6 x 9 inches in
size, published weekly. Information on dye supplies and availability flowed. A cover was added on August 12,
1918. As technical problems having to do with the application of colorants and related chemicals appeared, it
became obvious that the publication should also become a technical journal. After an extensive search,
Professor Louis A. Olney, head of the Department of Chemistry and Dyeing of the Lowell Textile School, took
over the leadership of a monthly technical section. The size of the first supplement in August 1920 was 9 x 12
inches. Beginning January 1, 1921, the Reporter began to appear biweekly in the expanded format. Myron D.
Reeser became Advertising Manager; Norman A. Johnson became Managing Editor.
Sidney M. Edelstein wrote a series of articles detailing the history of dyeing. The first appeared in 1947.
Textile Colorist and Converter was incorporated into ADR in January 1949.
Herb Stauderman joined the magazine as an advertising representative in 1949 and published the American
Dyestuff Reporter until 1999 when he sold to AATCC. The publication rolled into the AATCC publications and
emerged as AATCC Review. Herb retired to Summit, New Jersey until he and his wife, Doris, moved to
Southern California. He passed away in 2009. 2
Sources:
1) Anon, "A Brief Outline of the Origin and Growth of the American Dyestuff Reporter," American Dyestuff
Reporter, Dec. 2, 1946, 669-672.
2) P. J. Wood, "Historical Sketch of the AATCC," American Dyestuff Reporter, February 24, 1947, p79.
3) http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2010/03/obituaries_herbert_allen_staud.html
Comments or suggestions: Mock.gary@yahoo.com
Page Copyright Gary N. Mock 2010-2011
Above: A.P. Howes (1885-1948)
Original Publisher
Left: Herbert A. Stauderman (1919-2009)
Publisher, American Dyestuff Reporter
Photo Courtesy of
January/February 2010 AATCC Review
Original Publisher
Left: Herbert A. Stauderman (1919-2009)
Publisher, American Dyestuff Reporter
Photo Courtesy of
January/February 2010 AATCC Review
Three covers of the American Dyestuff Reporter 1918 -1922
Courtesy Bob Baptista
Courtesy Bob Baptista
Dmitry Gagarine
Olney Medal 1978
Olney Medal 1978
Hans H Kuhn
OlneyMedal 1997
OlneyMedal 1997