This subseries is made up of slides and transparencies, and a very small number of prints and negatives, that capture a wide range of DEC activities, facilities, and products from its entire history. They date from 1956 to 1998, with the bulk from 1974 to 1992. The majority of images are of DEC products, most of which were staged and taken in studios or in office settings, often for publicity or sales purposes. These cover the entire range of DEC's products, from modules to computer systems and peripherals. There are also many staged and candid shots of DEC facilities, including offices, warehouses, and manufacturing plants, and different departments within them. There are also images of DEC-related and sponsored events, such as DECworld '84 to '92, America's Cup, and various meetings. An interesting group of images in this subseries consists of photos that represent the early days of DEC, collected under the name “History.” These include shots of DEC's earliest products, such as modules and the PDP-1; photos of MIT's TX-0, on which the PDP-1 was based; studio portraits of DEC's corporate pioneers, including Ken Olsen, Harlan Anderson, and Gordon Bell; historic shots of Maynard, Massachusetts, and the Maynard Mill that was DEC's headquarters; and images of people working. These early photos date from 1955 to 1963. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
<p>Black and white image of Dan Edwards (left) and Peter Samson (right) playing Spacewar! on the PDP-1 Type 30 display. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.</p>
<p class="p3">Magnetic core memory was the dominant computer memory technology from roughly 1955 to 1975. Made up of thousands of tiny ceramic rings, or “cores,” each capable of storing a binary 1 or 0, it was robust and reliable for its time. A 16 KB core memory for the 18‑bit PDP‑1, for example, contained nearly 300,000 individual cores.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="p3">In this photograph, DEC Chief Engineer Dick Best and colleague Wally Wheaton use a custom-built tester on the production floor of DEC’s Maynard, Massachusetts “Mill” factory to check the quality of a core memory stack, visible at the front of the image.<o:p></o:p></p>
Shots of the PDP-8/E and PDP-16 outside in the woods, in a field, and with a woman's foot resting on it. The woman is wearing tall white socks with white pumps, which look like go-go boots.
Images from a special DECworld '87 advertisement in the November 2, 1987, issue of Time magazine's business issue. Includes shots of Ken Olsen and scenes from DECworld.
Various historical photographs of DEC products, advertisements, product applications, and personnel; articles on DEC; and DEC-sponsored events. These were all collected under DEC photo library identification number 10159.
Black and white image of two men working on the TX-0 computer. These images were collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image of a man working on a PDP-1 in the background, with a model train set in the foreground. The man is turning a dial on the PDP-1 monitor with his right hand. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image showing the DECUS symbol, a drawing of the PDP-1 Type 30 pointscope, and a note that explains how the design of the DECUS logo is based on the design of the Type 30. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image showing Stanley Olsen (right) and an unidentified man standing in front of a PDP-1 at the Harrison Field customer site. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image of several people standing outside watching parachutist coming down from the sky. In the center of the photo is a small triangular-shaped building with "Digital Computing Center : Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-1" printed on the side of the roof. A DEC PDP-1 is housed inside. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image of the Maynard Mill, which DEC occupied starting in 1957. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white image showing DEC's first board of directors. From left to right: Harry Hoagland, Jack Barnard, Jay Forrester, Bill Congleton, Harlan Anderson, Ken Olsen, Dorothy Rowe, Vernon Alden, Arnaud de Vitry, and Wayne Brobeck. This was collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white images of Stanley Olsen. These images were collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white images of Stanley Olsen. These images were collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
Black and white negatives of Barbara Stephenson. These were collected along with other photos under DEC photo library identification number 10159, which consists of a group of historical photographs.
