Ault & Wiborg Company
Ault & Wiborg Company was a Cincinnati-based manufacturer of printing inks that became one of the largest ink producers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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Overview
Ault & Wiborg Company was an American manufacturer of printing inks founded in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1878 by Levi Addison Ault and Frank Bestow Wiborg. The company grew during a period of major change in commercial printing, particularly as lithography expanded and advances in industrial chemistry made a broader range of colored inks commercially practical. Its products were associated with the production of posters, magazines, packaging, and other printed materials, although the available reference material does not provide a complete product catalogue or a detailed account of its distribution network. The company’s growth was closely connected to the development of colored inks made from coal-dye tars. These formulations helped printers achieve more varied and vivid colors than were available through older approaches. As lithographic printing became increasingly important for advertising and illustrated publications, demand grew for reliable, commercially produced color inks. Ault & Wiborg expanded its operations beyond Cincinnati into multiple cities and was described in contemporary historical accounts as the world’s largest ink manufacturer of its day. Ault & Wiborg also developed a distinctive marketing identity through the commissioning of elaborate commercial posters and advertisements in print-industry publications. Its advertising program engaged prominent designers and illustrators, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Will H. Bradley, and Louis Rhead. Toulouse-Lautrec produced work for the company in 1896 and also used its inks in his own artistic practice. Bradley created several dozen Ault & Wiborg posters between approximately 1895 and 1900, while Rhead is associated with at least one company poster from 1896. These works linked the technical business of ink manufacture with the emerging culture of graphic design and poster art. The company advertised particularly in publications such as The Printing Art and The Inland Printer. In 1902, it published a book reproducing approximately one hundred of its posters, turning its advertising output into a durable promotional and cultural object. Many of the posters later entered the collections of major institutions, including the National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as libraries and museums in Cincinnati, Boston, Chicago, and elsewhere. Ault remained involved in the business until 1928, when he sold his interest for $14 million. The transaction enabled Ault & Wiborg to be combined with Queen City Printing Inks and the Philip Ruxton Company, creating International Printing Ink Corporation. The successor was renamed Interchemical Corporation in 1938. Interchemical was subsequently sold to Carrier Corporation in 1968 and to BASF in 1985. Ault & Wiborg therefore no longer exists as an independent operating company, but its historical importance survives through the development of industrial color inks and the significant body of commercial artwork produced for its advertising.
History
Ault & Wiborg Company was established in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1878 by Levi Addison Ault and Frank Bestow Wiborg. Its founding coincided with the expansion of industrial printing and the increasing commercial value of color reproduction. During the late nineteenth century, improvements in lithography created new demand for colored inks that could be produced consistently at industrial scale. Ault & Wiborg developed and manufactured inks associated with coal-dye-tar colorants, helping printers obtain a wider and more intense range of colors. The company expanded from its Cincinnati base into operations in multiple cities. Historical descriptions characterize it as the world’s largest ink manufacturer during its period of independent operation. Its customers and markets were connected to commercial printing, illustrated publications, lithographic work, advertising, and related forms of graphic production. The available reference material does not specify every branch, factory, or market served, but the company’s multi-city operations indicate a substantial national or international industrial presence. Ault & Wiborg’s public identity was shaped not only by its manufacturing activities but also by unusually ambitious advertising. It commissioned posters and magazine advertisements to promote its inks, placing particular emphasis on periodicals serving the printing and design trades, including The Printing Art and The Inland Printer. The company’s advertising work involved well-known artists and designers. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created a design for the firm in 1896 and also used Ault & Wiborg inks in his own work. Will H. Bradley produced several dozen posters for the company from about 1895 to 1900, and Louis Rhead is credited with at least one poster from 1896. These advertisements became notable examples of American commercial graphic design and poster production. In 1902, Ault & Wiborg published a volume reproducing roughly one hundred of its posters. The book preserved the firm’s promotional output and helped establish the posters as collectable examples of period design. Over time, examples entered the holdings of institutions including the National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Additional collections are held by organizations such as the University of Delaware, the Boston Public Library, the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, and the Chicago History Museum. Levi Addison Ault continued to run or lead the company until 1928. That year, he sold his interest for $14 million, a transaction that allowed Ault & Wiborg to be merged with Queen City Printing Inks and the Philip Ruxton Company. The combined business became International Printing Ink Corporation. This marked the end of Ault & Wiborg’s independent corporate existence after approximately fifty years of operation. The successor corporation changed its name to Interchemical Corporation in 1938. Interchemical was later sold to Carrier Corporation in 1968 and to BASF in 1985. These later ownership changes belong to the history of the successor organization rather than to an independently operating Ault & Wiborg brand. The company’s enduring historical significance rests on two connected achievements: its role in the industrial development of colored printing inks and its sophisticated use of poster art and trade advertising to market a technical manufacturing product.
- 1985
Interchemical sold to BASF
[1]Interchemical Corporation was later sold to BASF.
- 1968
Interchemical sold to Carrier
[1]The successor company was sold to Carrier Corporation.
- 1938
Successor adopts the Interchemical name
[1]International Printing Ink Corporation was renamed Interchemical Corporation.
- 1928
Independent company absorbed into a new ink corporation
[1]Ault sold his interest, allowing Ault & Wiborg to combine with Queen City Printing Inks and the Philip Ruxton Company as International Printing Ink Corporation.
- 1902
Poster book published
[1]Ault & Wiborg issued a book reproducing approximately one hundred of its advertising posters.
- 1896
Work commissioned from Toulouse-Lautrec and Rhead
[1]Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec produced work for the company, and Louis Rhead created at least one associated poster.
- 1895
Expansion of poster advertising
[1]Will H. Bradley began producing a series of Ault & Wiborg posters, continuing until approximately 1900.
- 1878
Company founded in Cincinnati
[1]Levi Addison Ault and Frank Bestow Wiborg founded Ault & Wiborg Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Products and positioning
Ault & Wiborg positioned itself as an innovative industrial supplier of high-quality colored printing inks. Its brand presentation combined advances in ink chemistry with visually ambitious advertising, using notable poster artists and specialized printing publications to appeal to printers and the wider commercial-art industry.
Printing inks
Colored printing inks
Ault & Wiborg manufactured printing inks for commercial and lithographic applications. Its historical importance is especially associated with colored formulations based on coal-dye-tar colorants, which supported stronger and more varied color reproduction as lithography and illustrated printing expanded. Specific product names, formulations, and technical specifications are not identified in the available source material.
Marketing campaigns
- 1902Poster compilation book
Printing and design audiences
The company published a book reproducing approximately one hundred of its posters, extending the reach and archival life of its advertising campaign.
Outcome. Copies and individual designs became part of institutional collections, including those of the Library of Congress, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Museum of American History.
- 1896Artist-led advertising commissions
United States
Ault & Wiborg commissioned advertising work from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Louis Rhead. Toulouse-Lautrec was also a user of the company’s inks in his own artistic work.
Outcome. The commissions strengthened the historical association between the company, color printing, and the period’s leading poster and design culture.
- 1895Ault & Wiborg poster advertising program
United States printing and graphic-design markets
The company commissioned an extensive series of elaborate posters to promote its printing inks. Will H. Bradley produced several dozen designs from approximately 1895 to 1900, helping Ault & Wiborg present an industrial product through contemporary poster art.
Outcome. The posters became recognized examples of commercial graphic design and were later collected by major museums and libraries.
Brand decisions
1928
Sale and consolidation with other ink manufacturersM&ABackground
After decades of independent operation and expansion into multiple cities, Levi Addison Ault sold his interest in Ault & Wiborg.
Action taken
The company was combined with Queen City Printing Inks and the Philip Ruxton Company to form International Printing Ink Corporation.
Aftermath
Ault & Wiborg ceased operating as an independent company. The successor was renamed Interchemical Corporation in 1938 and later passed through ownership by Carrier Corporation and BASF.
Sale price for Levi Addison Ault's interest. $14 million (1928)
Sources1 sources
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