J. Wiss Employee Pictures

A collection of group pictures and employees at work. Most are from The Newark Evening News morgue, now at the Newark Public Library's Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center. Pictures are split into two groups:

Employee Groups
Employees At Work

Some employees can also be found in the Family Pictures From the Newark Public Library. Navigation links let you scroll through the pictures.

Employee Groups

All Employees Circa Early 1870s
Date is assumed as Jacob is first row left. He became ill in 1875 and his eldest son took over.
In family collection.

Wiss Exhibiting at the National Hardware Show, early 1950s
Norman [Sr] and Norm, Jr. with others. The magazine ad between Norm, Jr. and the officer is 1950. Norman [Sr] died in 1954.
In family collection.

Employee Group Circa 1964
The family members can be identified in the picture: Fred Wiss is back row right. Ken Wiss is front row left. And Richard Wiss is front row right. Many of the others could be identified if matched with the June 1966 photo and legend.
From The Newark Evening News.

Annual Wiss 25-Year Club dinner: June 3, 1966
Richard Wiss and Clifford Clarke pointing at factory Model.
Clifford Clarke (right), who has been employed by J. Wiss & Sons Co., Newark cutlery firm, for 49 years, is shown a scale model of the company's new plant complex, now under construction, by President Richard R. Wiss at the annual Wiss 25-Year Club dinner at the Military Park Hotel (Friday, June 3). The framed photos on the easel are the 1880s factory pictures that are now in the NJ Historical Society. Eight new 25-year employees, including Clarke's son, Clifford Clarke, Jr. were inducted into the club.
From The Newark Evening News.

Employee Group June 1966
With men identified in legend.
From The Newark Evening News.

Cutting Ribbon at Dedication of New Wiss Complex: Dec 21 1967
Richard R. Wiss, right, president of J. Wiss and Sons Co., cuts ribbon at dedication of new Wiss complex in Littleton Ave. Looking on is Frederick D. Wiss, executive vice president and treasurer.
Also see newspaper article that accompanied the picture.
From The Newark Evening News.

Wiss Friday Financial: July 5, 1968
From left: R. Garin Wiss, Frederick Wiss, Kenneth Wiss.
From The Newark Evening News.

Wiss Honors Rega Brothers On 118 Continuous Years
Newspaper article. Circa 1973, 1974?
NEWARK, N.J. -- Three Rega brothers, Frank, Joseph and Michael, celebrated a total service record of 118 continuous years of service to J. Wiss & Sons, Inc. In photo, left to right, are: Frank Rega, superintendent, with 38 years service; Joseph Rega, production manager, with 45 years; Paul G. Richards, president of J. Wiss & Sons, Inc., and Michael Rega, supervisor, with 35 years. The firm recently celebrated its own 125th anniversary.
From Rega family collection.

Employees At Work

Numerous 8×10 photos of employees at work exist in the archives at the The New Jersey Historical Society. None are here, due to the difficulty in getting scans of items in their archives.

Dog in Treadmill.
Dog power was used to sharpen shears when Jacob Wiss started his cutlery business in 1848. This rendering was used many times (in the earlier catalogs the picture is extended downwards along the right, and has the artist's logo):
• Catalogs: 1922, 1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937, 1941, 1941
• December 1941 article on "The Name of WISS"
• February 8, 1948 article on the 100th anniversary
• The 1948 A Story of Shears and Scissors
• The 1973 Wiss: The Edge of Excellence since 1848
From The Newark Evening News.

Setting screw in scissors and final adjustment.
Steve Powers of Bloomfield, NJ setting the screw on electricians' scissors, and making final adjustment. May 1966.
From The Newark Evening News.

Pinking Shears Being Manufactured.
Pinking Shears Being Manufactured: Inspecting, wiping and packaging for shipment. May 16, 1966.
From The Newark Evening News.