General view of assorted machinery in the Customer Service and Quality Control Laboratory at the Althouse Chemical Company plant in Reading, Pennsylvania. At center, employees Robert Wither (left) and Carroll Dick (right) are seen examining machines used to roll fabric through a trough of dye for the application of dyestuffs. Several Weather-O-Meter and Fade-O-Meter machines, used to test the durability and light-fastness of dyed fabric, are visible in the background, along with an unidentified employee.

Based in Reading, Pennsylvania, the Althouse Chemical Company was founded in 1915 by C. Scott Althouse (1880-1970) as a small, family-owned firm specializing in fabric dyes of a superior quality and class. In 1954, the Crompton & Knowles Corporation of Worcester, Massachusetts acquired Althouse, which continued to operate as a division of Crompton & Knowles and a leader in the specialty dyes industry.