THE WERTHAN STORY
For over 100 years, Werthan uniquely created and preserved American history from
its factory on 8th Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee. Beginning in the late
1800s, Werthan Bag Corporation converted raw cotton into vibrant dry goods bags,
featuring exquisite advertising images for small factories across the United States.
Treasured for the content of the art, the logos, valued for their contents, and the
bags were often given new life as clothing, drapes, stuffed toys, and other home
goods. These bags were found everywhere and were frequently repurposed by
customers.
In 1999, William E. Kantz Jr. discovered well-preserved printer proofs in the Werthan
Bag basement, which contained original works of art. (The old factory building is
now recognized as the Werthan Lofts.) This art, known as the Werthan Art
Collection, offers a unique perspective within the timeline of American history. The
Werthan Art Collection is currently undergoing conversion from physical to digital,
enabling the production of tangible products such as limited-edition prints, open
edition prints, t-shirts, hats, wall clocks as merchandise and more. Additionally,
there are intangible items such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), certificates of
authenticity and titles on the blockchain, avatars, printable 3D objects, and
augmented reality & virtual reality applications.
COLLABORATION
Werthan Trading Company has partnered with nashᵀᴺ, combining original Werthan
Art found on the printer proofs with nashᵀᴺ's logos, style and branding, resulting in
an innovative blend of historical art and modern custom design. This exclusive
collection is available in both unlimited and limited-edition merchandise, each
accompanied by certificates of authenticity and certificates of title.
Poster Prints: The collaboration in poster prints showcases an innovative blend of
traditional art and contemporary branding. Werthan Trading Company and nashᵀᴺ
are excited to introduce this unique merchandise to the global market, marking a
worldwide venture of creativity and innovation.
