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The Public Voted In This Beauty Contest

  • 1940

Rights

Public Domain

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Advertisement for Celluose Acetate manufactured and sold by the Hercules Powder Company for use as a base in plastic molding compounds. The advertisement features a photo of a woman in a shower framed by artistic renderings of various bathroom products made from cellulose acetate plastic, including a tooth brush, combs, soap dish, and door handle. This advertisement was published in the October 1940 edition of Fortune magazine.

Formed in 1912 as part of an anti-trust settlement with DuPont, the Hercules Powder Company (later Hercules Inc.) initially specialized in the manufacture of explosives and smokeless powders and subsequently diversified its business to encompass a variety of industrial products, including pine and paper chemicals, synthetics, pigments, polymers, and cellulose.

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Creator of work
Format
Genre
Extent
  • 12.5 in. H x 9.5 in. W
Language
Subject
Rights Public Domain Mark 1.0
Credit line
  • Courtesy of Science History Institute

Institutional location

Department
Collection
Series arrangement
  • Series II: Advertising
Physical container
  • Volume 1940

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Cite as

Hercules Incorporated. “The Public Voted In This Beauty Contest.” 1940 Hercules Advertisements, 1940. Records of Hercules Incorporated, Volume 1940. Science History Institute. Philadelphia. https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/dj52w561j.

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The Science History Institute recognizes there are materials in our collections that may be offensive or harmful, containing racist, sexist, Eurocentric, ableist, or homophobic language or depictions. The history of science is not exempt from beliefs or practices harmful to traditionally marginalized groups. The Institute is engaged in ongoing efforts to responsibly present and address the evidence of oppression and injustice inextricable from the history of science. If you would like to learn more about our ongoing efforts or if you encounter harmful, inaccurate, or insufficient descriptions, please contact us at digital@sciencehistory.org.