ALL MY EYES

Friday, February 17, 2012

Gunpowder Labels

DuPont might be best known for creating a synthetic parallel universe of our natural material world. The company replaced silk with nylon, glass with Lucite, rubber with neoprene, and stone with Corian. So synonymous is the company with chemicals, that substances such as Lycra, Teflon, and Kevlar have become household names. But when founder Eleuthère Irénée du Pont established the company in 1802, its sole business was the manufacture of gunpowder.

By the war of 1812, DuPont was the largest supplier of black powder to the U.S. government. During the Civil War, the company provided almost half of the powder used by the Union forces. As explosives technology advanced, the company became a leader in dynamite production and smokeless powder. (More detail here.)

Around the time of WWI, DuPont diversified into chemicals, and by the 1990s moved completely away from the blasting business. What remained with the company, however, was an amazing archive of powder labels. It now resides at the Hagley Museum and Library along with the rest of the corporate archives. Everything from duck shooting to mine blasting is represented and in addition to the DuPont brand, there are labels of acquired mills, and a collection of foreign labels as well. There are even a few original sketches.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

"Love is Like a Cough" and other Swahili Valentines

Love is like a cough, it cannot be hidden

Kanga, the wrapped garments worn mostly by women in East Africa, are more than colorful cloths. In addition to a printed pattern engineered for the standard 1-meter by 1.5-meter length of cotton, each kanga carries an inscription, often in the form of a riddle or proverb. The messages evolved as a means for women to communicate what might at one time, have been considered unacceptable to speak out loud. Subjects cover everything from condolences to gratitude, to wishes of good luck and admonishments for gossiping. Kangas are often given as gifts. They have many uses and it is not uncommon for a woman to have a collection of them, so as to don the appropriate message for every occasion.

Many of the images here are from the Erie Art Museum, which mounted a show about Kanga in 2009. Others are from an exhibition at Arkansas State University.

So for this Valentine’s Day, during Fashion Week, within Black History Month post, here are some of the many Kanga messages around the topic of love.

When two are in love, their enemies can’t harm them

Let's be patient with one another and not fight over small things

He has promised to love me, I won’t let him down

There is somebody in the world to love for everybody

Give Us Peace So We Can Love Each Other (source)

What Are You Holding On For? He Doesn't Want You! Leave Him!
(Kanga version of “He’s just not that into you”) Photo by Amanda Lichtenstein

Let us love each other until people ask themselves (about our love)

Love Me So I Can Calm Down Already Photo by Amanda Lichtenstein

You can poison romance with too many words

It is no secret, you are my one and only

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Better Magazine Covers … through Chemistry

The DuPont Company was already 111 years old when it started publishing a self promotional magazine in 1913. Hagley Museum and Library has a digital archive of all 640 issues published through 2003.

As you might expect, covers run the spectrum from cliché and repetitive to refreshing and unexpected, with some classic beauties in the mix.

While the production of the cover image was often discussed in an editor’s note, artistic attribution was rarely supplied. With very few exceptions, a designer or illustrator would simply (and quite mysteriously) be referred to as “the artist.”

November 1918

July-August 1922
“Answering the Clay Target’s Challenge”

April 1932
Photo of anhydrous ammonia cylinders.

February 1936
(seasonal image)

March 1937
(seasonal image)

September 1941
The Story of NYLON

June-July 1943
Nylon Goes Aloft

January-February 1947
This cover, about the auto industry, is by Domenico Mortellito (1906-1994). The Newark, NJ born artist worked for DuPont designing exhibits, most notably the 1965 World’s Fair Pavillion. Though a number of other illustrated covers over the next couple of years are stylistically very similar to this one, none are credited. Hmmm.