Empire Spice Mills MFG Co., est. 1936

Museum Artifact: Burma Brand Spices: Pure Ground Cinnamon Tin, c. 1940s

Made By: Empire Spice Mills Manufacturing Company, 917 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL

Chicago’s Empire Spice Mills Manufacturing Company (no relation to the current Empire Spice Mills of Winnipeg, Canada) was a peculiar little enterprise that only existed for a little over a decade, from the late 1930s to a few years beyond the Second World War.

Morton Salt Company, est. 1848

Museum Artifacts: Morton’s Free Running Salt and Sausage Seasoning (1930s) + Morton Salt Cardboard Store Display and Advertising Blotters (1950s)

Made By: Morton Salt Company, 1357 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL

“Out of every 10 pounds of salt produced in this country, 9 you never see!  . . . Of the salt you do see—table and household salt—only a little more than a billion pounds are consumed each year.

Vaughan Novelty MFG Co., est. 1910

Museum Artifact: Vaughan’s Grip-Tite Bottle Stopper, Perfo-Siphon Bottle Stopper, and Fox Deluxe Punch-Style Bottle Opener, c. 1950s

Made By: Vaughan Novelty MFG Co., 3211 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago, IL

The bottle and the bottle opener—a vital symbiotic relationship that’s been mildly inconveniencing mankind for generations. No one ever knows exactly where their bottle opener is at any given moment, nor where it came from in the first place.

F.W. Planert & Sons, est. 1898

Museum Artifact: Planert Ice Skate Sharpening Jig (1910s) and Ice Skate Box (1930s)

Made By: F.W. Planert & Sons, Inc., 935-941 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL

“Perfect design—perfect alignment—perfect fit and perfect performance. The New Planert All Steel—Full Tubular Skates are now the most popular of all skates. Their beautiful stream lines—their perfect fitting fine leather shoes and wonderful quality steel construction has won the hearts of every boy and girl who appreciates speed,

Valmor Products Co., est. 1926

Museum Artifact: Lucky Brown Hair Pressing Oil, 1938

Made By: Valmor Products Co. / Famous Products Co., 2241 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago, IL

Whether you enjoy debating the ethics of cultural appropriation, the definition of true art, or the line between female empowerment and objectification, the story of the Valmor Products Company basically covers all the bases—like a pulp-novel catalog of 20th century American contradictions.

Western Felt Works, est. 1899

Museum Artifact: Salesman’s Pamphlet with Original Felt Samples, c. 1920s

Made By: Western Felt Works, 4029-4117 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago, IL

“Today is felt’s heyday. Its use is almost universal, and its appeal . . . well, its appeal is the appeal the individual is capable of creating. For every display use, there has never been a more versatile material.” —Display World magazine,

Theo. A. Kochs Company, est. 1871

Museum Artifact: Barber Chair Footrest (Lower Plate), c. 1920s

Made By: Theo. A. Kochs Company, 659-679 N. Wells Street, Chicago, IL

“Quality is our watchword, and chairs of our manufacture can be depended upon to be as near perfection as is possible. We aim to make only the very best, and economy is never allowed to interfere with the quality of the goods.

W. F. Hall Printing Co., est. 1893

Museum Artifacts: Motor Trend magazines (1961-1964), Report of the Warren Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy – Paperback Book (1964), “House Dope” employee magazines (1942-1945)

Made By: W. F. Hall Printing Company, 4600 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL

“A deluge of paper stock, ink, glue, and all other printing supplies and equipment enters the plant of W. F.

Wilson Jones Co., est. 1893

Museum Artifact: Marvel 60 Hole Punch, c. 1940s

Made By: Wilson Jones Company, 3300 W. Franklin Blvd., Chicago, IL

Long before any Marvel superhero ever punched a villain, the mighty Marvel Hole Punch was already dispensing its own brand of justice on unsuspecting sheets of binder paper. This lever-operated “paper perforator” was originally designed by Alexander and Chesley Dom of the Samuel C.

Webster-Chicago Corp., est. 1914

Museum Artifact: Webster “Electronic Memory” Wire Recorder, Model 180-1, c. 1949

Made By: Webster-Chicago Corp., aka WebCor, 5622 W. Bloomingdale Ave., Chicago, IL

“The Electronic Memory is truly one of the most useful additions to the modern home. Not only does it afford the never-failing amusement of hearing one’s own voice or dramatic productions, but it is also invaluable for wire-recording outstanding programs and fine music from radio or record discs,

Kawin & Co., est. 1880

Museum Artifact: Stereoscope w/ “World Series” Stereoview Cards c. 1905

Made By: Kawin & Company, 260-262 Fifth Avenue (850 N. Wells St.), Chicago, IL

“Kawin’s original stereoscope plan has crowded the stores of hundreds of the livest merchants in this great and prosperous country . . . Send us $1.25 and we will send you this genuine aluminum hood crystal lens stereoscope and a set of one hundred beautiful and interesting photo-colored views,

Big Beam and the U-C Lite MFG Co., est. 1938

Museum Artifact: Big Beam No. 164 Sealed Beam Beacon Lamp and Big Beam No. 403 F Emergency Lamp, 1950s

Made By: U-C Lite MFG Co., 1050 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL

First of all, don’t call it a flashlight. This particular style of life-saving, portable illumination was known as a “hand lamp” (or “hand lantern”), and similar models are still being manufactured today—some of them by the very same company that produced the two mid-century artifacts in our museum collection.

Pepsodent Company, est. 1915

Museum Artifact: Pepsodent Antiseptic Bottle, c. 1930s

Made By: The Pepsodent Co., 6901 W. 65th Street, Chicago, IL

“Pepsodent Mouth Wash kills the stubborn germs in the fastest time it is possible for science to record . . . This remarkable discovery is a new and powerful weapon in fighting germ infections and diseases. It combats instantly the social evil of bad breath.” —Pepsodent Antiseptic advertisement,

Martin & Martin / E-Z Polish, est. 1882

Museum Artifact: E-Z Stove Polish Bottle, c. 1910s

Made By: Martin & Martin, 3005 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago, IL

“There are so many things in every home that ‘E-Z’ Polishes will brighten that you will wonder how you ever did without them before. They do it so quickly, so easily, so perfectly, that it’s just like saying ‘Presto-Change-O’ and having the work done for you.” —E-Z Polish advertisement,

Chicago Eye Shield Co., est. 1903

Museum Artifact: Industrial Cover Goggles, c. 1950s

Made By: Chicago Eye Shield Company, aka CESCO, 2300 W. Warren Blvd., Chicago, IL

“CESCO’s complete line of head and eye safety equipment always benefits users—prevents injuries, saves lives, saves dollars and earns profits.” —Chicago Eye Shield Company advertisement, 1945

The Chicago Eye Shield Company, aka CESCO, was founded in 1903—the same year the Wright Brothers ushered in the aeronautics age,

Model-Craft, Inc., est. 1942

Museum Artifact: Kay Stanley’s Model-Craft Molding & Coloring Set No. 3A – “Cowboys and Indians”, c. 1950s

Made By: Model-Craft, Inc., 521 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL

“Five feet two and weighing 117 pounds, Kay Stanley can be as tough as a truck driver and as charming as a Perle Mesta. At home at any machine in her factory, she is still a charming hostess in her near North Side apartment in Chicago,

Dormeyer Corporation, est. 1912

Museum Artifact: Dormeyer Orbital Electric Sander, c. 1950s

Made By: The Dormeyer Corporation, 700 North Kingsbury St., Chicago, IL

“Your Dormeyer Sander is so well balanced in design and so light in weight that you can use it for hours without fatigue. Just let the sander do the work!” —Dormeyer Power Tools Instruction Manual, c. 1956

The A. F.

American Reflector & Lighting Co., est. 1888

Museum Artifact: Art-O-Lite Reflector Art Lamp, c. 1930s

Made By: American Reflector & Lighting Company, 100 South Jefferson St., Chicago, IL

“There are depths of feeling in every work of art that are lost to the beholder until they are revealed at their full worth with Art-O-Lite Reflectors.” —American Reflector & Lighting Company advertisement, 1923

For a business that spent roughly a century specializing in illumination,

Hammond Organ Company, est. 1928

Museum Artifacts: Hammond Solovox Keyboard Model J, Series A (1940s) and Hammond Organ Generator Oil Can (c. 1950s)

Made By: Hammond Organ Co., 2915 N. Western Ave. and 4200 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL

“Smaller than a piano, a midget in comparison with the vast pipe organs of traditional style, yet capable of 253 million different tones; this is the electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond of Chicago.”

Boye Needle Company, est. 1905

Museum Artifact: Boye Rotary Case for Sewing Machine Supplies, c. 1920s

Made By: Boye Needle Company, 4339-4343 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL

“The public knows that where this Case is found, the well-known High Grade ‘Boye’ Needles, Shuttles and Bobbins can be secured.” –Boye Needle Co. advertisement, 1909

One might presume that selling sewing supplies in the early 1900s was a cinch.

Van Cleef Bros., est. 1910

Museum Artifact: Dutch Brand Friction Tape Counter Display and Dutch Brand Grinding Compound, c. 1920s

Made By: Van Cleef Bros., Inc., 7800 Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL

“This orange and blue package on a dealer’s counter will remind you to buy this useful little servant, DUTCH BRAND Friction Tape. Use it for automobiles, bicycles and electrical work; for home, store or shop; for mending tools,