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Hello all. I'm having trouble with file attachment limits, so I am sending this post in installments. The attachments will come separately, one per post. My apologies if this results in this message posting twice:
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In reference to our recent discussion about Campana and Mark Pearce’s outstanding recent research yesterday on Canadian advertisements for Italian Balm aimed toward men (!), I had a chance to go through my files and compile a quick synopsis of the American version of Italian Balm advertisements from the 1930s and 1940s. Files are attached.
I also have included a brief excerpt about Campana's U.S. markets from the book "Batavia: From The Collection of the Batavia Historical Society."
The U.S. version of the product apparently used a different marketing strategy than Canada's, one that would seem incompatible – from a marketing standpoint – with a separate U.S. campaign aimed towards men. (However, I remain open to suggestions to the contrary from this outstanding team!)
Bill Lockhart's preliminary answer to my query on Canadian supply chains is that "Many Canadian firms used bottles made by U.S. glass houses." He has some specific historical files he can check that may provide information on whether Owens Illinois (the maker of the artifact bottle) ever sold bottles like the artifact to Canada.
IF the artifact was purchased by a 1940s Coast Guardsman as a result of an ad aimed toward men, rather than toward women, I think he read that ad in Canada, not the U.S. I can't find any U.S. ads from 1930-1946 (the probable - but arbitary - time frame I selected, during which owners of a 1933 Campana Italian Balm bottle would have seen them) that were aimed at men, but they might be out there for others to find.
Ric, did any of your research and interviews with surviving members of Loran Unit 92 turn up any U.S. Coast Guardsmen who had lived in Canada?
The ads I've attached provide a cultural context that led me to my original statement that this product was marketed exclusively to women. I would suggest perhaps that we modify our
Research Bulletin to reflect the new exceptions, pending, of course, further research that might modify it further.
The bottles of Skat Repellent with U.S. Patent 85925, which Jeff Carter located, would not seem to match the artifact because - so far as I can tell from these photos - they do not have the distinctive stamp on the bottom that the artifact does. I have, however, placed a question to the eBay seller inquiring about base markings/stamps, so that we might be more certain.
It's possible an insect repellent could have ingredients that might be confused with a hand lotion. Ric's earliest assessment of this bottle was based on Winterthur scientist Jennifer Mass' conclusion in her lab report, which stated her spectral analysis was "consistent with its having been used as a lotion or skin cream bottle."
I've done a search for ingredients of Skat but have been unable to find any but the active ingredient lists. It would be interesting if someone could find evidence that insect repellents in the 1930s commonly had things like Tragacanth Gum, lanolin, and rapeseed or linseed oil, because these were the spectrally identified ingredients found on the bottle. First, however, we really would need a picture of the Skat bottles that shows that distinctive
stamp.
I appreciate all the amazing research members are accomplishing here.
Best,
Joe Cerniglia
TIGHAR #3078CER