Elizabeth Arden Velva Leg Film, Sun Copper
Object Details
- Elizabeth Arden Inc.
- Description
- While leg makeup was commercially available since the 1920s, it wasn't until rationing was introduced during the Second World War that leg makeup became an essential commodity for many American women.
- Silk and nylon became virtually unatainable, so, unable to procure silk or nylon stockings, many women resorted to painting their legs with products such as this Velva Leg Film. Some industrious ladies even painted black lines down the back of their legs to mimic the seams of hosiery.
- Velva Leg film was manufactured in the Nineteen Forties by Elizabeth Arden, a Canadian-born American businesswoman known for her beauty salons and cosmetic products.
- This object is one of over 700 items from Glaser’s Drug Store of Sayre, Pennsylvania. In 1921, Simon Glaser (1860-1936), an immigrant from Russian Poland, established the drug store at 121 West Packer Avenue in Sayre, PA. His son, Sidney Glaser (1899-1992), soon joined him in the business and continued to operate the store until 1961. After retiring, Sidney Glaser retained thousands of products dating from the 1920s – 1960s, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care products, and vitamins, and donated many of them to the Smithsonian in 1985.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Gift of Sidney Glaser
- ca 1943
- product launch
- 1933
- ID Number
- 1985.0481.384
- catalog number
- 1985.0481.384
- accession number
- 1985.0481
- Object Name
- cosmetic
- leg make-up
- Physical Description
- plastic (container material)
- glass (container material)
- Measurements
- overall: 5 3/4 in x 2 5/8 in x 1 3/8 in; 14.605 cm x 6.6675 cm x 3.4925 cm
- place made
- United States: New York, New York City
- See more items in
- Medicine and Science: Medicine
- Health & Medicine
- Clothing & Accessories
- Beauty and Health
- Beauty and Hygiene Products: Make-up
- National Museum of American History
- Record ID
- nmah_1175525
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746aa-1890-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
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