Cosmetics & Style

Illinois Cosmetics Co., est. 1926

Museum Artifact: IL Cosmet Talcum Powder, c. 1920s

Made By: Illinois Cosmetics Co., 2108 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL

“This is the day of the Flapper. With the Armistice she came, and today she is firmly established in the hearts of all America.”

Those words appeared in a 1927 advertisement for the Illinois Cosmetics Company—aka Il Cosmet—and for all intents and purposes,

American Automatic Devices Co., est. 1915

Museum Artifact: Ritz Stick Foot Measure, c. 1920s

Made by: American Automatic Devices Co. / King Bee MFG Co, 500-530 S. Throop St., Chicago, IL

When a stick of any kind becomes culturally relevant enough to have its own name, we tend to ascribe it a simple, self-descriptive one: match stick, hockey stick, joy stick. A rare exception is the Ritz Stick,