Cosmetics in Sulphur, Nevada a Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Of
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University of Nevada, Reno Keeping Up Appearances: Cosmetics in Sulphur, Nevada A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology by Chelsea N. Banks Dr. Carolyn White/Thesis Advisor August, 2011 © by Chelsea N. Banks 2011 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by CHELSEA N. BANKS entitled Keeping Up Appearances: Cosmetics In Sulphur, Nevada be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Dr. Carolyn White, Advisor Dr. Donald Hardesty, Committee Member Dr. Elizabeth Raymond, Graduate School Representative Marsha H. Read, Ph. D., Dean, Graduate School August, 2011 i Abstract Sulphur, Nevada is an abandoned mining settlement in northwestern Nevada that was settled in the early 20th century. Archaeological work conducted at the site in 2009 and 2010 revealed the presence of an unusual number of beauty-related artifacts, including artifacts related to skin and hair care. These artifacts suggest a significant use of cosmetics by former residents. Cosmetics and other beauty aids represent an important marker for cultural change, particularly in the early 20th century, when changes in cosmetics use reflected changing values regarding gender and identity. In the context of gender theory and world systems theory, cosmetics provide insight into how Sulphur residents responded to and connected with the larger world. The cosmetics discovered at Sulphur demonstrate that Sulphur residents were aware of and participated with the outside world, but did so according to their own needs. ii Acknowledgments I would like to thank all those who helped this thesis project come about. First and foremost, I am grateful for the guidance and patience of my thesis committee, Dr. Carolyn White, Dr. Don Hardesty, and Dr. Elizabeth Raymond. Without them, this project would never have taken shape. I also thank my fellow Sulphur researchers, Sean McMurry and Esther Andersen, and Dave Valentine, for sharing their knowledge and resources. The staffs of the Humboldt County Recorder‟s Office, the Humboldt County Library, and the Humboldt County Museum were very helpful in finding documentation for Sulphur‟s history. Thanks also go to my fellow grad students for their support and my roommates for putting up with the piles of library books and late nights at the computer. Finally, I thank my parents and family for supporting me and pushing me to achieve my dreams. iii Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………....i Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………...ii List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………...v List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………….vi Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sulphur……………………………………………………1 A Brief History of Sulphur, Nevada……………………………………………....2 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….11 Chapter 2: Gender and World Systems at Sulphur, Nevada…………………………….13 Sulphur and the Archaeology of Gender………………………………………...13 World Systems and Sulphur, Nevada……………………………………………19 Questions About Cosmetics……………………………………………………...23 Methodology………………………………………………………………….….24 Analysis and Interpretation………………………………………………………27 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….29 Chapter 3: Twentieth-Century Beauty Culture…………………………………………..31 Defining Beauty………………………………………………………………….31 The Rise of Modern Beauty Culture……………………………………………..32 Beauty and the Mass Market…………………………………………………….37 Makeup and Masculinity…………………………………………………………41 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….42 Chapter 4: Advertising and Cosmetics in Humboldt County……………………………44 iv Advertisements in Humboldt County Newspapers……………………………....45 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….53 Chapter 5: Cosmetics Recovered from Sulphur, Nevada………………………………..55 Skin Care…………………………………………………………………………55 Hair Care…………………………………………………………………………59 Unidentified……………………………………………………………………...61 Artifact Distribution……………………………………………………………...63 Chapter 6: The Significance of Cosmetics in Sulphur, Nevada………………………….67 A Conservative Approach to Cosmetics…………………………………………67 Gender in Sulphur, Nevada………………………………………………………69 Sulphur and the World System…………………………………………………..73 The Archaeology of Beauty: Beyond Sulphur………………………...…………75 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….77 References………………………………………………………………………………123 v List of Tables Table 1: Timeline of sulphur mines……………………………………………………...78 Table 2: Advertisements from the Silver State (1912-1924) and Humboldt Star (1925- 1965)…………………………………………………………………………….79 Table 3: Cosmetics collected from Sulphur, Nevada…………………………………....84 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Section of 1937 tourist map depicting Sulphur………………………………..85 Figure 2. Devil‟s Corral and Silver Camel……………………………………………....86 Figure 3. Sulphur plat map………………………………………………………………87 Figure 4. Cars in Sulphur, Nevada………………………………………………………88 Figure 5. Sulphur store and bar……………………….…………………………………89 Figure 6. Sulphur schoolhouse……………………….………………………………….90 Figure 7. Map of Sulphur boundaries……………………………………………………91 Figure 8. Intact dugout on north side of railroad tracks………………….……………...92 Figure 9. Prospecting pit…………..……………………………………………………..93 Figure 10. Milk glass jar fragments…….………………………………………………..94 Figure 11. Drugstore advertisement……………………………………………………..95 Figure 12. Cosmetics advertisement……………………………………………………..96 Figure 13. Arrid deodorant advertisement and shallow jar from Sulphur……………….97 Figure 14. Modern Beauty Shop advertisement……………………...………………….98 Figure 15. Max Factor Pan-Stik advertisement………….………………………………99 Figure 16. Stag advertisement…………………………………………………………..100 Figure 17. Photograph of Jane Havoc………………………………………………..…101 Figure 18. Photograph of actress in lemon bath……………………………………..…102 Figure 19. Hazel Bishop advertisement……………………………………………...…103 Figure 20. Pond‟s milk glass jar…………………………………………………..……104 Figure 21. Pond‟s jar base and square Pond‟s jar…………………………………...….104 vii Figure 22. Pink Pond‟s jar base fragment………………………………………………105 Figure 23. Harriet Hubbard Ayer jar fragment…………………………………………106 Figure 24. Ingram‟s Milk Weed Cream jar fragments………………………………….106 Figure 25. Woodbury jar fragments…………………………………………………….107 Figure 26. Jergens bottles………………………………………………………………108 Figure 27. Purple milk glass fragment………………………………………………….109 Figure 28. Blue Hormone Hand Cream jar……………………………………………..110 Figure 29. Close up of blue jar‟s label………………………………………………….110 Figure 30. Daggett and Ramsdell‟s Perfect Cold Cream jar base……………………....111 Figure 31. Metal lid with Palmolive logo………………………………………………112 Figure 32. Avon Hand Cream aluminum tube………………………………………….113 Figure 33. Avon Hand Cream aluminum tube base…………………………………….113 Figure 34. Mentholatum jar fragments…………………………………………………114 Figure 35. Velvetouch shampoo bottles………………………………………………..115 Figure 36. Possible Velvetouch milk glass jar fragment……………………………….115 Figure 37. White Rain shampoo bottle fragments……………………………………..116 Figure 38. Crème Tame Rinse conditioner bottle………………………………………117 Figure 39. Dippity-do jar fragments……………………………………………………118 Figure 40. Helene Curtis lid…………………………………………………………….119 Figure 41. Gillette razor blade………………………………………………………….120 Figure 42. Comb………………………………………………………………………..120 Figure 43. Hairbrush……………………………………………………………………121 viii Figure 44. Hairclip……………………………………………………………………...121 Figure 45. Map of cosmetic distribution in Sulphur, Nevada………………………..… 1 Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sulphur While conducting fieldwork at the town site of Sulphur in the summer of 2009, I observed an abundance of milk glass fragments from various cold cream and mentholatum jars. After colleagues told me that the number of artifacts was unusual for this type of site, I decided to do a small research project identifying some of the jars found at the site. This proved more difficult than anticipated, as I quickly discovered that very little information on this type of artifact existed. What information I did find came primarily from glass and bottle collecting books. This dearth of data regarding cosmetic artifacts inspired more in-depth research and became this thesis project. This project seeks to better understand how cosmetics, as a category of artifacts, provide insight into the lives of past people. I examine the significance of cosmetics in understanding the town of Sulphur, a small mining and railroad community from the early to mid twentieth century. As a single category of artifacts, cosmetics provide evidence of Sulphur‟s relationship with the outside world and highlight how residents reacted to the prevailing cultural ideals of the day. My research provides a possible framework for understanding cosmetics in archaeology. This thesis is divided into six chapters. This first chapter includes a short history of the town of Sulphur based on information gleaned from both primary and secondary sources. Chapter two details the theoretical background, research design and methodology of the project. Chapter three discusses the history and development of the 2 cosmetics industry, including the significance of advertising and gender. As advertising played a critical role in the cosmetics industry, I included newspaper advertising in my analysis, and the results for this are presented in chapter four. Chapter five concerns the artifacts themselves. It first presents the artifacts found and their identification. In this chapter I include a discussion on significance in the artifacts‟ distribution across the site, using GIS-based analysis. I state my conclusions in chapter six. A Brief History of Sulphur,