Amy Vach
Catalog Number: 2020.007.01
This cosmetic tin was the product of a La Crosse company founded with a mere $300 and a double boiler in a basement. By 1920, the firm was internationally known.
Ruth Johnson Maurer created Marinello Cosmetics at a time when women did not have a wide selection of beauty products available. The company began in 1903 with Maurer manufacturing beauty cream in her basement at 631 Main Street. Her husband, Dr. Albert Maurer, provided $300 capital for his wife's business venture. He was skeptical, however, and supposedly said, "Take this and throw it away on your fool idea-then drop it."
Two years later, the company had $100,000 in capital and eventually expanded from Maurer's home to a three-story factory at 225 South Sixth Street. Marinello Cosmetics employed over 150 people, mostly women. Women were responsible for packaging the products and were paid based on how many bottles were filled during their shift. The company also employed men as chemists, to mix the rouges and creams, as salesmen, and in the shipping department.
One reason for the company’s success was the creation of Marinello beauty schools and beauty shops. Here, women were taught how to use the company’s innovative products properly. The beauty shops provided customers with personalized attention and access to Marinello products.
In 1909, the La Crosse Tribune described Maurer as a "thorough business woman and has been unusually successful in her undertaking." By then Maurer had expanded her company to include a base in Chicago, and she was regularly commuting between her La Crosse and Chicago offices.
This cosmetic tin from the collection of the La Crosse County Historical Society once contained Maurer's face powder. It still bears a faint scent of the makeup it once held. The container lists Chicago, New York, and La Crosse as Marinello locations.
Although this tin does not prominently feature it, Marinello's mascot was the elephant. Many Marinello product containers and advertisements featured an elephant, which Maurer chose because it symbolized "power and wisdom." If you look closely at the “M” on the tin, it is designed to resemble an elephant’s ears and its trunk.
In 1926, Maurer was convinced by New York investors to move her successful company out of La Crosse. Many people in La Crosse lost their positions due to her decision. Unfortunately, the move didn’t work out well. Shortly thereafter, Maurer was forced to take a buyout. She was left with only $30,000 to show for her hard work.
This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune on May 30, 2020.
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