Ingenuity, practicality, and beauty blend well in this 18-karat gold men's manicure set, which dates to the 1880s.
Ingenuity, practicality, and beauty blend well in this 18-karat gold men's manicure set, which dates to the 1880s.
Clark Gable gets a manicure while getting his hair cut.
A window in time: A young woman receives training in the art of manicuring from a peer in their 1910 beauty course.
Manicure brush manufactured by Sanitax Brush and Products in Chicago.
1932 Edition of Colliers
A young woman receives training in the art of manicuring from a peer in their 1910 beauty course.
This manicure soak bowl (which bears a 1918 patent stamp) came from the manicure station in a 1920s barbershop. Photo courtesy of Shawn Gauvreau of Lords Valley, Pa.
Prima ballerina Anna Pavlowa graces this 1929 Cutex polish ad.
A pedicurist at the 1932 Show and Leather Fair in Agricultural Hall London, paints permanent dye onto the toes of two young dancers.
She's a doll - quite literally. Women may go for the polish, but little girls want nothing more than to cut out the paper doll clothes included in this 1938 Cutex polish ad.
May 18, 1940 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.
Noreen Reho designed a manicure apparatus that holds all the necessary implements for a basic manicure of the day.
Max Factor produced a product called Supreme Nail Polish, a beige-colored powder in a metal pot. The powder is sprinkled on the nails and buffed with a chamois buffer to give nails shine and tint. Max Factor later introduces Nail Tint with a pink tint to it and finally, Liquid Nail Enamel in 1934.
The 1968 cover girl features active length nails polished in a light frost – not too much different than what you might see on today’s Seventeen cover.
Orly International’s Jeff Pink launched the French manicure craze in the United States in 1978.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. This is a sample from Creative Nail Design’s early ads archive.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. Shown here is one of OPI’s early ads.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. This early Backscratchers ad was also available as a poster.
In 1980, salons began receiving Mainly Manicuring, a trade newspaper for the nail industry.
NAILS was the first professional trade journal published for nail technicians. Although there had been other publications before, none caught on like NAILS. The first issue was distributed one by one at the Long Beach Hairdressers Guild. Today, the magazine is circulated to more than 75,000 professionals worldwide.
In 1958, Sally Hansen introduced its Hard As Nails nail treatment which is still in wide distribution today.
Loren Atwood founded Atwood Laboratories in 1951. At the time, the company made equipment exclusively for the dental industry. Only later, under son Bruce’s direction, did the company enter the beauty industry in earnest.
Women wear nail color as a reflection of their personalities and status, as well as to keep up with fashion trends. This ad for Wigwam Nail Polish colors exhorts women to take advantage of the “Indian trend sweeping the nation.”
One of the first professional products, SuperNail, was (and still is) a favorite among nail technicians in the early days. This advertisement is from the 1980s.
Ingenuity, practicality, and beauty blend well in this 18-karat gold men's manicure set, which dates to the 1880s.
Ingenuity, practicality, and beauty blend well in this 18-karat gold men's manicure set, which dates to the 1880s.
Clark Gable gets a manicure while getting his hair cut.
A window in time: A young woman receives training in the art of manicuring from a peer in their 1910 beauty course.
Manicure brush manufactured by Sanitax Brush and Products in Chicago.
1932 Edition of Colliers
A young woman receives training in the art of manicuring from a peer in their 1910 beauty course.
This manicure soak bowl (which bears a 1918 patent stamp) came from the manicure station in a 1920s barbershop. Photo courtesy of Shawn Gauvreau of Lords Valley, Pa.
Prima ballerina Anna Pavlowa graces this 1929 Cutex polish ad.
A pedicurist at the 1932 Show and Leather Fair in Agricultural Hall London, paints permanent dye onto the toes of two young dancers.
She's a doll - quite literally. Women may go for the polish, but little girls want nothing more than to cut out the paper doll clothes included in this 1938 Cutex polish ad.
May 18, 1940 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.
Noreen Reho designed a manicure apparatus that holds all the necessary implements for a basic manicure of the day.
Max Factor produced a product called Supreme Nail Polish, a beige-colored powder in a metal pot. The powder is sprinkled on the nails and buffed with a chamois buffer to give nails shine and tint. Max Factor later introduces Nail Tint with a pink tint to it and finally, Liquid Nail Enamel in 1934.
The 1968 cover girl features active length nails polished in a light frost – not too much different than what you might see on today’s Seventeen cover.
Orly International’s Jeff Pink launched the French manicure craze in the United States in 1978.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. This is a sample from Creative Nail Design’s early ads archive.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. Shown here is one of OPI’s early ads.
Most of today’s major manufacturers were upstarts once themselves and advertised modestly. This early Backscratchers ad was also available as a poster.
In 1980, salons began receiving Mainly Manicuring, a trade newspaper for the nail industry.
NAILS was the first professional trade journal published for nail technicians. Although there had been other publications before, none caught on like NAILS. The first issue was distributed one by one at the Long Beach Hairdressers Guild. Today, the magazine is circulated to more than 75,000 professionals worldwide.
In 1958, Sally Hansen introduced its Hard As Nails nail treatment which is still in wide distribution today.
Loren Atwood founded Atwood Laboratories in 1951. At the time, the company made equipment exclusively for the dental industry. Only later, under son Bruce’s direction, did the company enter the beauty industry in earnest.
Women wear nail color as a reflection of their personalities and status, as well as to keep up with fashion trends. This ad for Wigwam Nail Polish colors exhorts women to take advantage of the “Indian trend sweeping the nation.”
One of the first professional products, SuperNail, was (and still is) a favorite among nail technicians in the early days. This advertisement is from the 1980s.
We hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane. Please email your stories, memories, historical photos, and archives to us so we can consider them for this ongoing history "exhibit." Submit stories to hannah.lee@bobit.com.
You Might Also Like:
A History of Nails (news article)
Happy 30th Birthday to... Us! (photo gallery)
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.
media brand