When Rea Ann Silva got the call that her category-changing Beautyblender was going to be in the Smithsonian, it was a rightfully proud moment for the respected celebrity makeup artist and brand founder.
“It’s an incredible honor, though my experience was a bit different from most,” says Silva. “Receiving that initial letter from the museum curator filled me with so much excitement and anticipation for what felt like a monumental achievement—but then COVID happened. The world had literally shut down, and I wasn’t able to participate in the usual celebrations that typically come with such an honor. Still, I held onto hope that the museum would reopen in time for me to see the exhibit before it was taken down, and thankfully, it did. I even got to bring my son with me, which made the moment all the more meaningful.”
The official description from the museum curators couldn’t describe it better: “Her sponge replicated the effects of airbrushing, but without requiring cumbersome equipment. By 2003, Silva incorporated the company, and the iconic hot pink sponge hit the commercial markets, immediately making a splash. Since the creation of the sponge, the company has expanded its offering to include makeup brushes, cleansers, primers and most recently, a foundation line called Bounce. Always setting trends, Bounce is notable for its extensive color range of 40 shades. Silva, a Latina, has never shied away from asserting her pride in being a woman of color. In fact, she credits her heritage, personal background and perseverance through adversity as contributing factors to her success.
And the one-of-a-kind edgeless makeup sponge is in good company.
According to a spokesperson for the Smithsonian, the National Museum of American History’s collection has an impressive 2,200-plus collection of hygiene, beauty and pharmaceutical products. Dating largely from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, the products include everything from Farrah Fawcett Shampoo With Vitamins and Minerals and Caswell-Massey’s 1840 Jockey Club to arsenic “complexion wafers” and Mum, the first branded deodorant to hit the American market in 1888.
Vast and detailed, the collection represents “the history of cosmetics, industry advertising and business ephemera and products from pharmaceuticals to perfumes,” and is broken down into organized sections that include Cosmetics, Bathing, Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup and more.
Likewise, the museum’s Division of Medicine and Science documents “the advances and changes made in health and wellness throughout American history, and has approximately 90,000 artifacts” (the collection of personal care and beauty products falls under that), which “highlights the interplay between medicinal and cosmetic products and documents America’s ever-changing conceptions of health, beauty and well-being.” The division’s medical collections include notable objects such as the AbioCor Total Artificial Heart, an iron lung and the Salk vaccine.
Behind the Curation, Including the Kiehl’s Connection
Although the Smithsonian began collecting pharmaceuticals and medicinal preparations in the 1880s, the majority of the cosmetics and personal care collection was acquired in the mid-1960s, according to the museum. In 1964, the Smithsonian also opened a new museum—the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History)—which expanded exhibition and storage space, as well as curatorial staff. During that time, museum curators began an effort “to better document everyday health practices, and more broadly represent the variety of materials that Americans have employed to protect and enhance health and well-being.”
A specific “shift” in society also helped build the library: The collections grew quickly from the late-1970s to early-1990s when curators acquired many products from numerous individual, family-run pharmacies—many of which were going out of business and disposing of current and outdated stock. The curators also added a large number of business records, advertising material and shop furniture at that time.
While the products’ rich history is impressive, the Cosmetics and Personal Care Collections Digitization Project only came about nine years ago. It was made possible by what the museum says was “generous support” from Kiehl’s Since 1851.
In addition to donating more than 100 artifacts (yes, the brand’s famous “blue toner” is in the Smithsonian, as are several of the original formulas of Kiehl’s earlier herbal products) over the years to the museum’s medical science collections, Kiehl’s supported the extension of the collection to the Web through the Cosmetics and Personal Care Collections Digitization Project. Under the project, a museum specialist identified, photographed and provided descriptive information for the cosmetic and personal care objects collection to have a home online.
Other significant collections came directly from pharmaceutical companies or manufacturing pharmacists, including the American Cyanamid Company, the Dial Corporation, Garfield and Company, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals, Procter & Gamble and Sterling Drug. Similar to how the curators worked on the smaller pharmacy collection process, the archival collections related to business, manufacturing and marketing often accompanied these acquisitions.
The museum is also quick to note that “individual collectors have been another important source for materials” for the impressive collection. “Our largest acquisition of cosmetic products to date came from the collector Isadore Warshaw, who amassed an enormous collection of advertising and business ephemera which now resides in the Museum’s Archives Center. Other collectors who have contributed significantly to this collection include Gary P. and Sandra Baden, Betty S. and Joseph H. Dial and Richard W. Pollay. Collectors’ interests often reflect their chosen profession, and important collections of oral hygiene products have been acquired from practicing dentists: Francis M. Blauston, DDS, of White Plains, New York; Roscoe C. Bratten, DDS. of Galion, Ohio; and Paul W. Reiser, DDS. of New York, New York.”
