Pepsi-cola / deco / basket-weave / soda bottle design pattern

[SODAPOPBOB]

In other words ...

I'm thinking James Steelman had assistance with the 'concept' for the bottle design, but not with the actual drawing of the bottle itself.

 

[jblaylock]

Perhaps the article I started will be the Mystery of the wave bottle, instead of the History of it.

I contacted Pepsi, no help. They redirected me to Bob Stoddard. I also ordered Walter Mack's book.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

And that the 'concept' had something to do with James Gordon Carr's and Donald McLaughlin's design accomplishments at the 1939 New York World's Fair that someone with the Pepsi Cola Company (perhaps Walter Mack) saw and was highly impressed with.

What was the overall theme of the 1939 World's Fair?

 

[jblaylock]

"Dawn of a new Day"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939_New_York_World's_Fair

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

If ....

If there was something about the designs that James Carr and Donald McLaughlin contributed to the 1939 World's Fair that caught the eye of the Pepsi Cola Company, I wonder what it might have been?

Note: Carr and McLaughlin did not singlehandedly design the following 1939 World's Fair pavilions. They collaborated with other designers and architects. But they were definitely accredited collectively as being major contributors.

Aviation Building ~ Primarily associated with James Gordon Carr



U.S. Steel Building ~ Primarily associated with Donald McLaughlin



Now let's see if there is anything in particular about those architectural designs that might be similar to the 1940 Pepsi Cola 'wave' bottle design.

Note: The primary design aspect of James Steelman's 1940 patent is the embossed portion on the shoulder of the bottle. Take that away and all it leaves is an ordinary 12 Ounce bottle with no distinctive features.

Embossed portion of Steelman's patent drawing.




Here's an early paper label on a 'wave' bottle. Surely it had some measure of influence on the painted label bottle that followed it.



And here's the first painted label on a fountain syrup 'wave' bottle.



So there you have it! All of the above designs are from the same time period between 1939 and 1942. Compare them and see if anything catches your eye that might connect the 1939 World's Fair designs to the 1940-42 Pepsi Cola designs. Do you see anything in the World's Fair buildings that might have inspired the Pepsi Cola Company to seek out the design talents of James Gordon Carr and Donald McLaughlin?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

P.S.

While evaluating my previous gobbly-gook, think of the key word ...

WAVE

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Speaking of the word 'wave' ...

Remember this from earlier in the thread?

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Another comparison ...

1939 / Carr



1940 / Carr

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

And now the search begins in earnest!

Note: For future reference, remember the words "Architect" and "Batavia, New York"

1945

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Meet some of the family ...

1947