And to briefly touch on what I was saying earlier about one nickname "morphing" into another nickname ...
Morphing Definition; Morph comes from the word metamorphosis, which is a Greek word meaning "a transforming."
Circa 1900-1910 ~ Lillian Russell was often referred to as having an "hour-glass figure" and some accounts suggest that she was the first women to popularize the term.
Circa 1930s ~ Mae West is said to have fashioned her style, manner, and attire after Lillian Russell and throughout her carrier was often referred to as having an "hour-glass figure"
1947 ~ Earliest date I can find that referred to the patent 1915 bottle as being "hour-glass shaped"
1970 ~ Earliest confirmed date I can find that refers to the patent 1915 bottle as a "Mae West"
The most mysterious of all the nicknames is the "Mae West" and exactly when it was first coined. I'm still searching for its first official use, but so far the earliest confirmed date I have been able to find is 1970. If anyone ever comes up with an earlier confirmed date, please share it with us and provide the source where you found the information. Thanks!
I dunno, maybe because they were the most well known women to have what was considered an " hour glass figure" which was and still is appreciated by us guys who like women..........Andy
I found an earlier date for the "Mae West" nickname in ...
The Western Collector Magazine
Volume V Number 9
September 1967
By Cecil Munsey
According to the accompanying information, this was one of Cecil Munsey's first professional articles and precedes his 1972 Coca Cola book by five years and precedes the 1969 Whistl'n Dixie article by two years. The way this particular reference is worded, it sounds to me like the term was somewhat common in 1967 and that it didn't originate with Cecil Munsey. But exactly where it originated and when, I still don't know, but I plan to keep searching.
This snippet is found on Page 58. Notice where it says ...
", which had quickly picked up the nicknames Mae West and hobble skirt,"
To me, the word "quickly" suggest the nickname was adopted shortly after the bottle was patented in 1915 and/or at least as early as 1920. But as much as I want to believe this, and suspect that its probably true, I just can't find confirmation for the Mae West nickname any earlier than 1967.
Note: Its references like this that keep me searching, but at the same time drive me crazy because I just cannot find the nickname's origin.