With the decreased use of celluloid because of its explosive nature, there was room for improvement as well as the need for a plastic that was not dependent on natural resources. The miracle came from chemist Leo Baekeland in 1907, who was successful in creating the first completely synthetic plastic, a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin to which he named Bakelite. Not only was it completely man-made, it was cheap and heat resistant, much unlike its predecessor celluloid. These properties made Bakelite the primary plastic from 1909-1950s. Its heat resistance made it popular in electrical devices like telephones, radios, switches, and sewing machine feet, as well as gaining favor in the fashion world for its versatility as Art Deco jewelry, buttons, and belt buckles. It was used in plates, cutlery, children's toys, cameras, smoking paraphernalia, the list goes on.
Advertisement, 1938.
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Advertising booklet showing the variety of Bakelite products from 1941.
Bakelite is known as a type of plastic, but it is also a brand(that later branched out into other plastics as is seen in the photo above). Another brand called Catalin from the American Catalin Corporation acquired the patent for Baekeland's formaldehyde resin in 1927 and made their own version with less and differing fillers. The belief is widely held that true Bakelite was only made in dark colors like brown, black, and deep red, and that any other color is actually Catalin. Some advertisements from the time seem to suggest otherwise, but it is safe to say that both Bakelite and Catalin are formaldehyde resins that hold their value as well as their collectible status, and both terms are now mostly used interchangeably.
Bakelite color chart. From Gifts to Treasure, Embed Art Company catalog, 1924.
Another Bakelite color chart, unknown date and source.
Even though Bakelite seemed like a miracle, it too had its downfall. Unlike the obvious problems that came from celluloid, Bakelite's issue was subtle but just as dangerous, that being the formaldehyde used in its production. Formaldehyde, the same chemical used in the embalming process, has cancer causing properties. These cancer causing agents can leech from the Bakelite through repeated exposure(as well as affecting those in the production of the material), and seeing that this was used in items like crib toys and kitchen utensils, the Bakelite boom only lasted until around the 1950s-1960s when safer plastics were created. Bakelite is still used in some industries today, but the household items are a thing of the past.
I have been familiar with Bakelite almost as long as I've been familiar with celluloid, but it was only when I became interested in Art Deco and the 1930s did I want to add some pieces to my collection. Of the vintage plastics, Bakelite and Catalin are the most popular and valuable, which means I haven't been able to afford many pieces, but the pieces I do own I treasure, and I will detail them in a coming post.
Further Research:
Wikipedia: Bakelite
Wikipedia: Catalin
Hexion: Bakelite-Resins (uses today)
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