Coca-Cola Cusack vintage signage…5 cents per bottle
Thomas Cusack (October 5, 1858 in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland – November 19, 1926 in Oak Park, Illinois) was a pioneer and entrepreneur in the outdoor advertising industry and a politician, serving as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Illinois' 4th District from 1899 to 1901.
Cusack emigrated with his family from Ireland to New York City in 1861 when he was a young boy. Shortly after the move, his parents died, leaving him and his younger brother orphaned. Cusack was raised by relatives in Chicago, where he received his education and learned how to paint, a skill that ultimately made him a very wealthy man. At the age of 17, Cusack established his own sign painting business, the Thomas Cusack Company, in Chicago, Illinois, making him one of the pioneers in the field of outdoor advertising. The business soon grew to be very profitable, leasing over 100,000 billboards and advertising spaces and turning Cusack into a prosperous and influential Chicagoan.
The Coca-Cola sign was painted over another even older sign for Wrigley’s Spearmint gum. The Wrigley name/brand is iconic in Chicago…kinda ironic it was painted over by Chicago’s Cusack company.
The 5 cents/bottle (6.5 fl oz) lasted from 1886 through 1959…quite a feat…close to 70 years.
Coca-Cola Cusack vintage signage…5 cents per bottle
Thomas Cusack (October 5, 1858 in Kilrush, County Clare, Ireland – November 19, 1926 in Oak Park, Illinois) was a pioneer and entrepreneur in the outdoor advertising industry and a politician, serving as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Illinois' 4th District from 1899 to 1901.
Cusack emigrated with his family from Ireland to New York City in 1861 when he was a young boy. Shortly after the move, his parents died, leaving him and his younger brother orphaned. Cusack was raised by relatives in Chicago, where he received his education and learned how to paint, a skill that ultimately made him a very wealthy man. At the age of 17, Cusack established his own sign painting business, the Thomas Cusack Company, in Chicago, Illinois, making him one of the pioneers in the field of outdoor advertising. The business soon grew to be very profitable, leasing over 100,000 billboards and advertising spaces and turning Cusack into a prosperous and influential Chicagoan.
The Coca-Cola sign was painted over another even older sign for Wrigley’s Spearmint gum. The Wrigley name/brand is iconic in Chicago…kinda ironic it was painted over by Chicago’s Cusack company.
The 5 cents/bottle (6.5 fl oz) lasted from 1886 through 1959…quite a feat…close to 70 years.