By: Holland McGraw

A bottle cap is more than a closing mechanism, it’s a story confined within a minimal space. People have been popping and dopping bottle caps for over a century. It was invented and patented in the U.S. by William Painter, February 2, 1892 and is one of the worlds first disposable products. The profitability of the single use crown cork cap and toss inspired a young bottle cap salesman named King C. Gillette to invent the disposable razor.

The implementaton of the bottle cap triggered the bottle to evolve and change shape from top to bottom; with their round bottoms and varied closing mechanisms to a dominant uniform shape that you see today. More fascinating than the evolving bottle and profit from a throwaway product are the images that fit within the small circular circumference of a bottle cap.

It was a time before giants, when numerous large, medium and small beverage companies competed against each other through text and imagery to capture a piece of the purchasing public. They reeled customers in with ideas of flirtatious females, sex appeal, patriotic themes, masculinity, romance and picturesque places.

Although bottle caps are disposable to most, some are kept and saved by a quirky few that see more than a bottle cap, but a reflection of human desire sealed within a bottle caps minimal space.

Notes:

http://www.crowncork.com/about/about_history.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_cork

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_cap

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