Colored Plastics

As chemical corporations grew, the organic chemistry which lay behind dye production was married with the chemistry of plastics, often through corporate mergers and acquisitions. The vogue for new plastics such as Bakelite and melamine was, in part, driven by their ability to bring inexpensive color to a wide variety of merchandise from brightly colored tableware to jewelry to countertops.

Dye colors
Haynes, Williams and Allan B. Clow. Dyes made in America, 1915-1940. Bound Brook, N.J.: Calco Chemical Division, American Cyanamid Company, 1941. TP914.H42 Crerar Library