Cone Top Brewery Museum Gallery
Use the search bar to explore the collection by brewery name, city, state, or artifact type, such as lighted signs, neon, or cardboard displays. Click any image to view details and a larger version of the piece.
Pabst Extract Yellow Dress
Object/Artifact
Pabst Extract. Pabst Brewing Company. Milwaukee, WI.
This yard-long lithograph on paper was created by Pabst Brewing Company as an advertisement for their Pabst Extract. Pabst Brewing Company was established in 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally, the Phillip Best Brewing Company, founded in 1844, changed its name to Pabst Brewing Company after Captain Frederick Pabst married the granddaughter of Phillip Best Brewing Company founder, Jacob Best, and Pabst became a crucial member of the brewery staff. This sign features the artwork of American commercial artist Alfred Everitt Orr; the original painting was created in 1914 and was titled Panama Girl. On the reverse side of this sign is a calendar and advertisement for Pabst Extract, a medicinal tonic often marketed towards women. Women were typically not welcome in saloons or other establishments that sold alcohol. Therefore, Pabst Brewing Company created Pabst Extract with the intent of it being sold in drug stores where women could purchase it.
