From the archives

1915

During the early 1900s, Johnson & Johnson used the nearby Raritan River to transport goods to market in New York City. From New York, products were shipped across the country and overseas. Because the company produced essentials, mainly sterile surgical supplies, its leaders wanted to ensure a constant stream of goods was always within reach of the market. The steamboat crews were vital to upholding this mission.

1915

Trenton, the company’s first steamboat, transported products from Johnson & Johnson’s New Brunswick factories to port beginning in 1902. Initially, the company relied on railroads to ship supplies, but because of congestion, it soon found that its nearby waterways offered a much faster alternative. Shipments could arrive in New York City in less than four hours. Additionally, the use of the steamboats helped safeguard the company’s products during that portion of the shipping process.

1907

The Johnson & Johnson Powerhouse (now the Powerhouse Museum) was constructed in 1907 by the company’s early mill superintendent in charge of manufacturing buildings. Using state-of-the-art technology, the building generated electricity that powered the company’s manufacturing machinery. While many factories at the time still ran on steam, through prudent financial planning and a foresight for technology, Johnson & Johnson was able to upgrade.

1901

Johnson & Johnson oversaw all stages of manufacturing at its New Brunswick factory. High-quality raw cotton arrived, was woven into sheets, sterilized, and then used in a variety of the company’s medical products. Powered by steam and then electricity, the cotton mill was located at the corner of George and Hamilton Streets.

1915

Hungarian language pharmacy in-store ad for Johnson & Johnson Belladonna Plaster, 1915. During the 1910s, a time of widespread immigration to the United States, Johnson & Johnson advertised in 15 languages in the U.S. to reach newly arrived immigrants. The languages included German, Polish, Czech, Slavonic, Danish, Swedish, Italian, Yiddish, Spanish, Chinese, French, Hungarian, Finnish, Japanese, and Romanian.

1899

Johnson & Johnson salesman’s postcard, 1899. These postcards were used by the company’s sales force, or travelers as they were known in that era, to set up appointments to discuss Johnson & Johnson products with retail pharmacists and distributors, who sold the company’s products to medical professionals and the public.

1944

Lumite screen ad, 1944. Lumite was developed by Chicopee, a division of Johnson & Johnson, during World War II to protect soldiers in the Pacific against disease carrying insects. It was an example of post-World War II technology transfer to civilian use, part of a trend that included Duct Tape, another Johnson & Johnson wartime invention.

1888

Before becoming the company’s scientific director, pharmacist Fred Kilmer owned New Brunswick’s Opera House Pharmacy. This advertisement, which was published just a year before he joined Johnson & Johnson, emphasized the range of products and Kilmer’s ability to ship them by mail order. In a time before the internet and telephones, Kilmer encouraged prospective customers to write in to have their questions answered. His public outreach would continue when he joined Johnson & Johnson. From his conversations with consumers and medical professionals, new products were born.

1890

Even before modern advertising came to fruition in the 1920s, Johnson & Johnson used creative techniques to sell products. This photograph from the late 1800s features the company’s head of sales A.R. Lewis (left) and its scientific director Fred Kilmer (right) posing for a medicated plaster ad. Medicated plasters were one of Johnson & Johnson’s inaugural products. They were adhesive patches that delivered medication directly through the skin to treat a variety of ailments.

1918

Published by Johnson & Johnson, Red Cross Notes was a scientific journal for medical professionals. It was created and edited by the company’s Scientific Director Fred Kilmer. The “War Surgery Issue” focused on advances in surgery and wound care that resulted from treating the wounded during World War I.

1916

Red Cross Messenger was a journal for retail pharmacists edited by Scientific Director Fred Kilmer and published by the company starting in 1908. The publication included articles on how retail pharmacists could grow their business, information about Johnson & Johnson products, and the company’s guiding philosophy. It ran until the late 1920s.