Bakelite History / Designer Information
Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863 - 1944) a Belgian-born chemist invented
Bakelite in 1907, an inexpensive, nonflammable, versatile, and popular
plastic. The invention of Bakelite is considered the beginning of the
Age of Plastics. Bakelite was made from phenol (then known as
carbolic acid) and formaldehyde. These can be mixed, heated, and
then either molded or extruded.
Martha Sleeper Designer Information
Martha Sleeper was 17 when she was signed by Hal Roach Studios in
1925. Sleeper was tried out as a member of Our Gang, in Better Movies
(1925)." She went on to play opposite most of Roach's top comedians,
most notably in a series of amusing domestic farces starring
Charley Chase. She left Roach to appear in feature films in 1928, and
the following year made her Broadway debut in Stepping Out.
Closing out her film career in 1935, she established a solid
reputation as a stage actress: Her theatrical credits included
Dinner at Eight, and The Bells of St. Mary's. After retiring from
show business, she became a successful costume jewelry designer. In
later years, Martha Sleeper managed a boutique in Charleston, SC,
where she'd settled with her third husband, a high-ranking military
officer (her first husband was actor Hardie Albright).
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