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City of Gosnells Museum - Wilkinson Homestead > Records

Cherry Blossom Bookmark and Calendar

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John Gonsells & Co. Ltd.

c. 1889

Subcollections

John Gosnell & Co. Ltd. - makers of perfumes and cosmetics

Overview

The Cherry Blossom Bookmark was likely a promotional bookmark exhibiting a snapshot of early branding and publicity techniques, tying together air travel and consumer products. The text on bookmark reads: CHERRY BLOSSOM BOOK MARK, Perfume Toilet Powder & Soap. There is an illustration of a hot air balloon shaped like a perfume bottle, marked CHERRY BLOSSOM-John Gosnell & Co. London and Paris." This was a marketing stunt by John Gosnell and Co. to advertise their Cherry Blossom range. The company was famous for its advertising techniques. This hot air balloon promotional event was reported in French Newspaper 'Le Figaro' on 7th September 1898. The Newspaper started in 1826 and is still in circulation today. Text on bookmark in French: LE FIGARO, 7-9-89, L’ascension du ballon-flacon”le Cherry Blossom” a parfaitement reussi. Parti de Grenelle apres avoir attaint 2,800 meters d’altitude il est tombe pres de Vellsy, en Seine-et-Oise. That translates in English as: 'The ascent of the Cherry Blossom balloon was a complete success. After reaching an altitude of 2,800 meters, it took off from Grenelle and landed near Vellsy in Seine-et-Oise.' The distance between Grenelle (Paris) to Vélizy-Vixy (in Seine-et-Oise) is approximately 15 Km. Grenelle is a district in Paris known historically for balloon ascents. The back of the bookmark has two calendars: One for 1890 and one for 1891. Each month is boxed with days of the week marked clearly.

Details

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-94-2025. 31

Item type

Material

Width

72 mm

Height or length

112 mm

Keywords

City Of Gosnells Museum, Wilkinson Homestead Collection

Gosnells (W.A.). -- History

PERSONAL EFFECTS-TOILET REQUISITES

Place made

United Kingdom

Year

Primary significance criteria

Artistic or aesthetic significance

Historic significance

Comparative significance criteria

Interpretive capacity

Well provenanced

Last modified

Thursday, 10 July, 2025

Completeness

88

Copyright and Reference

Copyright and Reference

Permissions

This image is for personal use only. To publish or display it, please contact the City of Gosnells.
Heritage_Queries@gosnells.wa.gov.au

Attribution requirements

Courtesy of City of Gosnells Museum at Wilkinson Homestead

City of Gosnells Museum - Wilkinson Homestead

City of Gosnells Museum - Wilkinson Homestead

Organisation Details
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