Venus anti-spot cream (crema para manchas), tube

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

"Venus" anti-spot cream (crema para manchas), tube

Entry/Object ID

2025.1.59

Description

A used aluminum squeeze tube of "Venus" skin cream with a whitescrew cap. The print is green and cream with orange accents and the brand "VENUS" in large letters; a small figural emblem (a standing classical female figure, evoking Venus) appears at the shoulder of the tube. The front reads "crema para manchas" ("stain/spot cream"); the back carries a Spanish warning that it is not a sunscreen. The tube measures about 14.5 cm long, 4 cm wide, 2 cm deep. It is used. The record reproduces a 1976 Cuban print advertisement for the product as a reference image.

Use

Used by Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez

Collection

The Cabrera Arús family collection, Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez collecition

Acquisition

Accession

2025.1

Made/Created

Manufacturer

MINIL

Time Period

1970s

Place

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Edition

Venus

Notes

Cuba, c. 1970s (advertised 1976).

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Location

front of tube

Transcription

"crema para manchas"

Language

Spanish

Translation

"stain cream"

Material/Technique

Printed

Type

Inscription

Location

front of tube

Transcription

"Venus"

Language

English

Material/Technique

Printed

Type

Inscription

Location

back of tube

Transcription

"no es una crema protectora antisolar por lo que no debe ser usada para exponerse al sol"

Language

Spanish

Translation

"not a sun protection cream, so it should not be used when exposed to the sun"

Material/Technique

Printed

Type

Inscription

Location

back of tube

Transcription

"Hecho en Cuba"

Language

Spanish

Translation

"Made in Cuba"

Material/Technique

Printed

Notes

Front (Spanish): "crema para manchas." Translation: "stain/spot cream." Front: "Venus" (brand/edition). Back (Spanish): "no es una crema protectora antisolar por lo que no debe ser usada para exponerse al sol." Translation: "not a sun-protection cream, so it should not be used when exposed to the sun." "Hecho en Cuba" ("Made in Cuba").

Dimensions

Height

2 cm

Width

4 cm

Length

14.5 cm

Parts

tube, cap

Accessories

Notes

Owner kept a spare cap.

Materials

Material

aluminum, Plastic

Material Notes

MATERIALS: Metal (aluminum/tin) collapsible tube with printed surface (green, cream, red inks) and a molded plastic screw cap; contained a cosmetic cream. TECHNIQUES: Printed collapsible metal tube; lettering and emblem lithographed/printed on the tube surface.

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez

Notes

owner

Person or Organization

MINIL

Notes

producer

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

production, acquisition

Research Notes

Notes

The advertisement frames the cream as removing hyperpigmentation — freckles and dark spots produced by the sun ("pecas y manchas oscuras producidas por el sol") — with directions to apply a thin film on spotted areas at bedtime, cautions about allergic reaction and hypersensitive skin, and the explicit warning that it is not a sunscreen. The ad also gives the retail framing: sold freely ("venta libre") in the network of industrial-product stores at 2.50 pesos.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

May 4, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 16, 2026