Name/Title
Hercules Powder Company calendar from 1917Entry/Object ID
TAFC001A0010Description
Compared to waterfowl, big game, and upland small game, there seems to be a dearth of early 20th-century advertising materials depicting the wild turkey. Perhaps this is because opportunities for turkey hunting were limited in much of the country. Regardless, we are fortunate to have many fine examples of turkeys depicted on vintage advertising, such as this Hercules Powder Company calendar from 1917.
Produced using the labor-intensive stone lithograph process, each printed copy required a separate, indexed limestone or marble slab, pressed onto the paper for each color used, resulting in the vibrant colors and definition seen in this example.
The artist Charles Livingston Bull (1874-1932) lived and worked in New York, New Jersey, and later Washington, DC. A trained taxidermist and professional illustrator, he was well known for his sporting art and magazine illustrations, as well as for supplying the U.S. Army with artwork for World War I recruitment posters.
Hercules Powder was originally part of the DuPont Company but was spun off as a separate concern in 1912 following government antitrust litigation. Even today, reloaders utilize shotshell powders originally developed by Hercules, such as Red Dot, Green Dot, and Unique.Collection
Bill Janssen collectionCataloged By
Brent RogersCreate Date
July 5, 2026Update Date
July 5, 2026