In the 1980’s I
could be sitting in an airport anywhere in the world and
recognize a fellow Upjohn employee by their alligator bag. That
alligator skin look was unique to The Upjohn Company and very distinctive. This
started in 1910 when head of sales George McClelland decided his
salespeople should have a badge of distinction. He designed a
bag from alligator skin. After the Second World War the bags
were made from calf skin with alligator grain. There are always a couple
of them for sale on eBay if you want to own a special piece of
Upjohn history. Here are some examples of calf skin alligator
grain items. For an early bag in the Carol Orris
collection click
here.
