1890 Johnson & Johnson First Aid Case #1 Kit for Pacific Gas & Electric, PG&E
Antique Johnson & Johnson "First Aid Case #1". Made for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) circa 1890. 6.75"x 5.5"x 3.5. I was shocked when I found out how far back this kit goes. Johnson & Johnson started making them during the Civil War and later for the Railroads in 1888. They then quickly expanded industry wide with PG&E being among their first customers. You can research this yourself by going to the website for J&J's Kilmer House Museum. There is an article posted there called Five Cool Things from the Johnson & Johnson Archives! And the entry for the oldest of the first aid kits is this version exactly, except that the Johnson & Johnson logo is not on ours.
The lettering, the metal used, the exact wording; it all matches. The article doesn't date it quite exactly but emphasizes 1890 as the year they first made "First Aid" kits for private industry.
And this one has printed on it " First Aid Case #1". Like the one in the article, using the same lettering, colors and typestyle. It is interesting that they left the J&J name off of them, but the kits are, as you will see if you visit the website for the Kilmer House, exactly alike. Maybe their customers objected to the free advertising. Not exactly the first ever first aid kit, that goes to the Army and the Railroads, but another very important first.
Built out of high quality coated steel.