I love this advertising sign! At first glance the pig is truly awesome for so many reasons, but mostly because pigs generally were not used as images on many antique advertising signs. However, the W. M. Finck Company in Detroit thought us humans wanted our overalls to wear tightly like a pigs nose! I am not sure how a pigs nose has anything to do with wearing a piece of clothing, unless the pigs nose materials like cartilage was used in clothing manufacturer around 1900 perhaps? Or maybe Finck just thought a pigs nose fit perfectly on a pig? Hmmm. Maybe someone can enlighten this writer as to why this campaign was a hit, but given the various pieces of advertising the company used with our smelly barnyard friend in them, they were in for the long haul with this particular advertising campaign. So the next time you buy a pair of overalls, make sure they fit you like a pigs nose too!
Wm. Muir Finck started his company in upstate New York in the 1870’s and because of the quality of his worker uniforms, quickly outgrew the local labor market in New York and moved to Detroit in 1885. First working for himself and a partner, that partnership dissolved when Mr. Finck went to work for the Carhartt company in 1891, which also produced workman clothing. After a successful run at Carhartt, Mr. Finck again started his own business in 1902 on Van Dyke Road and from there the business bloomed. During this time he coined the term “Wear like a pigs nose” which was used for years. In 1960, long after Mr. Finck’s death, the company was bought out by none other than the Carhartt family business, at which time the Finck name was finally put to rest.