Advertisement for Pentalyn resin varnishes manufactured and sold by the Hercules Powder Company marketed for their quick-drying quality. This advertisement appeared in the December 6, 1947 issue of Business Week; the December 8, 1947 issue of Newsweek; the December 1947 issue of Nations Business; and the December 1, 1947 issues of N.Y. Journal of Commerce, Chicago Journal of Commerce, and Wall Street Journal.

Formed in 1912 as part of an anti-trust settlement with DuPont, the Hercules Powder Company (later Hercules Inc.) initially specialized in the manufacture of explosives and smokeless powders and subsequently diversified its business to encompass a variety of industrial products, including pine and paper chemicals, synthetics, pigments, polymers, and cellulose.