A narrower topic that David Fahey's student might attempt would be to study
the advertising messages of the 'trade marks' of the brewers.  The
conventions reports of the United States Brewer's Association and the year
books of the same organization recorded with illustrations, the labels of
all member brewers who wanted to claim a trade mark in the period where
trade marks were not recognized in US law.  These materials are easily
available in Columbus at the OSU library.  Richard F. Hamm