PROBUS CLUB OF COLESHILL - December 2011 Meeting

ADVERTISEMENTS OF BYGONE DAYS

In her first visit to the Probus Club of Coleshill Mrs Patsie Jarman brought a touch of good old nostalgia to members by talking about, and showing photographs of, well known advertising posters and logo’s from the last two centuries. We also learned a little history of the persons and companies involved, it was an ideal opportunity for looking back over at least a hundred years and seeing how much our way of life has changed through the way this is reflected in the world of advertising. Mrs Jarman must be complimented on her in depth research into the origins of the companies, their founders and history whose products she named in her talk.

After a brief introduction we learned about Peak-Freans biscuits whose origins were in the mid 19th Century notably when they merged with Carrs around 1860 and then set up a factory in Birmingham about 1866. This factory was one of a few who took the welfare of their workforce seriously and provided recreational and medical facilities very much like Cadbury’s did for their workers until comparatively recently. Huntley and Palmers were incorporated in 1920 and the firm adopted the name ‘Associated Biscuits’. Many of these firms continued to trade under their own names and it was Peak-Freans who were responsible for the wedding cake at the marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten in the late 1940’s – even though rationing was still in force. We were also reminded of grocery shopping in the good old days before super-markets and convenience stores when- when sugar was weighed into blue bags and biscuits were sold loose out of a tin and free samples used to keep children quiet!

Next we heard about the Birmingham chemist Alfred Bird whose wife was allergic to eggs; he developed a custard powder that did not contain eggs as well as baking powder the eliminated the use of yeast. His ‘Custard Factory’ is now the famous arts centre in Birmingham. Although the products are egg free the three stylized birds logo was introduced in 1929. Patsie went on to mention Palmolive soap another 19th Century origin but winner of the Chanel Four Best TV Advert of all time in1973, followed by the strange story of Richard Stoney Smith who introduced extra wheat germ to his bread dough thus creating the still going strong ‘Hovis’ – Stoney Smith – because he was born in Stone, Staffordshire. ‘Bovril’ originated as ‘Johnson’s Fluid Beef’ in 1866 an invention to ensure the poor who could not afford beef could at least get the benefit of the red meat in a hot drink – a creation of John Lawson Johnson who actually won a contract to distribute the product in France in the 1870’s.

None of the adverts that we were hearing about would have been so memorable were it not for the ‘Advertising Agencies’ that were responsible for them. ‘Bensons’ were prominent in the 1920’s (later absorbed into Saatchi and Saatchi). A well known author was one of their copywriters in the 1920’s - Dorothy L Sayers, the creator of Lord Peter Whimsey. If you look at the examples of adverts of the period it is possible to see a common trend running through them regardless of the brand involved.

Love it or hate it ‘Marmite’ saw the light of day in 1902, taking its name from a French cooking pot (shown on the label); founded by a Swiss gentleman, Fred Whistler who moved his business to Burton on Trent because of the plentiful supplies of yeast available from the brewing trade! Containing five essential vitamins Marmite was an established ingredient of the troop’s rations in World War One later on Marmite and Bovril merged and are now a part of the Unilever Group. Before leaving these yeast/beef extracts mention must be made of OXO, originated by Liebig's Extract of Meat Company in 1899 with the first OXO Cube being introduced in 1910, after they had sponsored the 1908 London Olympics. The well remembered Oxo Family TV Commercials were introduced in 1958 with Mary Holland playing ‘Mum’ (a role later taken over by Lynda Bellingham).

The forerunner of instant coffee – ‘Camp Coffee’ was then explained it was developed as a convenience product and the original label depicted a British Army Officer being served a cup by an Indian servant, this was later revised for political correctness. It is still available in todays market although due to a high amount of both sugar and chicory in its recipe does not have the right flavour for many 21st Century tastes!

Dorothy L Sayers, who was mentioned above is reputed to be responsible for the “My Goodness, My Guinness” slogan but others illustrated by ‘Gilroy’ - ‘Guinness for Strength’, etc are equally well known and their adverts have always reflected the news events of the time they were first used such as the rebuilding of Waterloo Bridge (1930’s) and replacement of Eros in Piccadilly Circus after World War Two – not forgetting the Toucan bird…

And so we progressed on through the years: BISTO (1908) and the introduction of the ‘scruffy kids’ image with delicious fumes drifting through the air in 1919! SMASH instant potatoes with the award winning Martians from the 1970’s. Sauces such as HP and Daddies now part of Heinz (57 plus varieties…) but of humble Birmingham origins: Cow and Gate milk fit for (Royal) babies.... Who remembers jars of Virol and being force fed a spoonful a day? Coca Cola and its mimic Pepsi Cola – guaranteed to give you the burps….

Bulmers Champagne Cider (it is no longer ‘P-C’ to include Champagne!) Mrs Jarman explained that is not necessarily a region of France but applies equally to Warwickshire and Worcestershire and derives from the medieval farming practice of strip farming where the strips are described as Selions (from which the term descends). Whilst talking drinks do you remember Double Diamond that ‘works wonders’? We looked, briefly at the popular Esquire Girls – those stylized artists impressions of 1940’s Pin-Up Girls that are mild by todays standards but were held shocking and depraved by some at the time.

Although Cigarette Advertising is now banned it is, of course, an essential part of the history of advertising and even non smokers looked back on old favourites: Wills Woodbines (coffin-nails) Black Cat, Craven A, Marlborough with its Formula One connections; ‘Players Navy Cut’ £0 0s 11½d for 20 in 1929 – now the best part of £5 for the same quantity. Do not forget the collectible Cigarette Cards, one which came in each packet in various series; collections do sometimes appear on the Antiques Road Show and modern reproductions (Framed Sets) are not unknown.

‘Health and Safety at Work’ was unheard of in the 19th Century: Patsie next told us of the hazards experienced by shop floor workers at Bryant and May’s match factory because continual contact with phosphorus. This lead to Government enquiries that resulted in a change in the law in the 1880’s resulting in designated eating facilities away from the work environment. Bryant and Mays, whose founders were Quakers, won a Gold Medal for their products at an exhibition in 1862 albeit at the uncountable cost of the general health of their workers. The now gone but not forgotten C and A Modes fashion chain was another 19th Century creation catering for wealthy ladies who no longer had the need to make their own clothes. Clothes lead on to cosmetics and no doubt many readers will recall ‘Pears Soap’ and it’s use of the portrait of ‘Bubbles’ as it’s advertisement to hint at youth, innocence and flawless complexion: this was the work of the Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir John Everett Millais although by that time Pears had been manufacturing soaps since 1789. The talk continued with other popular products such as Colgate Shaving Soap, Lifebuoy Toilet Soap, Max Factor products, and Brylcream, that the sportsman Dennis Compton advertised regularly – as an aside it is popularly understood the Brylcream was actually developed in Coleshill.

Medical Cure-alls have always been widely advertised and we were reminded of Bile Beans, Carters Little Liver Pills, Eno’s Fruit Salts (withdrawn from the market in 2010!) and of course Beechams Powders and Pills. The outstanding name in soap must surely be Lever Brothers/Unilever who we mentioned above; their first product was Sunlight Soap and everyone must have heard of Port Sunlight on the Wirral (it was featured on a Time Team programme some months ago). This fascinating talk concluded with a few of the often seen public information posters from the Second World War including ‘Dig For Victory’ and several covering the Women’s Land Army and their activities: Patsie also said that she thought it regrettable that only recently has their service been recognised with a medal but because after 60 odd years is a little too late for many who served, over 80,000 women were involved. The talk wound up with a reminder that rationing continued into the early 1950’s and information posters continued urging people to continue in the wartime spirit of ‘Grow Your Own’.

It was a an education for many of our younger members and a very nostalgic experience for others, there was something for everyone and a fair amount of audience participation was generated, Thank you so much Patsie for sharing this with us.

Jerry Dutton

Press Secretary