When I was a kid, my Mom would get out this giant electric waxer for our sunroom flooor. Then, out came the can of wax. She pried off the lid and removed a big old glop for the electric waxer. As soon as she plugged the monster in we all fought for a chance to sit on top of it and go swirling around the floor. This was the early 50's version of an amusement ride in my house.

My favorite line of products has to be S C Johnson, a Family Co. Great ads and a great history. In 1886 Johnson was formed as a parquet flooring company by Samuel C Johnson. Trying to figure out how to care for their floors lead to the development of a specially formulated Prepared Paste Wax. Up to this point paste wax was evidently not in the local department store. Leave it up to the Johnsons to introduce the wax and then to innovate product after product for the consumer...read housewife.

Let's look at some of those ads:

First, an 1899 ad declaring that Johnson's makes hardwood floors and that their experience has taught them that Johnson's Prepared Wax is best for hardwood floors.

By 1905, the wax was also to be used on furniture, wood surfaces and floors. Further, it came with a handy mitt.

By 1916 the competition was starting to catch up and Johnson ran ads for its furntiure wax deeming it superior to liquid polish:

So many of our everyday products have interesting histories. One of the best ways to view the history of a company is through its advertising.

If you have a product you would like highlighted in this blog, just let me know! And if these pictures are too big, let me know that too, and I can post smaller ones.

Before we all started zooming around in our cars, we rode bikes.  According to the Bicycle Museum, in 1817 Baron von Drais invented a walking machine that you propelled by straddling and then pushing your feet against the ground. Thus rolling yourself and the machine forward. This machine became known as the Draisenne.

The Draisenne was just a fad and it wasn't until 1865 when a two-wheeled riding machine appeared. The pedals were applied directly to the front wheel and it became known as the velocipede or bone shaker. It too didn't last. It was about the late 1800's that the bicycle we recognize was manufactured. Several of these bike manufacturers went on to develop automobiles.

Here are some bicycle ads from the late 1800's. Pretty cool:

An 1896 Monarch (always used the Lion logo):

Also from 1896, the Crescent, Erie and Phoenix:

An 1899 Rambler:

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During the 1890's Benjamin Holt and Daniel Best both were working on their individual steam tractors for use in farming. They were separate companies. Holt's first steam track-type tractor was introduced in 1904. In 1906 he produced his first gas track-type tractor. In 1925 the companies merged to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co.  In 1931 the first Diesel Sixty rolled off the assembly line in East Peoria. Caterpillar tractors played an important role in both wars assuring the movement of men and materials.

Here are some ads:

First, a 1921 BEST Tractor:

Some Caterpillar Models:

1920

1925 ad noting the merger:

The 1931:

There has been a crazy run Locomobile ads lately which makes me wonder. When I first started selling on eBay I had a collector buy all my Locomobile ads for a book he was writing. Then, things slowed down for the old Locomobile.

I still posted them tho because how crazy is it to ride around town in your LOCOMOBILE!

The Locomobile was produced from 1899 to 1929. They began with steam cars but were deemed unreliable so they began to experiment with the gas engine in 1902.

Here is a 1902 Locomobile Stanhope B:

Here is great one from a 1902 Country Life showing the Locombile in Japan:

Locomobile became known for well built, speedy luxury cars. Here is the 1907 Runabout:

And, in 1908 Locomobile became the first America car to win an International motor race, the Vanderbilt Cup. The model that won the cup was a 1906 (not these, tho):

Here are some happy guys and gals in their 1908 model:

Here is a 1920:

Durant Motors bought Locomobile out and then phased them out in 1929. I might buy a Locomobile if I could? How about you?

It is fun to find a family member or your family business in an old advertisement. At least a couple of times a month, I hear from a customer that their uncle, father or grandfather owned the company in one of our vintage ads.  Or, that the ad features their family endorsing a product, like Lux Soap. Some families have a famous relative, a movie star from the 20's or race car driver.

I had one gentleman call me that his father, a Midwestern bottler, was in a Ford advertisement, and no one in the family even knew until he came across it on eBay.  What fun!

A great web site for preserving family memories and including the vintage ads as part of the story is Afterglow Media. Check it out, pretty cool.

And now, some family business ads:

The owner of Afterglow Media has a family relationship with this company.

Who out there is related to Owen Curd, Dr. Pepper Bottler, Owensboro KY?

And, what about all those babies? They grew up to be someone's mom, dad, aunt, uncle...like little Betty Jane Fivel of Galveston, TX: