First Toothpaste in a Tube: Zonweiss (Johnson & Johnson)

One of the real pleasures of collecting vintage advertising is finding out the history of some of the ads you come across. I was thrilled to receive a September 1887 issue of Century magazine from a friend. It was a reading copy because someone had clipped the articles in it about the Civil War.

But..the ad section was clean and so perfect. It had the usual ads for Pears soap, Cashmere Bouquet and various medicines of a dubious nature. But behold, what was this ad for Zonweiss Cream for Teeth? And why this woman flying close to the moon with a brush?

Well, Margaret Gurowitz, chief Historian, Johnson & Johnson had the answers to some of my questions. It seems that Zonweiss was the first toothpaste marketed in a tube. I guess it was, technically, the first tooth "paste".

According to Margaret: The first ads for Zonweiss appeared in 1886, Johnson & Johnson’s first year in business, and our 1887 price list includes Zonweiss tooth cream as the Company’s first consumer product among the sterile surgical products and medicated plasters. Most teeth-cleaning products in 1886 were tooth powders: you had to dip a wet toothbrush into some tooth powder, or gently tap tooth powder onto your toothbrush (without accidentally tapping the container too hard and getting tooth powder all over the place) and then add water. As a tooth cream (roughly the same thing as toothpaste), Zonweiss eliminated that step and was a lot easier for consumers to use. It came in a cobalt-blue glass jar, with a tiny spoon for people to use in applying it to their toothbrushes — to avoid the unsanitary practice of having multiple people dipping their toothbrushes into the same jar.

The ad:

And read more from Margaret at Kilmer House HERE.  : http://www.kilmerhouse.com/2012/05/zonweiss-the-first-toothpaste-in-a-tube/ 

The first ads for Zonweiss appeared in 1886, Johnson & Johnson’s first year in business, and our 1887 price list includes Zonweiss tooth cream as the Company’s first consumer product among the sterile surgical products and medicated plasters. Most teeth-cleaning products in 1886 were tooth powders: you had to dip a wet toothbrush into some tooth powder, or gently tap tooth powder onto your toothbrush (without accidentally tapping the container too hard and getting tooth powder all over the place) and then add water. As a tooth cream (roughly the same thing as toothpaste), Zonweiss eliminated that step and was a lot easier for consumers to use. It came in a cobalt-blue glass jar, with a tiny spoon for people to use in applying it to their toothbrushes — to avoid the unsanitary practice of having multiple people dipping their toothbrushes into the same jar. - See more at: http://www.kilmerhouse.com/2012/05/zonweiss-the-first-toothpaste-in-a-tube/#sthash.zCP9njfx.dpuf

Alvin Silver Bridal Rose Pattern

I love to hear from my customers. As each piece of paper goes out the door I wonder what drove the buyer. What was the charm? the connection?

Sometimes I am lucky enough to get a little note to let me know. I woke up to this one:

Dear Beth, I have been collecting Alvin's Bridal Rose silver for decades. My parents inherited three pieces. .When that was left to me, I fell in love with the pattern. I knew that one day, I would find an antique ad. My husband & I are very grateful to you for helping us add the missing link to our collection!!! Gorham owns the molds for Bridal Rose now, & sometimes you can get some pieces. The serving pieces are very expensive. I am glad I am not looking for them now.

The Alvin Silver Manufacturing Co was founded during the latter part of the 19th century. The original headquarters in 1886 was located in New Jersey. The company was known for manufacturing not only fine sterling silver flatware but also for hollowaare and toiletware. In 1895 the company relocated from New Jersey to Sag Harbor, NY where it began manufacturing popular silverware based on historical patterns..

Introduced in 1903, "Bridal Rose" by Alvin Silver is an exquisite art nouveau pattern that features a rose in full-bloom at its tip with crisp, detailed leaves and stems running the length of the handle. With its elegant, detailed ornamentation, "Bridal Rose" quickly became one of the most popular turn-of-the-century patterns after its introduction. During its prime, the "Bridal Rose" pattern comprised a full line of over 180 different pieces.

And of course more silver ads are available at The Old Ad Store

Coastal Living Supports Decorating with Vintage Ads

My sister-in-law loves everything to do with the beach and island life. So no surprise that she subscribes to Coastal Living. In the latest issues there is an article by Susan Stiles Dowell titled Treasure Hunt.

In the article she polled experts from TV's Antiques Roadshow to learn their recommendations for beach house decor.

One of the recommendations is Vintage Ads and illustrations with a nautical theme expecially the old luxury liner ads! Well I cannot agree more!

Here is a 1906 Southern Pacific ad showing the steamship Monus. This is from the magazine Country Life in America.




Hamburg American Cruises were very popular in the early 1900's and usually had an exotic theme. This ad from 1909 invites travel to South America and the West Indies. Note the camel in the upper right hand corner.

Here you see a couple being told a great story by their guide. Lovely colors and a real sense of adventure here.



You may not want to go the early 1900s but instead incorporate art deco nautical ads from the 1920's. Or the lovely photo ads popular by the cruise ships in the 1930s


Black and white ads can be more dramatic for decorating especially when you are using accents in the room which are the pop of color.


You don't want the vintage advertising competing.
Find wonderful vintage cruise ads at The Old Ad Store

Fairies, Imps and Elves in Vintage Advertising

Many old ads featured little fairies, imps, and elves. Some were funny and many were beautiful or whimsical. You can find these ads at The Old Ad Store

Here is a very pretty ad for Fairy soap with Fairies riding bumblebees from a November 1899 Harper's magazine.

The ad reads: The Fairies bring their choicest gift.

Pears' had a similar themed ad in 1898 that has three winged babies bringing the soap. But are they angels, fairies or cupids?





Elves and brownies were used by illustrators to advertise
soap. Here is a cute ad from Punch magazine. Some of these would be very cute silk-screen on to hand towels don't you think?

I've gone to the Dogs!

It had to happen. My most unusual sale to date...decorating a dog house. Well, a "boarding bungalow". How much fun was it to find ads for this doggy day care? Lots. I got to visit the location, decide on brands and breeds and play with this dog.

Could your business use a little vintage advertising? Probably, and here is the place to fine it:
The Old Ad Store

That's my House

Lately I have been asking customers to send me their stories as to how they are connected to their ads. As I have mentioned earlier a lot of times it is a relative in the ad or the family business.

A couple of weeks ago I had a customer buy a real estate ad and she had a special reason for doing so...it was her house. Now the ad was from 1904. That is 106 years ago. Wow...

Thank you Angela and here's to you and your Very Old House.

What about you? Do you think Country Life magazine listed your house for sale 100 years ago?

Here are the ads:

The Old Ad Store

Elgin Watch Ads

Another watch that interests me (and a lot of others) is the Elgin. I just posted this ad to the left last night. This is one of the Elgin Wonder Tales series and features General Frank Taylor US Army, retired with his Elgin watch story. It is noted that General Taylor chased Sitting Bull and fought the wily Filipinos.

Elgin was founded in 1864, as the civil war was coming to an end. The first watch Elgin made, an 18 sized B W Raymond railroad grade watch, was finished in 1867 and over the next 100 years, they went on to produce about 60 million watches. Elgin produced their first wristwatch around 1910, leading most other American watch companies by many years.
Elgin was originally called the "National Watch Company". The name never really stuck and in 1874, they changed their name to the "Elgin National Watch Company" because most of the watch trade and public were calling them "watches from Elgin". The ad to the right is from an April 1870 issue of Harper's Magazine and shows the company name as National Watch Company. The ad is for the Lady Elgin.

On May 20, 1869 the First Lady Elgin made its appearance and was the first of a series of 10 size movements and it was also key wind.

There are many web sites about Elgin watches. One of my favorites is: The Elgin Watch Collectors Site.

Here are my ads:

Need a Nickle for the Soda Machine: Vintage Vending Machine Ads

I have some new friends in the ad collecting business and they are avid fans of Soda Pop Vending Machines! They have taken kindly to my web site deovoted to the soda industry: THE SODA SHOPPE VINTAGE ADS on eCrater.

As always when I meet "virtually" new customers, I become interested in their interests. I have discovered some beautiful sites for those interested in collecting, restoring or enjoying antique vending machines.

The Antiquities Vending Co has been in business since 1989. They have beautiful graphics on thier site.

Another great site for those interested is Soda-Machines.com

Evans Vacuum Cap...Guarantee Hair Grower

In the early 1900's it was decided that baldness could be cured by increasing the blood flow to the scalp. Enter The Evans Vacuum Cap. It was as you can see by this 1905 advertisement: the GUARANTEED Hair Grower.

In his (her) book: Baldness: A Social History, Kerry Seagrave writes that Evans claimed only 5% of people every requested thier money back. Thus I guess they were able to achieve a 95% success rate?

Here is a great picture of the machine on the fellow's head. The cap seems pretty secure. And we can see by this ad that women can enjoy the results of a good vacuum cap too. All of these, are of course, for sale in my shop: Old Ad Store

Vintage Advertising: Medical Quackery Ads - Dr. Leonidas Hamilton

Some of the best ads I have seen fall into the category of medical quackery. Let's view a few over the next few months. The oldest one I have is this one from 1870.

Titled Why Will Ye Doubt?...Earthly Blessings it guarantees you that Dr. Leonidas Hamilton can cure just about anything.

To back up his claim, he published a book a year later titled:

THE DISCOVERIES AND UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE OF PROF. R. LEONIDAS HAMILTON, M.D., WITH REGARD TO THE NATURE AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES OF THE LIVER, LUNGS, BLOOD... CONTAINING ALSO, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HIS LIFE WITH THE COMMON SENSE THEORY OF DISEASES AND THE EVIDENCE OF HIS WONDERFUL CURES.

Dr. Hamilton's expertise in curing you of absolutely everything was attested to by a whole page of people no one knew but surely existed somewhere.

Like many doctors of the day, Leonidas attributed ailments to catarrh. You could have catarrh everywhere. But don't worry, just writer the good doctor in New York and he will be there to help you. He seemed to specialize in liver ailments, but I think he was agreeable to treating anything you thought you had.

If you like medical quackery ads, then you might enjoy viewing more at my site: VintageAds4U

Thanks for stopping by. Next time, let's look at the 1880 Thomas Edison Patent Medicine Ad and the Polyform Lawsuit. Yes, that Thomas Edison.

Vintage Advertising Schlitz Beer With Vitamin D!

UPDATE: Vitamin D in Beer?  Yes, Schlitz did it! Keep your summer health by drinking this beer. Mom! Forget the Milk I'm having a beer!

Do you think Joseph Schlitz ever thought there would be a magazine devoted just to Beer? I think he would be a subscriber to Beer Advocate or All About Beer.

Three magnficent beer families in the United States: Schlitz, Budweiser and of course, Coors. This week Schlitz.

The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company was founded by Joseph Schlitz, who came to America from Mainz, Germany in 1850, at the age of 20. In 1856 he took over management of the large brewery owned by the recently deceased August Krug. Two years later he married Krug's widow and changed the name to the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co.

Schlitz died May 7, 1875, when on a return visit to Germany; his ship hit a rock near Land's End, Cornwall, and sank.

On June 10, 1982, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. was acquired by Stroh Brewery Company of Detroit, Michigan. The regular beer is still produced, though in relatively small quantities, by the Pabst Brewing Company, along with three malt liquors (Schlitz Malt Liquor, Schlitz Red Bull, and Schlitz Bull Ice).

My favorite Schlitz ads are the ones that advocate drinking beer for your health. The Schlitz beer ads featured one or two "doctors" saying that it was really food and you should enjoy it, have it in your house, mix with your cheerios, etc. Here is what I mean:

Lots of vintage Schlitz ads can be found at The Old Ad Store.

And eBay always has the vintage beer ads:

Vintage Advertising Murad Cigarettes at VintageAds4U

Murad Cigarettes

S. Anargyros produced many brands during the era of the Turkish Cigarette. Murad was perhaps one of the most successful. At fifteen cents a box of ten, Murad Cigarettes appealed to the well-to-do smoker.

In 1911, Murad and most of the other popular straight-Turkish tobacco cigarettes became the property of the P. Lorillard Company. They changed the slogan to "Everywhere, why?" and created beautiful ads like this one. That ad is for sale at VintageAds4U

Pretty ads.

Vintage Advertising: Conklin Fountain Pen

The Conklin Self Filling Fountain Pen:

In 1891 Roy Conklin was granted his first fountain pen patent and in 1898 he founded the Conklin Self Filling Fountain Pen Co. In 1901 he patents the Crescent Filler for what is now the Conklin Pen Manufacturing Co. and additional patents are issued him in 1903 and 1904.

In 1903 the company, expands its advertising and marketing, including an endorsement by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens. I have had several requests for that ad but have never been able to find it.

In 1916 Conklin develops a patented spring loaded pocket clip and by the 1920's he is exporting pens to Europe and South America. By 1921 The Crescent Filler is the top selling pen on the market. While the pen is mechanically superior to the Shaeffer Lever Filler, the popularity of the Shaeffer pen leads Conklin to design a lever filling pen.

In 1923 the Duragraph is introduced. It is a well made and efficient lever filler, which leads to the development of the Endura in 1924. In 1929 Conklin’s first streamlined pen, the Symetrik, is introduced. In 1931 the Nozac is introduced. A techonolgically advanced, streamline model with an inventive piston filling mechanism, it is followed with a “word gauge” model in 1934.

Conklin is sold to a Chicago Syndicate in 1938 and by 1955 all production of all Conklin models ceases. However, in 2000 carefully following the original designs and utilizing artisinal craftmanship, Conklin is revived as the Conklin Pen Co., Inc.

Fountain pens on eBay:

Vintage Advertising Lawn Mowers by VintageAds4U

Ok, what is the attraction between man and mower? I'm intrigued enough to do a little history search and then post some lawn mower ads from the early 1900's. A great site for reading up on the history of the lawn mower is: American Lawns history of the lawn mower. You can browse 40 old lawn mower ads here: VINTAGE LAWN MOWER ADS.

The first patent for a mechanical lawn mower described as a "Machine for mowing lawns, etc." was granted on August 31, 1830 to engineer, Edwin Beard Budding (1795-1846) from Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.

The first United States patent for a reel lawn mower was granted to Amariah Hills on January 12, 1868. Early lawn mowers were often designed to be horse drawn, the horses often wore oversize leather booties to prevent lawn damage. For example this 1902 Henderson Horse Drawn Mower ad

In the United States, the first gasoline powered mowers were manufactured in 1919 by Colonel Edwin George. However, when it came to advertising, it seems that Supplee Pennsylvania Lawn mower could not be undone. I must have 100 Pennsylvania ads from the early 1900's. They must have been interested in broadening their customer base because two of the ads featuring a woman in a long day gown and a little kid in a sailor suit.

My lawnmower ads can be found at the Old Ad Store

Quack Medicine Ads ~ Lydia E Pinkham

I am intrigued by Quack Medicine and the ads of the late 1800s and early 1900's. It seems like you could put anything into a bottle (best if it was a bit of alcohol) and sell it. The grand dame of the bit of booze in the bottle of medicine had to Lydia E Pinkham.

According to Wiki: Lydia Estes Pinkham (1819 - 1883) was a patent medicine manufacturer and businesswoman. A resident of Lynn, Massachusetts, Lydia Pinkham first began developing home remedies after the near bankruptcy of her husband. Mass marketed from 1875 on, Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound was one of the best known patent medicines of the 19th century. The fact that it was about 20% alcohol didn't hurt.

Check out more quack medical ads at the Old Ad Store

Drink Barq's..It's Good!

Soft drink collectors are avid about their vintage soft drink advertising. Hot brands are Cheerwine, Green River, Vernor's and Barq's.

Today, we will look at Barq's Root Beer. According to Pop Central Articles, Edward Charels Edmond Barq was born in New Orelans Vieux Carre district in 1871. He lived in France with his mother for awhile but returned to the US (New Orleans and then Biloxi, MS) to avoid French military service. He was a chemist and loved experimenting with soda pop flavors. At the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 Ed won a gold medal for one of his first soft drinks, orangine.

Barq bottled and sold his first soft drink in Biloxi in 1898. His concoction was different from the popular soft drinks of the time. Barq's had more "bite" than other root beers, partly from a higher level of carbonation and partly from a lower sugar content. In addition, it didn't have the traditional foamy head.

Personally, I'm not a root beer girl. I was a Delaware Punch drinker as a child and rarely drink soda pop as an adult.

However, that has not stopped me from devoting a complete store on eCrater to soda industry vintage advertising: THE SODA SHOPPE

Vintage Advertising: Locomobile

What a fun name for a car!

The Locomobile Co was located in Bridgeport CT and manufactured cars from 1899 until 1929.

A good article about them can be found at Wiki, of course! There is even a Locomobile Society of America which you can access HERE.

Also there are some great ads from 1902 and each is in a different location.

Lot's more Locomobile ads here: Old Ad Store

Vintage Advertising ~ Collecting Old Ads

Since 1995 I have been collecting vintage advertising. My favorite years are 1885-1945. Recently I have been collecting more of the 1950s through 1980s. Especially advertising from Architectural Digest, MS magazine, Time magazine and The American City magazine.

Besides beautiful vintage advertising, I also offer illustrations and historical articles. The illustrations are by many of the leading artists of the early 20th Century. I am partial to Jessie Wilcox Smith. Here is a Good Housekeeping magazine with her cover art.


I have several web sites devoted to selling many of ads and articles.



On eBay we are known as The Antique Ad Shop.

We have a general ad store on eCrater called The Old Ad Store . We also have an eCrater store dedicated to soda industry ads: The Soda Shoppe Vintage Ads.



A lot of people collect advertising and articles about celebrities so I opened Broadway Baby. On that site I have articles and ads about Opera, the Theatre, Movies and Vaudeville. There are some really beautiful illustrations of actors from Theatre magazine.

I do have a guide on vintage advertising which can be accessed via my eBay web site. And on my "ME" page there are some links for advertising collectors

Over the past 10 years I have made many friends who collect certain types of ads. It never ceases to amaze me what people collect. The most fun is when I hear from someone who says: That's my aunt in that ad! or That's my family business! It is very rewarding to help someone find great pieces for their family genealogy.

With this blog I plan to pick certain products or brands and show the evolution of their advertising. Hopefully it will be educational and fun.

Have a favorite product that you would like me to write about? Just drop a note and it will be done. I'll start: A few years ago, I was thumbing through a 1912 volume of the Illustrated London News when I came across an ad for Vinolia Otto Toilet Soap featuring the R.M.S. Titanic. It is bagged and on display in my office.