Counter Card Advertising Samuel Brothers' Silk Hat Renovator
- London, England , 1900
London, England, 1900. Near-fine. Toned, one or marks, pencil markings to verso.. A well-preserved counter card advertising "Samuel Brothers' Silk Hat Renovator", a liquid product for restoring top hats. Features a humorous illustration of an older gentleman struggling with his old-fashioned hat brush while his younger counterpart outpaces him with the new product. The dialogue reads, "I can't get my Hat Smooth Anyhow" / "I Use Samuel Bros. Silk Hat Renovator its marvelous". Chromolithographed card measuring 11.5" by 8.75", verso blank, two holes punched at head for easy display. Samuel Brothers was established in 1830 on Ludgate Hill, London, and opened premises on Oxford Street in 1915, before moving to Bartholomew Place and then into Clerkenwell Green. In 1993 the company relocated its offices to the Headquarters of The Royal Logistic Corps upon invitation, where it remained until 2016, when it moved into Aldershot, the Home of The British Army.
The Company supplied many London companies with livery and at the turn of the last century was reputed to have been one of the largest exporters of uniforms in Europe with four factories located in London. Livery was being shipped as far afield as the White House in Washington. At the outbreak of World War One, the company focused on military and was commissioned by the War Office to produce the first waterproof coat for Officers of the British Army.
The Company supplied many London companies with livery and at the turn of the last century was reputed to have been one of the largest exporters of uniforms in Europe with four factories located in London. Livery was being shipped as far afield as the White House in Washington. At the outbreak of World War One, the company focused on military and was commissioned by the War Office to produce the first waterproof coat for Officers of the British Army.