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Boots Advertising

Trade Literature
1930s (made)
Place of origin

Boots Advertising

Publisher:
London C Vernon & Sons Ltd. 193?

Description:
24 unnumbered pages illustrations 192 mm

Notes:
Written by C. Harold Vernon
Portfolio of Boots advertising compiled by Vernon & Sons.

Names:
Boots (Firm)


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleBoots Advertising (published title)
Materials and techniques
printed booklet
Brief description
Boots Advertising. London C Vernon & Sons Ltd. 1930s.
Physical description
Boots Advertising

Publisher:
London C Vernon & Sons Ltd. 193?

Description:
24 unnumbered pages illustrations 192 mm

Notes:
Written by C. Harold Vernon
Portfolio of Boots advertising compiled by Vernon & Sons.

Names:
Boots (Firm)


Dimensions
  • Height: 192mm (Note: From NAL catalogue)
Style
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
(2018)
Boots advertising
London, 1930s
‘Health is a universal interest’ declares this booklet of advertisements for Boots the chemists. In 1932 Boots built a factory in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, where they developed and manufactured products using the latest equipment. The campaign, created by C. Vernon & Sons agency, used popular Modernist motifs, such as the athletic woman, and words such as ‘efficiency’, ‘fresh’, and ‘speed’. The graphics are a striking contrast with the company’s logo, unchanged since 1883.
Offset lithography
Advertisements designed by James Fitton (1899–1982) for Boots Pure Drug Co. Ltd
Issued by C. Vernon & Sons Ltd
Museum no. 38041800898348
Object history
From a collection of examples of commercial printing and design including catalogues and books as well as a variety of ephemera such as magazine covers, promotional cards, loose sheets, book plates, book jackets, trade cards, advertisement proofs, wine labels, menu cards etc. Firms include Shell-Mex, Austin Reed, Guinness, Heals, Imperial Airways, Orient Line. Designers include McKnight Kauffer, El Lissitsky, Bawden, Bayer, Gill, Tschichold. Categories of material include architecture, broadcasting, costume, interior design, motor industry, food and drink.

In 1936 the National Art Library decided to lay the foundations of a "collection of commercial typography and to exhibit contemporary specimens from time to time so that the trend of typographic design, both in this country and abroad, could be appraised by students of industrial art". The Keeper of the Library, Philip James was largely instrumental in acquiring the material. The bulk of the collection consists of examples from the 1930s, especially 1936 - 1939, with a smattering of items from the 1940s.
The collection is further supplemented with material from the 1960s which the Library inherited from the Circulation Department of the Museum after its closure in 1978. As these two groups of material stand as historic collections in their own right, any further examples acquired by the Library have been catalogued individually and not added to this designated 'closed collection'.
Currently uncatalogued. A typescript list is available on request at the Main Counter; this list does not include the material inherited from the Circulation Department.

Bibliographic reference
'Modern Publicity', 1934-5, p. 104. [Shown alongside another booklet] Two booklets produced by C. Vernon & Sons Ltd. In both, smartness of appearance and the importance of colour have been given full value. A series of press advertisements as appears in each of these booklets, originally planned with care to make an 'omnibus' volume surprisingly well.
Other numbers
  • Jobbing Printing Box 12 - NAL Pressmark
  • 904841 - Horizon bib. number
Collection
Library number
38041800898348

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Record createdApril 15, 2016
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