shoe polish – Bay Bottles

Saratoga Dressing, Restorff & Bettmann, New York, U. S. A.

The partnership of Restorff and Bettmann was established by Theodore Restorff and William Bettmann both of whom, according to census records (1900), immigrated to the United States from Germany; Bettmann in 1865 and Restorff in 1870.

Prior to establishing Restorff & Bettmann, Theodore G. Restorff was listed in the 1873-1874 New York City Copartnership and Corporation Ditrectory, partnered with a shoemaker named Charles (Carl) Schneider under the firm name of Restorff & Schneider. That partnership was short-lived and by the Spring of 1874 Restorff had moved on, forming his partnership with William Bettmann.

At its start in 1874, the New York City based business was formally called Restorff, Bettmann & Co. however, it was more often simply referred to as Restorff & Bettmann in early newspaper stories and advertisements. This inconsistency was addressed in 1881 when the January 15th edition of a publication called “Bradsreets” announced that Restorff, Bettmann & Co. had been dissolved, with the firm continuing as Restorff & Bettmann. The business would operate under that name up through at the early 1930’s.

As early as 1875 the company was listed at 187 Wooster Street, before moving to Pine Street (usually listed as 70 or 70-1/2 Pine) in 1876. It was in March of that year that the company filed an application to trademark the phrase “Saratoga Dressing.” According to the March 21st edition of the “Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office,” the application was filed on March 11, 1876.

Their Saratoga Dressing would go on to be one of, if not the first, of many shoe and leather related products manufactured by the company over the next 50+ years. Produced in liquid form, the dressing was touted as specifically made “For LADIES and CHILDREN’S BOOTS and SHOES.”

An advertisement made to look like a news item presented their early sales pitch. It was published in the March 18, 1881 edition of Davenport, Iowa’s “Morning Democrat.”

The smearing of thick and vile smelling paste upon the shoe, and the vigorous rubbing of the polishing brush to produce lustre, were done away with as far as ladies’ and childrens’ foot wear are concerned when the wonderful “Saratoga Dressing” was produced in the shape of a liquid, ever ready for use, and requiring no physical exertion to impart a bright and highly polished lustre, which the shoe will retain longer than from any blacking ever invented… It has no smell, and unlike many others, it does not stain stockings or dress…

Another advertisement, this one found in the December 2, 1876 edition of the “Morning Democrat” announced that it revived and restored the shoe leather as well..

However daintily a lady may be dressed, an unfortunate crack, an abraded surface, a brown, scar-like patch upon her gaiters will disturb the serenity of her mind. All these ills, and many more, may be avoided by using Saratoga Dressing, which will make ladies’ and misses’ boots and shoes, which have become coarse, rough, brown or cracked, as splendid as ever, and thus prevent premature throwing away of articles with months of wear in them. The Saratoga Dressing will not rub off, will not soil the most delicate silk nor whitest napery, while it softens the leather, and renders it impervious to dew or damp. It should find a place in every household.

Business apparently grew quickly such that by 1878, this advertisement for New York City’s Ehric’s department store, published in the October 27th edition of the “Daily Herald,” announced that the store’s shoe department had 100 gross “Saratoga Dressing” in stock, for sale at 5 cents a bottle.

Not just available in New York City, as early as 1876 newspaper advertisements for Saratoga Dressing began appearing in the midwest, in places like Davenport, Iowa where this advertisement was found in the December 16, 1876 edition of the “Morning Democrat.”

The company’s Saratoga Dressing remained their marquee product until 1888 when they introduced a new product called Glycerole.

Described as an oil dressing, Resstorff & Bettmann’s own advertising, while not actually stating it, suggested that it was better than their Saratoga Dressing. Consider the wording in this July 18, 1888 advertisement found in Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s “Daily Chronicle.”

Ever since the now indispensable article of Shoe Dressing came into existence, it has been the source of constant trouble to parties using it, because it hardened and cracked the leather and to the dealer, because of the complaints of his customers. Conscientious Shoe Dealers have often dissuaded their patrons from using any Shoe Dressing whatever and advised the application of oil, as it is universally known that oil is the only preservative of leather, while other substances crack and destroy it.

It was claimed for most Dressings heretofore in use that they do not crack leather but it has never before been claimed that an Oil Dressing could be produced, the composition of which was said to be an impossibility. After years of patient work however, we have succeeded in solving the problem of producing an oil, which in addition to its softening and preserving qualities gives also an elegant lustre to leather goods.

Glycerole is a veritable oil and the only one in existence which answers the purpose of oiling, and at the same time dresses leather. It is perfect in its composition, does not rub off or soil dresses or skirts and imparts to worn goods a soft oily lustre which positively preserves the leather and protects it from water.

We do not pretend that a single application of Glycerole will improve a shoe already dried and hardened by numerous coats of common shoe dressing, but we do warrant that all shoes oiled and dressed only with Glycerole will be positively improved in wearing quality, as this oil by penetrating into the pores of the leather will make it more supple and add to its durability.

Restorff & Bettmann, Manufacturers, New York

Not surprisingly, it appears that Glycerole quickly went on to overtake Saratoga as their marquee product, a point made clear in this company snapshot found in the 1891 edition of a publication called the “History of Commerce of New York.” The entry also made it clear that by then the business had grown substantially.

RESTORFF & BETTMANN …Among the leading and prosperous business enterprises of the great down town trade district will be found that of Messrs. Restorff & Bettmann, commission merchants and manufacturers of Glycerole and Leather Dressings, Nos. 70 and 70-1/2 Pine Street… The premises, an entire building 20 x 100 feet in size, are systematic in arrangement and the general complete appointment includes all the modern business conveniences and facilities. The firm do a heavy commission business in both home and foreign produce; their immense general line reaching pretty much all over the world. In the manufacture of “Glycerole” and leather dressings the house has gained a wide celebrity, these famous articles having today a large sale and standard value upon all markets both at home and abroad…

In 1895 the company moved to 35 Bond Street, likely the result of a January fire that occurred in their Pine Street factory. The fire was described in the January 28, 1895 edition of the “Evening World.”

Fire broke out on the second floor at 70-1/2 Pine Street shortly before 11 o’clock this morning. The building, a four-story structure, is occupied by Restorff & Bettmann, manufacturers of shoe dressing.

The flames spread from floor to floor with great rapidity and a second alarm was turned in. Seven men working on the third floor had to hustle lively to get out of the building, and two girls, Lena Cohen, of 170 Henry Street, and Bridget Brennan, of 86 Furman Street, Brooklyn, on the second floor, had a narrow escape.

They were at work pasting labels on bottles when the fire broke out, and becoming panic stricken, crouched trembling at the table where they worked. Phillip Goldberg, of 84 Monroe Street, called to them to get out. When they did not stir, he grabbed each about the waist and forced them to the stairway. The flames were then bursting through the walls and in a moment more escape might have been cut off.

The origin of the fire is a mystery. No one knows exactly where it broke out or how it began. It is estimated that the building is damaged to the extent of $2,500, while the stock, valued at $5,000 is a total loss.

During the 1890’s the company’s advertising suggests that their product line continued to grow, with this January 6, 1897 advertisement in the “Boot and Shoe Recorder” listing several new products under the name “Vaserole.” Though still included, “Saratoga Dressing” was listed last and simply called:

The best 10 cent shoe polish that can be offered to the public.

By the early 1900’s, another “Boot and Shoe Recorder” advertisement, this one in their October 21, 1903 edition, makes it clear that their menu of products had expanded further.

Shortly after the above advertisement was published changes in management were in the works when Theodore Restorff passed away. According to the May 15, 1904 edition of “The Shoe Retailer and Boot and Shoes Weekly:”

FIRM NAME AND BUSINESS TO BE CONTINUED

The recent death of Mr. Theodore G. Restorff, a well-known man in the shoe and leather world and who was a member of the firm of Restoff & Bettmann, 35 and 37 Bond Street, New York City, manufacturers of blackings, dressing and other preparations for men’s, women’s and children’s shoes, has necessitated the dissolution of the former partnership, and it is announced that all right, title and interest in the business has been sold to William Bettmann, the surviving member of the firm, who will continue the business under the name of Restorff & Bettmann, as heretofore. Mr. Bettmann retains the same efficient force of employees and he will be assisted in the management of the business by his son, Jesse W. Bettmann.

A year later, the May 14, 1905 edition of the “New York Times” announced that the business had incorporated under the Restorff & Bettmann name, with Bettmann, his son, Jesse and Ludwig Engel all named as directors.

It appears that the Bettmann’s left the business shortly after it incorporated. As early as 1906, the New York City Copartnership and Corporation Directory listed the company address as 426 East 106th Street and named Ludwig Engel as president. There was no mention of Bettmann who by 1910 listed his occupation as “real estate” in census records.

The company continued to operate under Engel for two plus decades. Sometime around 1910 the company moved back to lower Manhattan where they initially listed their address as 135 Wooster Street before moving to 79 Mercer St in the early teens. At that point the company was still producing a large menu of items including “Glycerole,” as evidenced by this December, 1913 advertisement found in the “Druggist Circular.” Notably absent from the menu was any mention of “Saratoga Dressing.

Sometime in 1925 the company moved to Reade Street where it remained until sometime in the early 1930’s after which I lose track.

The subject bottle is 4-1/4 inches tall with a 1-1/2 inch square cross section. Blown in a mold it contains 3 ounces. It matches the style of bottle the company was using by the early 1880’s, as evidenced by this advertisement found in several July, 1881 editions of Lafayette, Indiana’s “Journal & Courier.”

A bottle recently pictured on e-bay that’s embossed with the original company name of Restorff, Bettmann & Co. exhibits a different style so its possible the company changed styles in 1881 after the formal company name-change to Restorff & Bettmann.

If that’s the case, then the subject bottle dates between 1881 and roughly 1910 when I’d expect a machine-made bottle.

Whittemore, Boston, French Gloss

The Whittemore name was associated with shoes and blacking going back at least as far as 1850. That year, census records listed David L. Whittemore as a shoemaker located at North Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachussets. Ten years later, in the 1860 census records, he listed himself as a blacking maker still located in North Bridgewater.

Sometime in the late 1860’s or early 1870’s, David Whittemore’s sons, John Q.A. and Charles Whittemore established the company of Whittemore Brothers & Co. That business was first listed in the 1873 Boston City Directory as manufacturers of leather dressings with an address of 100 Lincoln. The two Whittemore brothers along with a third partner, W. Augustus Paine, were named as proprietors.

The company was listed in Boston with a Lincoln Avenue address up through 1889; first at 100 Lincoln and later from 1874 to 1889 at 176 – 184 Lincoln. Then by 1891 they had moved to 237 Albany Street, also in Boston, where they remained until 1901.

In 1902 the company apparently moved across the Charles River to Cambridge Mass. The 1902 Boston directory included an advertisement that located them in Cambridgeport.

The following year, in 1903, the company was first listed in the Cambridge City Directory at 20 -26 Albany Street. (Apparently there are two Albany Streets; one in Boston and another in Cambridge.) The directory that year also included an advertisement that mentioned both an office and factory at that location.

The business remained listed on Albany Street in Cambridge up through at least 1947. Up until 1905, the business listed their address as 20 Albany Street, then 84 Albany Street and ultimately 68 -92 Albany Street changing their name to Whittemore Bros. Corp. sometime around 1915.

This December 1911 advertisement printed in the Pharmaceutical Era called Whittemore the “Oldest and Largest Manufacturers of Shoe Polishes in the World.”

It also named a wide array of brands, including “French Gloss” that were being sold under the Whittemore name and the purpose of each. They included:

“GILT EDGE” Oil Polish. Blacks and Polishes ladies’ and children’s boots and shoes. SHINES WITHOUT RUBBING; always ready for use.

“ELITE” combination for those who take pride in having their shoes look A-1. Restores color and lustre to all black shoes.

“BULLY SHINE.” A waterproof paste polish for all kinds of black shoes and rubbers. Blacks, polishes, softens and preserves. Contains oils and waxes to polish and preserve the leather, also Russet Bully Shine.

“DANDY” combination for cleaning and polishing all kinds of russet or tan boots and shoes.

“FRENCH GLOSS.” For blacking and polishing ladies’ and children’s boots and shoes. SHINES WITHOUT RUBBING.

“BOSTON.” A black liquid polish for men’s and boys’ shoes. Produces a patent leather polish without brushing. “BOSTON” is excellent for cleansing old rubbers.

“LIGHTNING DYE” instantly blacks all colored shoes.

“SUEDEDENE” for cleansing and recoloring all kinds and colors of suede and ooze leather footwear, also Black and Castor. In powder or liquid form. Powders in patent sifting top cans.

An advertisement from 1930, specific to the “French Gloss” brand stressed that it “Shines Without Brushing” and focused on children’s shoes.

It is very easily applied, dries quickly, covers those annoying scuffs which children have in footwear and can be used also on rubbers.

It’s not clear when “French Gloss,” was first introduced as a Whittemore brand. An item called “French Gloss for Ladies’ Shoes” was included in an advertisement for a store named Jewett’s in the November 30, 1869 edition of the Buffalo (N.Y.) Daily Courier so its possible that the brand dates back to the origins of the business. That being said, I can’t positively associate the brand with the Whittemore name until the 1890’s. It continued to be advertised into the 1940’s.

The bottle I found is machine made and contains 3 ounces. It’s embossed “Whittemore Boston” on one side and “French Gloss” on the other. It was most likely manufactured in the latter part of the company history, probably 1920’s or 1930’s

Griffin Manufacturing Co., New York

The Griffin Manufacturing Company, makers of shoe polish, was started by Anthony (Tony) Aste in the mid 1880’s. Nick-named the “King of Bootblacks,” he turned a single shoe shine stand into the world’s largest maker of shoe polish. Also a well known thoroughbred race horse owner, his story was summarized in his December 8, 1954 obituary printed in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Anthony L. Aste, 88, of 29 Prospect Park West, who rose from roving boot black to millionaire and president of the Griffin Manufacturing Company, makers of Griffin shoe polish, died after a heart attack in Long Island College Hospital, where he had been under treatment for the past two and one-half years.

In 1885 Mr. Aste rented space in the produce exchange building in Manhattan and installed the first high chairs for shoe shining. He branched out into other buildings in the financial district.

He hired a chemist to develop a superior polish for his stands. The polish was so successful that it was bottled and sold to other bootblacks. From that beginning he formed the Griffin Company, which for many years has been at 410 Willoughby Avenue.

In the late 1890’s he began racing horses and recently received a plaque from the Belmont Park track citing him as the oldest living racer of horses in America. He counted as one of the most memorable days in his life the occasion in 1901 when he sold a horse which cost him $4,300 to William C. Whitney, the millionaire, for $50,000 at the Sheepshead Bay track.

Born in Manhattan’s lower East Side, he lived in Brooklyn for over 50 Years.

The obituary mentioned that Aste opened a shoe shine stand in the Produce Exchange Building which was located at the foot of Broadway in lower Manhattan. At the time, it was the custom to have shoes shined by someone on the street while you stood on one foot and then the other, so this was a relatively new concept.

He paid $660 a year to operate the stand, or “throne” as it was known back then, at the Produce Exchange. A photograph of a large and extremely crowded main hall of the exchange taken in 1886 confirms that Aste had made a shrewd investment.

Neither Aste or the Griffin Manufacturing Company were mentioned in the NYC directories until the mid-1890’s. Aste was first listed in 1896 as a blacking maker located at 82 Cortlandt Street and the Griffin Manufacturing Company ( Anthony L. Aste, proprietor) first appeared in 1900 at the same location. Sometime in 1907 or 1908 they moved to 69 Murray Street and around 1914, the company incorporated in New York State. Both the 1914 and 1919 NYC Copartnership and Corporation Directories listed Antony and his son Robert as the company’s president and secretary respectively.

The business remained listed at 69 Murray Street until the early 1930’s when they bought a building on Willoughby Avenue in Brooklyn. The purchase was announced in the December 31, 1933 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

The factory at 410 to 424 Willoughby Ave. has been sold for the Ahlecy Corporation to the Griffin Shoe Polish Company for its new plant.

By the 1930’s their products were sold under a wide range of trade names including: “Griffin Allwite,” “Griffin Kidine,” “Griffin Lotion Cream,” “Griffin Sterling” and “Griffin A,B,C.”

Apparently his formula was so good that a competitor, the Two-in-One Shinola Bixby Corporation was actually convicted of stealing it. According to a March 31, 1936 article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

The formula for shoe polish that made a millionaire of Anthony Aste, who began life as a roving boot black, was stolen by the Two-in-One Shinola Bixby Corporation with the aid of Dr. Raymond Warburton, a chemist formerly employed by Aste, Justice James C. Cropsey ruled today in Equity Term of Supreme Court. He gave an injunction in favor of the Griffin Manufacturing Company, Aste’s corporation, and said the defendants must pay damages which may amount to $250,000.

Evidence before Justice Cropsey showed that for a long time the defendant concern tried to obtain the secret of the high quality of Aste’s invention. They made hundreds of analyses and tried to buy up the Aste concern and consolidate all the shoe polish manufacturers.

Failing to do that, it was charged that they hired Dr. Warburton, who had been employed by Aste as confidential chemist from 1916 to 1919 and knew all the secrets.

“Upon payment of $1,000 they obtained from him both the plaintiff’s process and formula.” said Justice Cropsey in his decision. The attempt by the corporate defendant to prove that it did not obtain plaintiff’s process from the former employee is clearly shown to be untrue.

The pastes and polishes were not the only interests of the company. According to an article in the August 24, 1922 issue of “Printer’s Ink,” Griffin owned patents to a number of shoe-shine related appurtenances and designs as well.

They own the patents on the rubber tipped shoe rest that makes it easier for the customer to keep his foot steady under the shining cloth of the operator. Another feature looking to the comfort of the patron has been the armchairs with a bit of space between them allowing the use of both arm rests for comfort. Another patented design is the half step at one side that makes it easier for women to reach the chairs without danger of damage to skirts and with greater comfort and less embarrassment.

All told, this enabled Griffin to supply everything that was needed in the trade under one concern, increasing their appeal to the operators of parlors and stands, as well as individual bootblacks. The firm even provided assistance in locating new stands to prospective owners. Aste summed up this business approach himself in the “Printer’s Ink’ article:

In a visit with Mr. Aste where he was supervising the opening of a new parlor he laid special stress on these service features and the real quality of the polish manufactured by the concern. He felt a pride in the accomplishment of his plans and did not hesitate to say that any stand that would install his features and use his materials correctly would make a success, provided the location was right.

The company was still listed on Willoughby Avenue in the 1955 Brooklyn Telephone Directory, but by 1959 I can no longer find them. Sadly, the Willoughby Avenue location is now a parking lot for Home Depot.

It appears that the business (or at least the name?) was purchased in 2013 and is now called the Griffin Shoe Care Company, located in Crystal Lake, Illinois. So, if you want, you can still buy Griffin Shoe Polish today!

The history of the business between the late 1950’s and 2013 is not clear.

The bottle I found is a small (2 to 3 oz.) machine made bottle probably made in the 1920’s, prior to their move to Willoughby Avenue. It has the name “Griffin” and a picture of a griffen, the company’s trademark, embossed on the base. The griffin was an antique monster with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle.

According to a Counsular Report to the House Of Representatives dated 1901, the company registered and was using the trademark in the United States for several years. This dates its use back to the late 1890’s. The Report went on to say that they did not have rights to the trademark on products shipped to Germany.

S. M. Bixby

The S. M. stands for Samuel Merrill Bixby. His company, S M Bixby & Co., started in 1860 and was in business for over 60 years. They manufactured ink and glue items but their main product was shoe blacking and polish.

The February 7, 1920 issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle featured S. M. Bixby & Co. in a series called “The Wonders of Brooklyn.” Much of the information it contains is the product of an interview with Theo W Rich, manager of Bixby’s export department at the time.

It was back in the year 1860 that Samuel M Bixby began to make shoe polish in the basement of his shoe store on 8th Ave., in old New York. At that time the people of the United States were mostly dependent on foreign-made shoe blackings, which were imported in large quantities. One that was quite popular was applied with a flat stick – one end embedded in the cork – and then rubbed furiously with a heavy brush to obtain a shine. The directions on another, a crumbly cake-like substance, urged our ancestors to “take a piece the size of a pea” with no hint of whether they had reference to petit-pois or marrow fats, and no distinction between sizes 3 1/2 B and 9 shoes. Were the members of the present generation compelled to use such stuff, after a taste of the niceties of modern invention, the air would become blue with piratical execration.

The founder of our industry was bent upon improvement and uplift. The spontaneous popularity achieved by his product made his shoe business an affair of minor importance, and he forthwith engaged exclusively in the manufacture of shoe polishes in modest quarters at the corner of Washington and Dey Streets. After more than twenty-five years of steady increase in the business, a removal was made to a large factory building on Baxter Street near Canal where the output assumed such proportions that another removal became necessary.

It was then that the citizens of Brooklyn beckoned kindly, and we negotiated the purchase of this building, formerly a shoe factory, together with a large area of unimproved property adjoining it at the rear. This was in 1910.

The NYC directories confirm much of this story.

Between 1863 and 1865 Samuel M Bixby was listed at 475 Eighth Avenue with the occupation “shoes”
From 1867 up through 1886 the S.M. Bixby & Co. was listed with the classification of blacking. The address over this period was listed as either 74 Dey or 173 Washington (corner of Washington and Dey).
Between 1886 and 1888 their address changed to 194 Hester (corner of Baxter) and the business was listed there through 1910.

Kings Handbook of New York City, published in 1892, included a section on S.M. Bixby & Co which included a photograph and description of the Hestor Street operation.

The particular articles by which S.M. Bixby & Co. have won their reputation are “Three Bee” Blacking and “Royal Polish” the former a paste blacking for men’s boots and the latter a liquid dressing, for restoring the color and gloss to ladies’ and children’s shoes. The building in which these goods are manufactured is an imposing six-story structure, supplied with machinery and appliances necessary for the business, and is the largest one in existence devoted exclusively to the manufacture of shoe-blacking. It is located at 194 and 196 Hester Street, adjacent to the busiest part of Broadway, and one block from Canal and Centre Streets. The salesroom and offices of the company occupy a portion of the second floor, while the shipping department and stockrooms are on the main floor. The remainder of the space in this immense building is divided into various departments, where the compounding and putting up of the blacking is done. In all departments the manufacture is an interesting one, and furnishes employment to upwards of 150 hands. It is not alone the excellence of their blackings and dressings and the convenient and perfect form of putting them up, that have given S.M. Bixby & Co. the leading position they occupy today in their especial line, but their persistent and novel methods of making the merits of the goods known, and a display of an unflinching determination to be always abreast of the times.

Sometime around 1910/1911, the company moved to the Brooklyn factory which was located on 2nd Avenue at 45th and 46th Streets. In addition, they also utilized portions of two buildings in Bush Terminal for storage purposes. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle feature described the Brooklyn plant this way:

Equipped with electrical power, well-arranged mixing utensils and a labyrinth of labor-saving machinery, this plant has hummed its daily note of inspiration to its army of contented workers during the ten years that have elapsed since the Bixby organization made Brooklyn its home. The operation of the various mechanical departments make interesting moving pictures to which must be added the swish of steaming kettles, the rumble of the presses that stamp out the tin boxes, and the never ceasing jingle and rattle of glass bottles in which “Jet Oil” and “Royal Polish” for black shoes, “AA Brown for brown shoes and “Shu-Wite” canvas shoe cleaner are filled. Imagine , if you will, the filling of these bottles by an expert operator, whose cleverness enables her to pick up empty ones and remove those that have been filled at the rate of 34 to 36 per minute and meanwhile tell her coworkers of the fun she had at a dance the night before.

Samuel Bixby was the president of the company up until his death on March 11, 1912. His cousins, Samuel A. Bixby and Willard G. Bixby continued to run the company after his death. Both are listed as president at various times between 1912 and 1920.

Bixby was an innovative marketer and as far as I can tell, one of the first to create what we might call today a “rewards” or “incentive” program.” The program was described in the November 28, 1894 issue of the “Boot and Shoe Recorder”

A couple of years ago S.M. Bixby & Co., published a neat little book of “Home Songs” which at once became popular, for it contained a number of prime old favorites which our mothers used to sing. The plan was to send this book to any person who would send to them a label from a box or bottle of their blacking or dressing, and six cents. As an advertising scheme it was a most pronounced success, and numbers two, three and four followed. Each contained sixty-two pages, words and music of such songs as were worth singing, and societies, glee clubs and families sought and used them. Edition after edition has been printed since that time. The firm made special arrangements with shoe dealers who handled “Royal Polish,” “Three Bee Blacking,” and “Santinola” which enabled them to sell much more by offering these books as premiums, furnishing them with sample of the “Home Songs.”

In 1920 or 1921, the F.F. Dalley Corporation gained control of S.M. Bixby & Company. According to the September 23, 1922 issue of the American Investor:

The F.F. Dalley Corp’n was incorporated March 23, 1920, under the laws of New Hampshire, and began business Jan. 1, 1921. Through ownership of capital stock, this Corporation controls F.F. Daley Company, Inc., S.M. Bixby & Co., Shinola Company, Munroe Novelty Co., Thermokept Corporation, F.F. Dalley Co. of Canada, Ltd., and Morris Howard Realty Company.

At the time, the F.F.Dalley Company, S.M Bixby & Co., and the Shinola Co. were the largest shoe polish manufacturers in the United States. Later, in the late 1920’s or early 1930’s, the names Bixby and Shinola resurfaced as the “2 in 1 Shinola-Bixby Corporation.”

The last individual listing that I can find for S.M.Bixby & Co. is in the 1924 directory at the 2nd Avenue location in Brooklyn.

As far as I can tell, none of the Bixby buildings located in Manhattan still exist today. The former Washington Street/Dey Street intersection is now located within the new World Trade Center complex and no longer exists. The Brooklyn location on 2nd Avenue may still exist as 201 46th Street. It’s a five-story manufacturing building built in 1900.

I’ve found three different types of Bixby bottles over the years. One is their uniquely shaped bottle with a March 6, 1883 patent date embossed on the front and Bixby, with an oversized “X” embossed on the base.

Developed for liquid blacking and called “Bixby’s New Bottle and Combination Stopper for Sponge Blacking,” the reasoning behind its design was explained in an advertising card for Bixby’s “Royal Polish.”

The bottle has a broad base and will not upset easily; the mouth has a wide projecting flange, and an air chamber below to prevent the overflow of the liquid in taking out and putting in the sponge, which perfectly insures cleanliness.

I’ve found both aqua and brown versions of this bottle.

The second type is shaped like a rectangular medicine but with rounded sides and the third is a cone ink with Bixby embossed on the base. All are mouth blown.

Everett & Barron Co., Shoe Polish, Providence, R.I.

Everett and Barron was founded in 1895 by Samuel A Everett. The company’s activities centered around shoe polish and dressings.

The Who’s Who in New England, published in 1916, maintained a listing for Samuel A Everett.

Founded the firm of Everette & Baron, mfg. agts., 1895 and became sole owner in 1897; incorporated in 1903, Everett & Barron Co., of which he has since been president and treasurer.

The business was located at 217 Canal Street through the late teens and later at 359 Eddy in Providence. Samuel A Everette was still listed as president and treasurer through 1945 (at 79 years old). A year later, in 1946, P. A. Boyd had replaced Everette as president and treasurer.The business was still listed in the Providence Directories as late as 1964 (the latest directory I could find).

Early on, the company sold several products under a brand name called U.N.O. In 1906, the company acquired the Columbia Shoe Dressing Co. and the Burbank Manufacturing Co. A notice in a 1906 issue of the “Canadian Shoe and Leather Journal” announced the acquisitions and provided a partial summary of their expanded product/brand menu.

Everett & Barron Company of Amherst Nova Scotia and Providence Rhode Island, manufacturer’s of the “U.N.O.” Shoe Blacking have recently purchased all trade marks, stock and good will of the Columbia Shoe Dressing Company, Bath, Maine and also of the Burbank Mfg. Co., Boston. In addition to the line which they formally manufactured, they will now make the “Trilby Polish” , “Twentieth Century Dressing,” “Goodrich Combination,” and all brands manufactured by the Columbia Dressing Company, and also the “American National Dressing,” “University,” and other brands formerly owned by the Burbank Mfg. Company. They have also added more room to their Providence factory and are fitting it with the most improved machinery.

An advertisement from the 1920’s continued to promote their U.N.O brand and also mentioned one of the acquired brands, Trilby Polish.

The company also maintained a Canadian factory in Amherst, Nova Scotia. According to one 1910 magazine article, by then, they were “now shipping their polish in Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and also covering Newfoundland, and other islands on the Canadian coast.

The company maintained an office in New York City for a while as well. The Copartnership and Corporation Directories list them at 127 Duane Street between 1907 and 1915. During that time Frank B Mansfield served as the New York Manager. Apparently focused on sales, a September 11, 1907 article in the “Boot and Shoe Recorder” provided some background on Mansfield as well as Everett & Barron.

Frank B Mansfield, representing the Everett & Barron Company, of Providence R.I., starts on Monday for his semi-annual trip through New York and Pennsylvania.

The history of shoe polish in this section would not be complete without mention of Mansfield, for whether “Goodrich,” “Trilby,” or “U.N.O.,” the same individuality is behind the pushing of the goods…Ten years or more ago when liquid shoe polish was a struggling youngster on this market, Mr. Mansfield, as New York State manager, began the missionary work which was the foundation of a business of which one might well be proud.

The old Goodrich concern was merged into the Columbia Shoe Dressing Company, and it’s trade marks, formulas etc. later purchased by the Everett & Barron Company, of Providence R.I., which is now making the entire line in connection with the well known U.N.O. brands of polish which are everywhere recognized as standard.

Mr. Mansfield starts out with the “best polish made,” not best simply because he is selling it, but because he believes it is, in which opinion he is confirmed by a goodly proportion of dealers throughout the territory.

The company was also apparently committed to research of new products as well. The 1940 Bulletin of the National Research Council included them in a list of Industrial Research Laboratories. Their laboratory, which started around 1907, included a director and a staff of three chemists. They listed waterproofing compounds, dyes, emulsions, shoe dressings and similar compounds, paint, oils colloids and lacquers as research activities.

It looks like they weren’t just focused on chemistry. In 1927 they were advertising a combined polish, dauber and brush that was probably quite innovative at the time.

The current building at 127 Duane Street was built in 1915. Everett & Barron’s last listing at that address was 1915 so I assume they were forced to vacate to facilitate construction of the current building.

The bottle I found is machine made, listed as two ounces and probably from the 1920’s.