While we’re talking about Carl Company ephemera, I ran across a trademark issued to the Carl Company – for the mark “Peaches and Cream,” as applied to “cotton piece goods, linen piece goods, and toweling.” I mean, when I think “linen,” I think “peaches and cream,” right? Perhaps not.
This isn’t anything I remember, although the company appears to have maintained the trademark starting in 1915, with several renewals until its demise in 1991.
Here’s the 1923 trademark registration:
In their various trademark applications, Carl’s used several illustrations associated with the mark:
This art, from their 1943 renewal, seems more likely to have actually been used in promotion:
Their 1955 trademark renewal application included this, which would appear to be a sewn-in label complete with their logo:
In fact, I only find advertisements using the “Peaches and Cream” designation through 1940; I didn’t come across anything later. It was meant to designate a higher quality material for sheets and pillowcases. Here’s a box ad from a Carl’s full-pager from 1931:
Here’s one from 1938:
And another from 1940:
Radio
In the spirit of my new approach to Hoxsie posts (i.e., actually getting them out there), I’m gonna add in something that has to do with Carl’s but nothing to do with Peaches and Cream.
I couldn’t help but note this ad for a radio in 1931. Most people know that commercial radio grew in the 1920s (WGY’s first broadcast is recorded as Feb. 20, 1922), and was quite well established by the time that the Great Depression hit. If you’re my age, you certainly grew up with lore about how folks gathered around the radio, wherever there was one, in those very dark and difficult years in search of entertainment and connection. Radio sets became very common, even though they were still very, very expensive. This ad from 1931 offers a Brunswick brand radio at Carl Company for the sale price of $118. That’s about $2400 in today’s money (marked down from $3277!).
Perhaps more absurdly, in the midst of the Depression, there was apparently still a market for silver fox “scarves,” for merely the same price as a radio, give or take:
Don’t be confused by “Employees’ Day” – these were items supposedly chosen by employees to be featured for sales.
I also needed to share this wonderful logo from 1940, when The Carl Company was celebrating its 49th anniversary with a sale.
In fact, if you hopped on the trolley to get to Carl’s on Tuesday morning, it was free!
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