Figure 1.--The ad depicts a home scene where two boys in their suit line up to have mother inspect their shoes after using the "2in1" shoe shining kit. This scene will no doubt appear very dated to modern readers. |
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This advertisement from the The Youth's Companion (May 14, 1925, p. 331). The ad is for a shoe-shine kit for boys called "2 in 1" which apparently includes two brushes for shoes--one for applying the polish and another for buffing the shoes after the polish has been put on. The appeal is to thrift as well as to neat appearance since the habit of polishing shoes obviously prolongs their life. So Mother is doubly pleased--by the neat and
dressy appearance of her sons' shoes and by the fact that the shoes last longer. There is almost a subterranean military implication in the photograph of the two boys displaying their freshly polished shoes and the mother's approval, "You'' Pass!" The boys, probably about 12 and 14, of course are dressed formally in above-the-knee knicker suits with white shirts and ties, long black stockings, and gleaming Oxford-style shoes.
This advertisement from the The Youth's Companion (May 14, 1925, p. 331). The Youth's Companion" described itself as "An Illustrated Weekly Paper For Young People and the Family." It was established in 1827. The magazine was published in Boston, Massachusetts, by the Perry Mason Company, 201 Columbus Avenue. It appeared under this title until 1929. It was in the late 19th century one of the most popular weekly periodicals in America and known for the quality of the writing. The magazine catered to teen-age boys and girls especially, containing articles on sports, on hobbies, and on various literary and cultural interests. But it was really a family magazine and had many advertisements for clothing, both adult and children's. The magagazine had a very strict policy about the advertising carried because its readers were mostly children.
The ad is for a shoe-shine kit for boys called "2 in 1" which apparently includes two brushes for shoes--one for applying the polish and another for buffing the shoes after the polish has been put on. The appeal is to thrift as well as to neat appearance since the habit of polishing shoes obviously prolongs their life.
So Mother is doubly pleased--by the neat and
dressy appearance of her sons' shoes and by the fact that the shoes last longer. There is almost a subterranean military implication in the photograph of the two boys displaying their freshly polished shoes and the mother's approval, "You'' Pass!" The boys, probably about 12 and 14, of course are dressed formally in above-the-knee knicker suits with white shirts and ties, long black stockings, and gleaming Oxford-style shoes.
Older HBC readers will probably recall shoe shine gear and probably had shoe shine boxes as boys. This ad seems very dated to our younger readers growing up in a culture in which boys hardly own leather
shoes that can be polished at all and in which various brands of athletic sneakers predominate as the principal footwear for boys. In 1925 dressy appearance was obviously encouraged for schoolboys, and the boys in the photograph seem pleased that their mother approves of their efforts to meet the high standards of the family dress code.
The ad copy read, "Wise mothers will encourage the 2 in 1 thrift habit. "You'll Pass!" [i.e. you will pass family inspection]. Then mother says, "I can't tell which has done the best job. You're both splendid. Now be sure and use your "2-in-1" shining kit every day, and into your bank every week I'll put the money you
save. In a year each of you will have at least $50.00." Words of wisdom from mother indeed. Encouragement in a good appearance, encouragement in thrift. Golden advice for children everywhere.
Shoe Polish 2 in 1 Shining Kit Creams, Suede Sticks all colors. Liquids, Pastes and Dyes. F. F. Dalley Co., Inc. 276 Military Road, Buffalo, N.Y. (In Canada, kindly address F. F. Dalley Company of Canada, Limited, Hamilton, Ontario.) I am enclosing 10c. for your 20-page booklet."
We notice other ads for shoe shining in the 1920s and 30s. I t was cleaely a more important part of a boy's life than is the case today. Another example is a 1931 ad
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