Vicky Vaughn History

Vicky Vaughn was the junior division of R & M Kaufmann, Inc in Aurora, Illinois (NOT an actual designer). The Kaufman brothers began making ladies dresses in the 1920s. They built their business by producing high quality but moderately priced dresses and sleepwear. The company was able to keep prices low by mass producing garments in their own factories. In fact, their motto was “Only the LOOK is expensive.” Sales grew steadily through the use of full page advertisements in Seventeen, Mademoiselle and Charm magazines as well as the use of live television commercials on shows such as “Beat the Clock.” The Kaufmann’s also produced the Toni Todd line for misses sizes. The company was sold to Russ Togs in 1969 (Source).

Halloween is almost here and that means that bucket loads of candy and chocolate bars will be handed out to eager tricker or treaters. Cue the sugar high!

On a personal level, I love a good chocolate bar, especially anything with nuts. Yum!

So for oday’s blog post we are going to look back at vintage chocolate advertising from the 1920s-1950s, to get you in the Halloween spirit or maybe trigger that sweet tooth. Enjoy!

Further Reading: Vintage Halloween Candy Ads-1940s and 1950s

Vintage Milky Way Chocolate bar hallween advertisement. The vintage ad features a pumpkin "Smart pumpkin" eating a chocolate bar.

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1950s vintage ad for Hollywood chocolate bars featuring an illustration of a 1950s woman.

Vintage Chocolate Advertising 1920s-1950s

Before we begin I wanted to share some cool Toronto, Canada chocolate industry history I recently stumbled upon. This is courtesy of the ‘City of Toronto‘ (because this is the city where I live).

Did you know that in the early decades of the 20th century, Toronto’s chocolate industry was characterized by the rise of three big players on the national stage: Neilson’s, Laura Secord, and Willards? Cool right?!

Let’s take a quick deep dive into their history.

Neilson:

William Neilson (1844-1915), who rose to prominence as an ice cream manufacturer, began producing bulk and boxed chocolate at his Gladstone Avenue plant in 1906 as a way of keeping his skilled ice cream makers employed during the slow winter months. By 1914, Neilson’s was manufacturing over 500,000 lbs of chocolate per year. When Neilson died in 1915, his son Morden took over the family business.

Under Morden’s tenure, Neilson’s would become Canada’s largest chocolate maker, famous for its Crispy Crunch (1923) and Jersey Milk (1924) chocolate bars, products that are still enjoyed today.

TTC transit advertising car card for Neilson’s 6 Centres chocolate bar. 1955 ad.

1950s Vintage Advertisement: TTC transit advertising car card for Neilson’s 6 Centres chocolate bar
ca. 1955
City of Toronto Archives
Series 244, Item 131

Source: City of Toronto

Laura Secord:

In 1913, Frank O’Connor (1885-1939) and his wife Mary (1878-1931) opened their first Laura Secord store at 354 Yonge Street, just north of Elm Street. Selling products manufactured in the kitchen of their upstairs apartment, O’Connor emphasized the quality, purity, and dignity of his chocolates – values that were embodied by the well-known historical figure chosen to be the name and face of the company.

By 1926, Laura Secord had grown into an international chain with 57 stores in Canada and another 19 in the U.S. under the Fanny Farmer brand.

1940s ad (candies was used for chocolate).

1940s vintage ad for Thanksgiving Laura Secord Chocolates (Candies) featuring a woman in a 1940s hairstyles and 1940s dress.

Source: City of Toronto

Willards:

Willards was founded ca. 1914 by E.G. Robinson, a former Neilson’s employee who has been described by one historian as having “a reputation in the candy industry for price cutting and the use of sharp practices to avoid paying his bills.” Willards, which became famous for its Sweet Marie chocolate bar, was also notorious for its role in a 1920s labour dispute known as the Chocolate Case. The company was accused of multiple violations of Ontario’s Minimum Wage Act for falsifying payroll records and underpaying its female employees.

1954 Willards Sweet Marie chocolate bar advertisement.

1950s Vintage Advertisement: 1954 Sweet Marie Chocolate Bar from Willards a Toronto, Canada Company.

More Vintage Chocolate Advertising…..

“Serve the Sampler after Sports”. 1920s Whitman’s Chocolates ad.

Further Reading: Vintage Tennis Outfits from the 1920s-1950s

1920s vintage ad for Whitman's Chocolates featuring an illustration of a woman in a tennis outfit

Source: Pinterest

1923 Rowntree’s Chocolates.

Rowntree: is a British confectionery brand and a former business based in York, England. Rowntree developed the Kit Kat (introduced in 1935), Aero (introduced in 1935), Fruit Pastilles (introduced in 1881), Smarties (introduced in 1937) brands, and the Rolo and Quality Street brands when it merged with Mackintosh’s in 1969 to form Rowntree Mackintosh Confectionery. Rowntree’s also launched After Eight thin mint chocolates in 1962 (Source).

1920s vintage advertisement: Rowntree's Chocolates advert, 1923 featuring an illustration of a couple holding a box of chocolates.

Source: Pinterest

A very stylish 1920s advertisement for Milky Way Chocolate bars featuring two students in 1920s fashions enjoying a treat after class.

1920s vintage advertisement for Milky Way Chocolate bar featuring two stylish 1920s man and woman in 1920s fashions for this back to school ad.

Source: Dying for Chocolate

“Just out! LOWNEY’S “LONGFELLO” is Canada’s Latest and Finest $0.05 Chocolate Bar.”

Lowney’s was an American company who in the 1890s opened a branch of the company and by 1905, they had a factory operating out of Montreal (Source).

1930s vintage ad for Lowney's Longfello Chocolate Bar a Montreal Canada Company (Branch).

Source: eBay

1930s vintage ad for Nestle’s Puffed Milk Chocolate bar.

Source: eBay

“Have you tried FRY’s Chocolate Sandwich? A 1930s vintage ad.

1930s vintage ad for Fry's Chocolate Sandwich Bar featuring an illustration of three men looking at the chocolate.

Source: Alamy

I had to share another Whitman’s Chocolates ad because the Easter Bonnet featured in this 1940s advertisement is just incredible (hat by John Frederics–blog post to come on this talented man).