This page was last edited on 12 December 2013, at 16:58. Kleine [born Heinrich Leopald Kleine] was a product of the old country, arriving in the U.S. from Prussia as a child in the 1860s. As a 1915 issue of Boot and Shoe Recorder put it: “The rapid strides made during the past four years by Chicago in the way of becoming a national center for the manufacture of shoe dressings has hitherto obtained little public comment, yet it is a fact that the city today ranks nearly the equal of New York City in that regard, St. Louis coming third. This happy event occurred on January 3—that is, the 25,000th order was filled on that day. text of this web site is available under the Creative Shoe polish was far from a new concept in 1900, but the idea of buying the product as a packaged cosmetic—something to use repeatedly at home rather than just paying a shoeshine boy on a street corner—was still quite novel to many people. The frisky Fritzi Scheff, in “Mlle Modiste,” was the attraction, and after the final curtain the happy party wended their way to the Tin Top Inn, where a sumptuous midnight supper was well taken care of. Still, there was at least no argument yet as to which firm still wore the Chi-Town crown. Since Kleine had seen the benefits of getting ahead of the curve with his leather shoe outlet, he believed he could make lightning strike twice by pivoting toward this closely related field. The “Nugget” – Dark Brown – “Nugget” – Dark Brown This early 7cm diameter tin is printed in brown on a light background. Swain, secretary and manager, and wife; C. F. Powers, assistant superintendent, and wife; E. S. Braymer, sales manager, and wife; the Misses Jones and Bigelow, cashiers.”. “With possibly few exceptions, [Mr. Blichert] is the best-known manufacturer of shoe polishes in this country,” claimed the folks at Shoe and Leather Facts. Despite the explosion of interest in polish for soldiers’ boots during World War II, new brands like Shinola and Esquire had pushed the old Eagle Brand goods to the sidelines. Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. My great-grandfather was P.A.Blichert and our family can now appreciate much of his past history that we were unfamiliar with, until this exhibit. Was it the most original concept of all time? ‘Eagle Brand’ is a familiar sight in the shoe store findings cases and in shoe shining shops wherever one may go.”, [A 1920 pamphlet for Henry Kleine & Co. includes listings for all the Eagle Brand products, including our Suede Powder; lower left corner]. Manufacturers of Nugget Boot Polishes and Boot Creams in various shades, Boot Polishing Outfits, White Cleaner for Buckskin and Canvas, Furniture Polish, Harness Polishes. J.111). Its industry was shoe polish and its headquarters was in London, England. Initially operating out of a central office at 200 E. Lake Street, the American Shoe Polish Company soon moved into its own large-scale production plant at 220-230 N. Franklin St., which became 814-820 N. Franklin St. after the street number changes of 1909 and 1911. Designed and hosted by Infinity - Copyright 2020. His company, Henry Kleine & Co., would remain a familiar name in the marketplace well into the 1920s, running independently from the American Shoe Polish Co. Charles Swain was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, but headed west like so many other young men in the 1890s, looking for a new opportunity in the rapidly expanding centralized metropolis of Chicago. The brown, orange and white printed lipped lid sits on a solid brown printed base with butterfly opener. “Wherever footwear is worn and shoes are shined, the American Shoe Polish Company, of Chicago, have made their ‘Eagle Brand’ dressings known”—this according to a 1913 article in that much beloved periodical, Shoe and Leather Facts. Charles Swain appears to have been a working casualty of this tumultuous period. The marketing was bold to the point of cockiness, specifically with campaigns geared at the industry insiders; the retailers, cobblers, and “shoe finders”—the specialists who helped contribute parts, components and accessories to the footwear field. . The country looks great, and President Wilson is doing well in having talks with men of affairs.”. Required fields are marked *. This happy event occurred on January 3—that is, the 25,000th order was filled on that day. Otto Scholz Sr. died four years later, in January of 1945, and most signs of the American Polish Company seem to fade with him. Swain—known to nearly everyone in the findings trade as ‘Jim’—spends the greater part of his time at the home office,” wrote Shoe and Leather Facts [we will likely never known where that ‘Jim’ business came from]. The American Shoe Polish Co. carried on into and through World War I, enjoying the benefits of America’s renewed call for shiny boots, but also bending a bit against a growing roster of competitors. The company survived the loss, still counting on the aesthetic excesses of the Roaring ‘20s to keep the Eagle Brand afloat. If Kleine had the business savvy and Swain delivered the youthful drive, Blichert owned the secret formula to success. “Mr. As a character to interview, our representative says [Swain] is about as tough a proposition as he ever encountered, but, he added to his report: ‘He sure does know the shoe polish business and has the affairs of his company at his fingertips.’” [Photo: Charles and Lillian Swain, c. 1920]. 1929 Name change to Chiswick Products upon amalgamation with Nugget Polish Co. Grace's Guide web site design is Copyright © 2020 by Grace's Guide Ltd. Museum Artifact: Eagle Brand Suede Powder, c. 1920, Made by: American Shoe Polish Co., 1956 S. Troy Street, Chicago, IL [North Lawndale]. . During the Depression, it was the younger Otto Scholz who took over the reins of the American Polish Company, while Swain’s 1930 census report shows him working as a “curtain salesman,” apparently out of the polish game entirely. 1922 Listed Exhibitor. Coming up in the business world during the Teddy Roosevelt administration, it only makes sense that Swain adopted a “speak softly and carry a big stick” approach to his work. Noting the number on the order, and remembering the agreement, Manager Swain immediately reserved two boxes at the Illinois Theatre, Chicago, for Saturday night, January 6. This early 7cm diameter tin is printed in brown on a light background. It merged with the Chiswick Polish Company in 1929, forming Chiswick Products, Ltd. “When the American Shoe Polish Co. was founded some years ago, the founders agreed that when they had filled their 25,000th order, there would be a nice, quiet little celebration. . He has been interested and associated with The American Shoe Polish Company almost from its very beginning in the important position he has filled since that time.”, “but in that they are all trained men, familiar with the shoe polish business from A to Z, and among the best known and most popular salesmen in the trade, they take considerable pride.”, “All who try it say it is the finest shoe polish they ever used”, “It looks different and better, it smells different and better, and it works different and better”, “We will give you 50 to 250 packages of EAGLE BRAND SHOE CREAM—full 25-cent size—to distribute free to good people in your town, and in addition, “EAGLE BRAND SHOE CREAM smells like perfume and gives a finer shine than any other polish ever made. You wonder why we offer to pay you to give away Shoe Cream—we’ll tell you. As an FYI, my grandfather’s (Frederick Blichert) shoe polish business ended prematurely  in 12/64. 1919 Pooling agreement between Chiswick Polish Co and Nugget Polish Co put into practice. Henry Kleine had worked with Blichert in the past, as their industrial interests routinely overlapped. The Nugget Polish Company was founded in 1898 by Paul Fitte and H. C. Lane in Kennington, England. Not merely a brighter shine, but a richer shine—a shine like a rich leather gloss, not like varnish or stove polish. Pass the champagne, Heinrich! As a character to interview, our representative says [Swain] is about as tough a proposition as he ever encountered, but, he added to his report: ‘He sure does know the shoe polish business and has the affairs of his company at his fingertips.’” [Photo: Charles and Lillian Swain, c. 1920], “Thanks for this comprehensive exhibit which was so well researched and presented. The party was over. In 1906, there were 17 workers employed in the factory; nine men and eight women. One was the close proximity of Chicago’s Union Stock Yards, creating easy and essentially unlimited access to the tallow, or animal fat, often utilized in early shoe polish formulas. He breathed his last in 1941. But it proved to be an effective mascot nonetheless. manufacturing in Britain. The “Eagle Brand” and associated flying eagle logo were tied to just about every ASPCo product over the company’s 30 year run, including the Eagle Brand Suede Powder tin in our museum collection. 1919 Pooling agreement between Chiswick Polish Co and Nugget Polish Co put into practice. Now, the goal was to join forces to gain a foothold—pun intended—in the quickly emerging shine industry. Scholz had actually followed a very similar path into the business as Swain—more precisely, he married Henry Kleine’s other daughter Bertha in 1910. “When the American Shoe Polish Co. was founded some years ago, the founders agreed that when they had filled their 25,000th order, there would be a nice, quiet little celebration. We worked on it for years and two years ago we at last succeeded in perfecting it to our satisfaction, and called the product EAGLE BRAND SHOE CREAM. This was a merger of the two biggest manufacturers of boot and floor polishes in the world creating a global brand with factories and warehouses abroad as well as in the UK and a worldwide distribution. 1922 Listed Exhibitor. As a first step toward a new era, the main American Shoe Polish Co. plant moved to North Lawndale by the end of 1920, occupying a three-story space at 1956 South Troy Street; a building which has likely hasn’t survived, although its immediate neighboring building at 1954 S. Troy is still standing, and may or may not have been connected to the original plant. The frisky Fritzi Scheff, in “Mlle Modiste,” was the attraction, and after the final curtain the happy party wended their way to the Tin Top Inn, where a sumptuous midnight supper was well taken care of.

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