Media adverts
Without the luxury of on-line selling and marketing, media advertising was the backbone of the company's promotional activity. Here we see how the company targeted their audience, promoted their products and raised the consumers' awareness of the brand.
Getting the message out
....'another masterpiece' from 1955 in the The Daily Sketch. These Pinkahm adverts speak for themselves.
Tatler talk
Recently discovered this advert from November 1956 sees Pinkham gloves, not for the first and not for the last time in Tatler magazine. This time the advertisement is promoting the magic of then new wonder fabric Nylon. Here with embroidered rosebuds. Did this glove design have anything to do with Leslie Pinkham's passion and hobby of growing roses?
The Big Apple
These Pinkham Gloves 1955/6 adverts are from the New Yorker Magazine. The mid 1950s was one of the company’s ‘heydays’ with production reaching almost 100,000 gloves a week. This was driven by strong sales in many parts of the world in particular the USA.
John Pinkham, the grandson of William Pinkham was heading up the sales drive in the USA at this time and as one of the adverts indicates the company had an office on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Pinkham... of course
A newspaper advert from the 1950s highlighting the superior quality of Pinkham fabric gloves and as we would say today 'positioning the brand'.
Promoting a new fabric in the 1950s
Probably from one of the broadsheet newspapers this advert is promoting the Doelyk Sea Island Cotton which was a very soft silk like cotton fabric used for making evening gloves as well as day gloves.
In-store display board
This window display board from the 1950s was found unused in New Zealand in the early 2000s and would have been used on a shop counter top or shop window to advertise Pinkham gloves.
Christmas time
Again from the 1950s this magazine advert gives some sense of the seasonal nature of glove manufacturing in this decade.
A decade when the company produced two ranges of gloves a year and making 48,000 pairs of gloves a week was common.
Diversification
In the early 1960s as the glove market became smaller and trade was tough the company started making blouses. This one hit the headlines as it was made from a new material called Terylene.
Vogue magazine
November 1956.
The White Marble City of Mysore.
This picture was taken on the dais of a past Maharajah's statue, looking towards the Palace entrances.
The inside cover of the magazine described the front page as:
'The dress in white Witchcraft lace is by Julian Rose, 27 guineas at Woollands.
White nylon parasol, price £6 at Liberty's.
White calf court shoes 10 guineas at Rayne.
White cotton gloves, by Pinkham, 15s. 11d. from Peter Jones'.
Royal electric typewriters
From the early 1960s every picture tells a story
Glamour galore
Pinkham gloves were always in demand for marketing and advertising
Here are two examples
This photo was used in an advert in The News Chronicle in 1955
Quality that obvious.
BOAC included Pinkham gloves in their air hostesses' uniforms.
Here BOAC Queen of the Air 1955 air hostess is wearing Pinkham gloves A touch of elegance..
Do you know her name? If so please get in touch at nickpinkham@pinkhamgloves.co.uk
The National Glove Company
From the early 1960s every picture tells a story
New Zealand
All the way from New Zealand this advert from The Wellington Evening Post of November 11th 1920 highlights the reach and fame that The National Glove Company had in the early days. Clearly Carter and Co in Wellington were delighted to have landed a consignment of Engecie fabric gloves. An export market that continued to be good for the company over many years.
Australia
Way down under this advert comes from The Western Australian newspaper of January 7th 1924 and is advertising Engecie imitation suede gloves available at The Economic Stores in Perth.
Their headline reads: ‘Great Annual Summer Fair! Seasonable goods almost given away at superbly generous prices! Be early.’
Slogans, mottos and messages
W Pinkham & Son Ltd
Probably as a result of Leslie Pinkham's flamboyance and imagination in the post war era much of the Pinkham literature had a slogan printed on it.
In particular the clear glove sleeves that gloves were packaged in had a slogan to impress the wearer as they opened their new pair of Pinkham gloves;
ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH
QUALITY THAT'S OBVIOUS
A TOUCH OF ELEGANCE
SERVICE MEANS SO MUCH, COSTS SO LITTLE
WE CAN'T MAKE ALL THE GLOVES SO WE ONLY MAKE THE BEST
The National Glove Company
William & Rebecca Pinkham were acutely aware of how important it was at the time to convey to their customers a message that differentiated The National Glove Company from other glove manufacturers.
Below is one such mantra that was used for many years:
We make:
ANY STYLE YOU WANT
ANY SIZE YOU WANT
ANY COLOUR YOU WANT
ANY QUANTITY YOU WANT
PACK THEM ANY WAY YOU WANT
SEND THEM ANY WHERE YOU WANT
CAN WE DO MORE?
IF SO TELL US
Email your stories of Pinkham Gloves
nickpinkham@pinkhamgloves.co.uk
