1900 Globe Polish Advert – “The King of Polishes”, Raimes & Co.

Description

1900 Globe Polish Advert – “The King of Polishes”, Raimes & Co.

Witty and graphically bold early 20th-century advert for Globe Polish, featuring a distinctive sandwich-board figure and sharp black-and-white contrast — a clever slice of Edwardian advertising design.

Measurements: approx. 4 7/8 x 7 inches
Dates: 1900
Source: Illustrated London News
Condition: In decent vintage condition. Please inspect images for quality.
Internal notes: QC passed

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Rendered in crisp black-and-white, this 1900 advert from the Illustrated London News stands out with its stylised silhouette of a sandwich-board man — a walking billboard proclaiming Globe Polish as “The King of Polishes.” It’s a humorous, confident design that taps into the era’s fascination with visual impact and clean-lined illustration.

Issued by Raimes & Co., with offices in Bow and Stockton-on-Tees, the copy promotes the product as safe, thorough, and unrivalled — effective without harming either skin or metal. These were key selling points at the turn of the century, as the household cleaning market became more competitive and manufacturers leaned into scientific claims and everyday usability.

This advert reflects a shift in Edwardian consumer culture — where branding, typography, and street imagery became as important as the product itself. A valuable piece for collectors of antique packaging, domestic ephemera, or the history of British advertising, it also holds appeal for those intrigued by early visual marketing tactics.

Categories: advertising, domestic, ephemera, print, victorian

Tags: polish, metal, 1900s, raimes, london, advert, edwardian, cleaning

Focus keyword: globe polish advert

Suggested Internal Link Keywords: victorian household adverts, british cleaning brands, edwardian advertising, globe metal polish, raimes & co ephemera