Description
Artist: ANONYMOUS
Size: 27 5/8 x 43 3/4 in./70 x 111 cm
Condition: Cond A.
Printer: Sweeney Litho., Belleville, NJ
Reference:
Socony-Vacuum Mobillubrication. .
Whereas a Shell poster encourages the consumer to prepare their vehicle for a long, cold winter with the utmost civility (see previous lot), this Socony-Vacuum Mobil design prompts them to get their car in tiptop shape for the more potentially pleasurable circumstance of a family getaway. Interestingly, even though the incidentals may differ (there’s no mechanic or implied auto shop on display here), the sentiment is surprisingly similar–because it’s not the destination that matters most, nor is it the vehicle or really even the lubricant being promoted: it’s the piece of mind that you’ll receive by attending to automotive maintenance in a responsible manner that counts most of all. Of course, if you’re really on the ball, it goes without saying that Socony-Vacuum Mobil will be your vehicular lubricant of choice. Following the break-up of Standard Oil in 1911, the Standard Oil Company of New York–or Socony–was founded, with the company registering the name "Mobiloil" as a trademark in 1920. In 1931, Socony Oil merged with Vacuum Oil to form Socony-Vacuum. Then in 1955, Socony-Vacuum was renamed the Socony Mobil Oil Company. The company would again change their trade name to Mobiloil in 1963 before eventually renaming themselves the now-familiar Mobil. Mobillubrication was one of the many products produced by the enterprise during the 1940s and much of the 1950s.