Valmor Products Co.
VALMOR PRODUCTS CO. CHICAGO, ILL., Was an American cosmetics company from Chicago , which existed from 1926 to 1984, mainly selling products to ethnic minorities . The range included pomades , powders , perfumes , jewelry and later also wigs , dream books , bizarre “ magical ” curiosities and voodoo articles. In the 1930s and 1940s, Valmor was one of the most successful cosmetic companies in the United States. One of Valmor's most popular products was the Sweet Georgia Brown hair pomade , which has been in production since 1934. The owners were Morton G. Neumann and his wife Rose.
history
Valmor was founded in 1926 by the chemist Morton G. Neumann (1898–1985), an American of Hungarian descent. The name of the company was a combination of the words “VALue” (value) and “MORe” (more). Leading the company were Neumann, who created the cosmetics, Charles C. Dawson (1889–1981), responsible for graphic design, and later the pin-up artist Jay Jackson (1905–1954). Couples and love have been the main theme of many of the company's graphics.
In addition to beauty items, the company was also known for products that focused on magic and mysticism . The products of Valmor managed during the Great Depression to become the basis for a highly profitable company. In the mid-20th century, the company was pushed out of the cosmetics industry due to better quality products on the market and a lack of belief in magic. The company changed tactics and then focused solely on selling wigs and pomades.
The location of Valmor always remained the Bronzeville district in the south of Chicago . Valmor not only had a specialty shop here, but also established both mail order and door-to-door sales. The first headquarters of the company in 5249 S. Cottage Grove Avenue served as a recording studio of Valmor Blues - record labels and was in the 1940s to the home of Chess Records . As Valmor expanded, it acquired the block between S. Indiana Avenue and S. Prairie Avenue , where the company was based until the 1970s. Valmor also had a mailing address at 2541 S. Michigan Avenue for the 1950s to 1970s , just around the corner from the offices of one of Valmor's largest advertising partners, Johnson Publishing - the publisher of Ebony and Jet African American magazines .
In 1984, Valmor was acquired by RH Cosmetic Corp. from Brooklyn , which helped former Valmor products to increase sales, until the company ceased operations in 1996.
Brands
Morton G. Neumann operated under the umbrella brand of Valmor Products Co., several sub-companies for the retail and wholesale trade, as well as numerous own brands for almost every target group. Here are some of the Valmor brands and the year they were created:
- 1927: Sweet Georgia Brown
- 1930: Van Van
- 1935: Hug me Tight
- 1936: Lucky Lulu
- 1937: True Love
- 1937: Lucky Brown
- 1937: Lucky Cat
- 1940: Black Cat
- 1940: Slick-Black
- 1944: Madam Jones
- 1954: Hold your Man
Reflections in the art scene
The product labels inspired artists such as Roy Lichtenstein for the painting “Laughing Cat” (1961) and Claes Oldenburg for his mouse museum, as well as a Rolling Stones vinyl record cover in 1978 . In 2015, an exhibition was held in Chicago under the name "Love for Sale: The Graphic Art of Valmor Products" which was exclusively dedicated to Valmor's product labels.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Stan Soldan: The Pomade Book . 1st edition. Munich 2017, ISBN 978-3-9816789-2-5 , pp. 320 .
- ↑ Sweet Georgia Brown Hair Dressing Pomade. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Valmor. Accessed July 6, 2019 .
- ^ Daniel Schulman September 1, 2008: Charles Dawson's Design Journey. Retrieved July 6, 2019 .
- ^ Valmor Products Co. History. Accessed July 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Nadra Nittle: Before Fenty: Over 100 Years of Black Makeup Brands. January 23, 2018, accessed July 6, 2019 .
- ↑ Love for Sale: The Graphic Art of Valmor Products. Accessed July 6, 2019 .