Girls Packing Soap
One of the earliest films showing off a brand: three women pack Vinolia soap into boxes
This pioneering film by Charles Goodwin Norton was one of the earliest films with a branded product at its centre. Norton ran his own stationery shop in St Pancras, London, and a had a fascinating sideline in making his own films, which he had screened to the royal family at Buckingham Palace and Cowes. His films frequently feature his family and are a charming blend of pioneer filmmaking and early home movies. The identity of the girls in this film, though, is unknown. Whether the Vinolia soap company was involved in the promotion is also not clear; what is certain is that this is one of the oldest surviving examples of a British product promo.
Pioneers of Screen Advertising
Almost from the dawn of film, advertising was a part of the filmgoing experience. This collection showcases some of screen advertising's earliest steps, as companies learnt to mimic the evolving forms of film comedy, drama, documentary and animation with the careful addition of their product as co-star.
16 videos in this collection
Rudge-Whitworth - Britain's Best Bicycle
Girls Packing Soap
Changing Hues
Trojan Car Advert
Mr.........Goes Motoring
Cinema Commercial - Candy Cushions
The Tale of the Amp-lion
The Boy Who Wanted to Make Pictures
Looking Ahead
Does Your Wife Know?
Ransomes Trolley Buses
Barbara's Secret
Transporting Loads - With or without Roads
Sound Advice