Photo Album Documenting Power House Candy Bar Window Paintings and Other Marketing Efforts

Mostly Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1940. Good. 7¼" x 11". Riveted faux leather over flexible card. 20 leaves with 64 black and white photographs. Around half are inserted in corner mounts, the other half adhered (all but one rectos only), and nine are laid in. Photos measure from 2¾" x 3¾" to 3 1/8" x 4¾". Album good with heavy wear loss of some surface covering as well as complete separation of the covering of the front cover, which is entirely lacking from the rear; photos generally near fine or better.

This is an album that was almost certainly created by an employee of Carl F. Skinner & Sons, a Kalamazoo, Michigan distributor of the Power House Candy Bar. Power House was popular for several decades and was manufactured at the time by the Walter H. Johnson Candy Company out of Chicago, and was later part of Peter Paul.

All the photos relate to Power House and its distribution. Approximately 37 photos show painted store windows with Power House advertising, including many different exaggerated characters in a number of scenes alternatively pining, screaming, cajoling, even firing a large cannon to get ahold of its chocolaty goodness. A few images show the window painter with his tools. Several photos show Power House-decorated automobiles. These range from simple window cards, to a car covered entirely in Power House decals as well as a Power House travel trailer. The Skinner company truck, also advertising Power House, can be seen as well. One interesting image shows a car ready for a parade with Power House window advertisements as well as a huge banner lobbying against a proposed 20 to 100 percent sales tax on candy. There are several shots of employees and a few great internal views of the Skinner warehouse as well showing a number of products.



This item is offered by Langdon Manor Books, LLC, antiquarian booksellers. We package our items carefully, ship daily, and have a no hassle returns policy--your satisfaction is guaranteed. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksllers (ILAB) and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) and adhere to their rules of ethics.