24. December 2023

The Mei Foo Shield was the "monthly magazine published by the Standard Oil Company of New York in the interests of its Far Eastern Staff". More on SOCONY in our previous article here.

21. November 2022

Before the electrification of China starting in 1882 and the introduction of battery-powered torches in the 1910s, oil lamps were the predominant means of illumination. They were cheap to manufacture & became popular promotional merchandise - most famously exemplified by the Standard Oil Company of New York (SOCONY).

02. August 2021

As early as 1869, Vacuum Oil used a stylized red gargoyle to advertise petroleum-based lubricants for horse-drawn carriages and steam engines and to promote its Mobiloil brand. The flying red horse was first used by Vacuum Oil in South Africa in 1911 and in 1931 the red Pegasus – a symbol of speed and power – was adopted as its U.S. trademark. The Pegasus remains among the most recognized corporate symbols in American petroleum history. This January 1937 map featuring the two iconic brand...

06. December 2019

The Texas Fuel Company – later renamed to Texaco - was founded in 1901 in Beaumont, Texas. For many years, Texaco was the only company selling gasoline under the same brand name in all 50 US states, as well as Canada, making it the most truly national brand among its competitors. Texaco also entered in a joint venture with Caltex and sold products under that name around the world. On October 15 2000, the owner of Caltex, Chevron acquired Texaco in a deal valued at $45 billion, creating the...