Oil Companies
The history of oil companies can be an effective tool in narrowing down a date on an historic image. Many companies did not initially spread to Vermont, and companies marketed under different names in different places and at different times. Companies constantly merged, broke apart, and developed new logos and design prototypes.
The Standard Oil Company was founded in 1863 by John D. Rockefeller. In 1911, Standard Oil broke apart to form eleven smaller companies. These eleven plus numerous other small and large oil companies took advantage of the emerging automobile and its need for motor oil and gasoline. Although motor oil was initially branded, gasoline remained a generic product until the 1920s. As the automobile grew into a national phenomenon, competition between gasoline companies heightened. Gas companies engaged in place-product-packaging, a marketing technique that involved incorporating the entire gas station design into a brand name.
Originally, gas stations sold a variety of gasoline and motor oil brands. Eventually, as the gas station became more widespread in the late 1910s and 1920s, individual stations marketed one specific brand of gas. Oil companies also sought to standardize their stations. With the concept of place-product-packaging, companies produced design standards for the stations that sold their product. These standards dictated color scheme, station layout, logo, or architectural style. Many companies even developed prototype stations, ensuring that customers could easily recognize one of their "look-alike" stations along the road.
Logos became an integral part of the place-product-packaging of oil companies. Early signs and logos were attached directly to the buildings. Around 1915, signs were mounted on posts and placed out on the street. Signs gradually became larger and taller. The logos themselves became smaller, while the writing on the signs became more prominent. Canopies often displayed the logo and company name, especially after the 1950s, when the canopy became a larger, more integral part of the station design.
Click on the following names to learn more about the history and branding of some of the major oil companies that marketed in Vermont.
