John Larkin Soaps
John D. Larkin founded a soap factory in Buffalo, New York, in 1875. His factory produced two products, Sweet Home Soap, a yellow laundry soap, and Crème Oatmeal, a toilet soap. Soaps were sold through wholesalers and retailers.
A new approach to sales
In 1881, Larkin began selling his soap door-to-door to residential customers. Small cards with images imprinted with the Larkin logo were included in each box of soap. In the 1890s, bonuses were central to Larkin’s sales approach. Larkin’s early bonuses included tissues, towels, and pennies. Larkin later included certificates that could be cashed in and redeemed through the company’s headquarters in Buffalo.
Today, small picture cards are collectible in their own right. The images are often of sweet, smiling children at play. Dogs and kittens are frequent companions of children.
Larkin began selling his company’s products only through mail order, and by 1906, Larkin’s catalog items numbered in the hundreds. Toothpaste, scouring paste, fabric dye, coffee, tea, spices, extracts, baking powder, toiletries, paint, furniture, peanut butter are examples of items that can be purchased through the catalog.
By 19122 the catalog included more than 500 products, including furniture.
Larkin Clubs
The establishment of the “Club Larkin”, whose members were called “Larkinites”, allowed customers to purchase items on the payment plan. Ten customers could form a Larkin Club. Each club member contributed one dollar per month. A Club member, the Secretary, purchased a Combination Box of soap and then distributed the products and prizes to Club members. The Club Secretary was entitled to special awards based on the club’s sales volume.
OakFurniture
The Chautauqua Desk is the most recognizable piece of furniture featured in Larkin’s 1901 catalogue. The desk was made of solid oak with a polished gold finish, applied carving, a beveled mirror, and had a drop front with an open bottom for storage. Simpler versions of the desk eliminated the mirror and had less elaborate carvings. The desk was awarded as a prize for a $10 purchase of soap.
Larkin was the first major catalog dealer to actually manufacture the furniture offered as premium products. The Buffalo Pottery factory was founded to satisfy more premium needs.
Much of the furniture produced by Larkin was unmarked and requires documentation to authenticate its origins. Picture cards or advertising cards display the Larkin Company logo and are easily identifiable.
John Larkin died in 1926, and the company closed in 1941. The city of Buffalo demolished the Larkin Company headquarters in the 1950s due to unpaid taxes. The building had been designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright.
