Blanket advertising

'Witnedown' brand advertising sign made for Smith and Philips'.

Witney makers already enjoyed a well-deserved good reputation for their woollen products by the end of the 17th century, one that they were generally able to maintain for the next 300 years. Advertising and publicity certainly played a big part in their continuing fame and success and was taken seriously.

The companies took varying approaches to promoting their blankets but tradition, good quality, uniqueness, luxury, durability and value for money are themes that seem to have been adopted time and again.

Early's advertising sign from the 1950s showing John Early presenting blankets to King George III and Queen Charlotte.

Royal connections were made the most of: in 1688 Thomas Early was chosen to present King James II with a pair of gold-fringed blankets on behalf of the tradesmen of Witney. In 1788 John Early presented a pair of blankets to King George III and Queen Charlotte. Queen Mary visited Early's Witney Mill in 1941 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1959. On the occasion of the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer a gift of a pair of horse blankets was embroidered with the Prince of Wales' feathers.

Witney Blanket Company label showing their Buttercross logo.

Witney landmarks like the church and the Buttercross were popular as trademarks and logos, and reinforced the idea of being a genuine 'Witney' product made in the town.

Publicity stunts were sometimes carried out, like making a blanket in one day from sheep shearing to ready for use. Early's performed this trick twice, the first time in 1906 and then again in their tercentenary year 1969, setting a world record into the bargain (to find out more go to the Search the Collections section and search for 'lithograph').

Train at Witney goods station. The engine and each van have boards proclaiming their destination as Maple's department store in London.

Fleets of lorries and trains delivering large orders of Witney blankets were given maximum publicity value by being photographed festooned with large banners declaring their contents and the department store that they were bound for.

The long history of blanket making in Witney was often focussed on to reassure the customer about their blanket's good 'pedigree'. Illustrations of historic moments, such as trading with Native American peoples or presenting blankets to a monarch, were especially popular during the post-War patriotic period of the 1950s.

Early's advertising sign from the 1920s showing three generations admiring an 'Earlywarm' blanket.

The durable nature of Witney blankets was often suggested by emphasising how they had been the choice of generations - remember granny knew best! Smith and Philips had several Victorian blankets re-packaged in the 1930s for demonstration purposes to show how hardwearing their blankets were.

1930s advertising sign for a London department store showing Witney blanket workers holding blankets out in the sun.

Depicting each step in the production process so one could appreciate the work and attention to detail that went into every blanket was a popular method of advertising. Happy workers were pictured going about their business amid the bucolic charms of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. The impressive sight of long stretches of blanket material drying outside in the Witney countryside on tenter racks was often included in promotional material - a process that was romantically christened by one firm as a 'Witney sunbath'.