Description:A postcard view of George Powell (left) and Steve Powell (right) standing by an Anglo-American Oil Co. Ltd. delivery lorry which advertises Pratts Spirit above the cab.
Around the time of this photograph George William Powell lived in Mill Street and Arthur Stephen 'Steve' Powell lived in Glebe Avenue, Stafford. It is thought that the photograph was taken in the Stafford area. Please contact us if you recognise the precise location. On the reverse there is a circular photographer’s mark of Thomas Pearce, whose studio was at 40 Peel Terrace, Stafford.
The 'ANGLOCO' radiator badge on the lorry is an acronym for the Anglo-American Oil Co. Ltd. which can be seen on the cab door. On the left of the door there is a Royal Warrant granted by King Edward VII in 1905 to the company for the supply of Pratt's Perfection Motor Spirit. Around this time the company had created a national operating network with some 3,500 sales agents around the country offering the company's wares. Also there were approximately 1000 horses working for the company with some distribution carried out by horse drawn tank car until after the First World War.
Charles Pratt and Company was an oil company formed in 1867 by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in Brooklyn, New York. It became part of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil organisation in 1874. In 1888, the Anglo-American Oil Co. Ltd., opened its head office in Bishopsgate, London, which eventually became a part of Esso. It was the first foreign affiliate of John D Rockefeller's US Company the Standard Oil Trust. In addition to the head office there was a depot at Purfleet in Essex. The depot stored paraffin which was shipped from New York for use in lamps throughout England. Light oil for lamps and heaters was delivered in bottles or cans. As well as at garages with hand operated pumps, petrol was also bought in cans at Chemist shops. The chances are that Pratt's Spirit may be the name on the cans and the delivery vehicles. In 1896 Anglo-American began marketing Pratt's Motor Spirit and issued its first UK advertisement for ‘Pratt's Petroleum’, which was named after Charles Pratt, one of the founders of Standard Oil. In 1929 Anglo-American supplied ‘Pratt's Motor Oils’ directly to garages. By 1933 the company advertised the benefits of Pratt's Ethyl and Essolube in reducing winter starting problems.
In 1935 Anglo-American replaced the brand name Pratt's by Esso, to align with other products such as Essolube and Essolene, etc. The Pratt's brand name remained in use for lubricant products until the 1950s. Esso's parent company, Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) changed its name to Exxon Corporation in 1972. Exxon Corporation merged with the Mobil Oil Company in 1999, creating the Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Thank you to Mr Ian Hazlehurst and Mr Lloyd Walker for the additional information.