Larkin Company
Information from Wholesale, Retail, and Manufacturer’s Catalogs
These images are from a twenty-four-page 1899 advertisement booklet circulated by the Larkin Soap Company. Their mail order retail business was second only to Sears, Roebuck & Company. Their retail strategy involved offering household goods and products as premium rewards for purchasing their company’s primary products, soaps and cleaning products.
The description of the Seth Thomas pocket watch advertised on page 4 best describes the 6-size Model 19 pocket watches, which were all pendant set and present with the dial shown and described in the advertisement. An example from the Seth Thomas Fan collection is shown below.
The description of the Seth Thomas pocket watch advertised on page 7 best describes the 6-size Model 19 pocket watches, which were all pendant set and present with the dial shown and described in the advertisement. An example from the Seth Thomas Fan collection is shown below.
Documented Physical Specimen
The back cover of the pamphlet contains an advertisement for a Seth Thomas mantel clock produced specifically for the Larkin Soap Company.
1907 Seth Thomas Model 17 Pocket Watch with the Original Larkin Company
Retail Box, Leather Pouch, Guarantee and Care Instructions
Documented Physical Specimen
I started collecting Seth Thomas clocks and watches in August of 2022 and the first clock that I purchased was a special promotional model, Shasta Larkin, manufactured specially for Larkin Soap Company and only available through Larkin Soap Company. Many of us haven’t heard about the Larkin Company because they went out of business in 1942; but they were second only to Sears, Roebuck & Company at one time.
I really like knowing the story behind the Seth Thomas Shasta//Larkin Mantel Clock No. 35 that I own, and having received the original paperwork that came with this “new” pocket watch in April of 2023 makes the story of both timepieces really come to life in a much more tangible way.
Movement with original retail packaging, guarantee, and care instructions - Seth Thomas Model 17 Serial Number 903812
This 1907 Seth Thomas 6-size hunting Model 17 pocket watch was manufactured with a two-tone finished 3/4 plate, 7 jewels, and it is non-adjusted. The movement is stem wound and lever set, with a Breguet hair spring, and plain/simple regulator. Its serial number is 903812, and its grade is Seth Thomas numbered grade 35. The movement is signed “Seth Thomas Thomaston, Conn.”.
The movement presents with a 6-size Seth Thomas # 1203 Roman dial with a ring minute track and black five-minute marginals, fitted with Seth Thomas #1271 blued spade hands 6-size.
The movement is cased in its original 6-size Illinois Watch Case Company 20-year 14k gold-filled hunting watch case, serial number 1175945. The watch also has its original retail box, guarantee, leather pouch, and care instructions.
In addition to the standard “LARKIN PRODUCTS” the 1909 Larkin Products and Premium Merchandise Catalogue advertised a number of Seth Thomas clocks and pocket watch movements on pages 94 and 96 as “PREMIUM MERCHANDISE”.
Larkin Mantel Clock No. 35 a.k.a. Seth Thomas Shasta
A color illustration from the 1910 Larkin Co. Product and Premiums List provides additional context for the original dial presentation, particularly the gold leaf ornamentation, which appears more pronounced than in many surviving illustrations.
Documented Physical Specimen
In addition to the standard “LARKIN PRODUCTS” the 1912-1913 Larkin Products and Premium Merchandise Fall & Winter Catalogue advertised a number of Seth Thomas pocket watch movements and clocks on pages 122 and 123 as “PREMIUM MERCHANDISE”.
EA 810 – Chautauqua – 18-size – Model 5 – Serial Number 229391 – 17 Jewels - Grade 182 - Private Label Chautauqua
Documented Physical Specimen
Chautauqua is a private label in Seth Thomas 18-size Model 5.
The Larkin Soap Company offered premium products that could be obtained by redeeming “Larkin Premiums” which were earned by purchasing standard Larkin merchandise and/or organizing local Larkin purchasing clubs as a “Larkin Secretary”. The premium products included tableware, tea sets, jewelry, watches, clocks, lamps, furniture, suitcases, washing machines, books, beds, cribs, musical instruments, and many other items. The most refined and desirable version of many products carried the branding “Chautauqua”.
Below you can see a few mailer and catalog offerings of Larkin Soap Company Premiums. Seth Thomas pocket watches and clocks were illustrated in many of the mailers and catalogs documenting an ongoing, well-established working relationship between the Larkin Soap Company and the Seth Thomas Clock Company.
Based on documented use of “Chautauqua” branding for premium-tier goods, and the established inclusion of Seth Thomas pocket watches among Larkin premium offerings, it is reasonable to consider the possibility that the Seth Thomas Chautauqua-branded pocket watch may have been distributed within the Larkin premium system. However, no direct documentation has yet been identified linking this specific watch model to a confirmed Larkin premium offering.
Chautauqua - Seth Thomas Private Label Pocket Watch
Unlike other documented Larkin premiums, no catalog entry has yet been identified for a ‘Chautauqua’ pocket watch despite clear evidence that Seth Thomas produced such private-label watches.
1901 Pan-American Exposition - The Larkin Building
May 1 - November 1, 1901
In addition to being the home of The Larkin Soap Company, Buffalo New York became the site of the 1901 Pan-American Exhibition (World’s Fair). Larkin took full advantage of this opportunity to showcase their product lines and company philosophy on the world stage. The Larkin exhibit was one of the most complete of any exhibit on the grounds of the 1901 Pan-American Exhibition. The Larkin Building contained eight completely furnished rooms, as an exhibition of Larkin Soaps and their Premium Merchandise demonstrating what the Larkin Idea was.
The scale and completeness of the Larkin exhibit integrating consumer goods with Premium Merchandise in fully realized domestic settings demonstrates how the company presented its distribution system as a unified commercial model rather than a collection of individual products.
This integrated presentation provides important context for understanding how branded or private-label items such as pocket watches functioned within the Larkin premium system, where they were not marketed as isolated products but as components of a coordinated distribution model.
Within this framework, the appearance of the ‘Chautauqua’ name on pocket watches aligns with Larkin’s documented branding practices, even where direct catalog evidence has not yet been identified.
The image above is from the cover of the August 1901 “The Larkin Idea” pamphlet. The image below, from page 16 of the same issue, illustrates one of the fully furnished rooms used to present Larkin Premiums within the exposition building. Contemporary accounts described the exhibit as “one of the most complete of any on the ground...” While one report noted seven fully furnished rooms, Larkin’s own description of the exhibition building indicates that it was arranged with eight rooms, each furnished with Larkin Premiums.
Company Context and Marketing Materials (Non-Premium)
50th Year Larkin Anniversary Medal
In 1925 the John Larkin Company commissioned a 50th Year Anniversary Medal with the image of John D. Larking on the obverse, and the Larkin Company corporate campus on the reverse. This anniversary medal reflects the scale and institutional maturity of the Larkin enterprise that supported its large premium distribution system.
Larkin Soap Company Trade Cards
Victorian-era trade cards were a popular form of advertising in the late 19th century, serving both as business cards and collectible art. Local sellers of Larkin products in their communities could order these trade cards. The Larkin trade cards that I have acquired were printed on paper, not card stock. They are fragile and may have only been samples of the designs available and not representative of the actual trade cards. I have no way of knowing at this time; but because they were all purchased from different seller; it is unlikely that all of them would be design samples.
These trade cards illustrate one part of Larkin’s mass-market advertising strategy for standard retail products, distinct from its premium merchandise system documented above.
Many cards used vibrant chromolithography to depict cherubs, floral arrangements, or idyllic domestic scenes to appeal to female customers.
The sample ‘Cream’ trade cards (above left and below) sent to the salespeople requested a business card to personalize the back of the trade card for the salesperson.
Larkin Employee Badges
Employee badges reflect the scale and organizational structure of the Larkin Company workforce that supported its catalog distribution and premium fulfillment operations.
Larkin Club of Ten Secretary Badge
The ‘Club of Ten’ program was a structured purchasing system through which participants qualified for Larkin premiums, illustrating the mechanism by which premium merchandise—including Seth Thomas products—was distributed.
