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Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "People's Drug Store No. 5, Eighth and H Street N.E." If you're not lured in by the abdominal trusses, cigars or Hypo-Cod, there's always the photoplay next door -- "Blazing the (Something)." View full size.
The movie was "Blazing the Way" with James Byron Warner and came out on Universal in 1920. There is a HD restored version of this photo as attached.
The Miss America Chocolate Company seems to have appeared on the Washington Metropolitan Area (including parts of Pennsylvania) advertising scene in September of 1920, and lasted until 1965 or so—at least that's when their advertising ceased.
At their height they were well known for their packages of Miss America Chocolate Covered Mints and Thin Mints, Chocolate Whipped Creams, Peppermints, and Cocoanut Creams, as well as Chocolate Cordial Fruits, Chocolate Covered Nuts, Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Assorted Chocolates in full pound boxes. Pound cello packages of jelly candies were available in the form of Orange Slices, Spiced or Assorted Jelly Drops, or Spearmint Leaves.
At Easter time in 1962 Peoples Drug Stores were advertising a 12 oz. Miss America Pecan Nougat Egg for 98¢, a 3 oz. one for 29¢, Decorated Chocolate Eggs for 10¢, Chocolate Rabbits, 6 for 25¢, a Decorated Chocolate Cross for 10¢, a Decorated Chocolate Rabbit or a Pig for 10¢ each.
One of their most popular offerings was their Liquid Cordial Cherries, as seen inside the doorway. Normally $1 a box, they were on sale for 89¢ throughout the area in the fall of 1920. The ad below is from the October 20 issue of The Oil City Derrick (Oil City, Pennsylvania), and shows the same box as in the doorway above.
Their Chocolate Covered Cherries box was less graphic.
And remember, at Peoples Drug Stores:
Miss America, the Chocolate Sensation! Look inside the door at display sign.
I had checked this once before when I saw ice cream in Washington with the Velvet name. See the ad here. I think it is a different company than the one still here in Ohio.
[The "Velvet Kind" trademark was used nationally on ice cream made by many different dairies (Purity among them) owned by the Chapin-Sacks Corp. - Dave]
Still in business in Utica, Ohio. They have factory tours too.
This was right after the influenza pandemic that killed 50 million worldwide. Vinol was made of beef and cod liver peptones, iron, manganese and glycerophosphates. Hypo Cod was a cod liver oil tonic "flu tonic" that was supposed to "build you up."
Johnson & Johnson on How to Decorate a Pharmacy Window.
"Blazing The Way," starring James B. Warner. Universal Film Manufacturing Company.
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