THE VACUUM OIL COMPANY had been formed as a petroleum company in the United States in 1866 and by the late 1890's had expanded its operations to Europe and Australia. Its early motor oil products were called Vacuum Mobiloils.
From a newspaper dated 1904, this was a pretty good gesture and a great way of advertising the product
In 1911 a new company was formed in the United States called "Standard Oil Company of New York" (Socony) and in 1920 this company registered the trademark "Mobiloil". Also in 1911 another new company,
Magnolia Petroleum Company, was formed and its trade mark was a red winged horse "Pegasus". Here then were three companies that were to come together in mergers and affiliations to produce the brands and trademarks that are so well known today. 1931 saw the merger of Socony and Vacuum Oil Company and a short while later the merged company affiliated with The Magnolia Petroleum Company and the Mobil Pegasus trademark was born. A famous trademark from the early 1900's was the gothic "Gargoyle" but it took three design attempts to get it right . In 1955 the company was renamed 'Socony Mobil Oil Company' and in 1966 it was shortened to 'The Mobil Oil Company'. By 1999 Mobil had merged with the Exxon Corporation and the company became ExxonMobil.
Products in the UK
were mainly lubrication oils with Mobiloil
Advert dated 1929 illustrating the Vacuum Oil Company's mutual arrangement with Austin Cars putting them on a par with Shell and Wakefield Castrol
becoming a major brand by the 1930's but it was not until the early 1950's when government "Pooled Petrol" deregulation occurred that Mobil opened its first petrol stations. Moving abroad, the Vacuum Oil Company began its Australian operations at the end of the 19th century and in 1916 it commenced petrol retailing with a brand called "Plume". By 1954 a new petrol brand named "Mobilgas" had replaced the Plume brand.
This sign is circa 1905 and shows the first version of the Gargoyle trade mark
Edwardian enamel signs for the Vacuum Oil Company are very attractive usually incorporating a tin of motor oil in the design on a red background.
Other signs were in white and incorporated the "Gargoyle" trade mark. Early motor oil tins were coloured white and produced in a variety of shapes with the grade of oil marked on them "No 1", "A", "B", "C", "CW", "D" etc for varying types of engine. After 1904 Motor Oil tins incorporated the "Gargoyle" trade mark as part of the Vacuum Mobiloil brand. Around the world variations are to be found in tin design, colour and shape.
