Company Info
Seaforth! was several different lines of Men's grooming products produced from the 1940's to the 1970's by Alfred McKelvy of New York and from the 1970's to the early 1980's by Prince Matchabelli. Though never as popular as Shulton Old Spice, Seaforth! was a successful and steady participant in the Men's grooming market in the U.S., especially during the 1940's.
The original McKelvy Seaforth! from the 1940's was Heather and Fern. During the Fifties this was changed to just Heather and this line was joined by a second scent Seaforth! Spiced, a heady combination of rum, myrrh, and cinnamon. After the brand was bought by Prince Matchabelli in the 1970's the brand was once again reduced to a single line, this time called Scottish Heather.
The original McKelvy Seaforth! from the 1940's was Heather and Fern. During the Fifties this was changed to just Heather and this line was joined by a second scent Seaforth! Spiced, a heady combination of rum, myrrh, and cinnamon. After the brand was bought by Prince Matchabelli in the 1970's the brand was once again reduced to a single line, this time called Scottish Heather.
Gallery - Seaforth! lines
Product Info
- Aftershaves:
- Other Shaving Requisites: Seaforth! also produced a shaving soap in its signature scent. If the mugs available are any guide, these soaps were produced from the 40's through the late 60's.
- Ancillaries: In common with Shulton and many brands of the time, McKelvey produced a wide-range of ancillary products to go with their fragrances. Colognes were always accompanied by after-shave, and often after-shave talc. Shaving soaps were produced and sold in handsome custard glass mugs. During the 1940's McKelvy produced a large number of annual Christmas gift sets, the larger of which included products like Hair Dressing, Brushless Shave Cream, Deodorant, and Hand soaps in the original Heather and Fern scent.
- Travel Sizes: In the 1950's Seaforth! produced a number of small travel sets in their Spiced and signature scents. These products were packaged in the classic milk glass jugs, but were 1/4 sized, usually holding an ounce or two of product. These usually came packaged in groups of three, and cologne, a/s, and talc (sometimes after-shave talc).
Packaging
McKelvy's Seaforth! products were some of the most uniquely packaged and branded products available at the time. Early Seaforth! came in instantly recognizable crockery tubs with bakelite-like stoppers and caps. Unfortunately, most of these bottles and mugs were decorated with stickers, and subsequent age and handling have made finding good condition ones very difficult. Later iterations of the brand came in highly polished milk or custard glass bottles and mugs with more permanent decorations. Line identification was accomplished by color, i.e. Heather was white glass with green writing and Spiced was cream glass with Red writing. Final versions of the line used white milk glass with black decoration. The toughness and survivability of these bottles and mugs were a conscious selling point on the part of McKelvy, whose ads often mentioned the "sturdy and attractive" packaging.
Gallery - Seaforth! shaving mugs
Seaforth! Shaving Mugs | |||||