Object/Work Type
Exhibition Kiosks

Title Text
Lion Noir Kiosk

Creation Date
1910-1911

Descriptive Note Text

This lovely kiosk advertised Lion Noir,  a brand of shoe polish and maintenance products created in the 1890s and developed by the company “les Produits du Lion Noir.” The company, located in Montrouge, France, was created around 1890. This brand enjoyed great success in the first half of the twentieth century. . It disappeared in 1992 after changing owners several times. The company developed processes for manufacturing wax-based shoe polish products. The use of wax was new in the manufacture of shoe polishes which instead used chemical components. It contributed to the shine of Lion Noir polishes and creams and to their success.

The Lion Noir brand was a consistent presence at Universal Expositions, and was rewarded in 1900, during the presentation of its products at the Universal Exhibition in Paris. Lion Noir obtained several other awards, such as a gold medal in Brussels in 1910. Fernand George, the founder of the Lion Noir Products company, was delegate-rapporteur for the chemical industries at the Universal Exhibition of 1915 in San Francisco.  In 1965, Lion Noir ceased to exist as a dictinct brand and was absorbed into the larger Société Solitaire (S.N.S.).

Code in the 1911 Map
107