Commercial Overprint Society of Great Britain

Vol. 2 No. 4; October 1, 2004

Pearl Assurance Company Ltd.

by Michael Behm

The Pearl Loan Company began in 1857. It operated out of the Royal Oak pub, which was opposite the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London's East End. The Pearl Life Assurance & Sick Benefit Society began in 1862 and was located nearby.

In 1864, these organizations joined to form the basis of a new company, the Pearl Life Assurance Loan & Investment Company Limited. By 1868 it had 59 locations in London and 28 in provincial towns.

Pearl Assurance concentrated on weekly premium life assurance, known as 'industrial insurance'. Most policies offered funeral expenses for the tiny sum of one penny a week, and some were available for only a halfpenny. Pearl evolved to become a major force in life insurance and financial services provision.

Pearl was taken over by AMP in March 1990 in the largest takeover of a British financial institution by an overseas organization.

With this long and impressive history, you might expect Pearl overprints to be common. They are not; the overprint below is the only Pearl overprint reported.


Resources


Bon Marché

by Michael Behm

Bon Marché was founded in England in 1878. It was modeled on a Parisian store of the same name and featured fashions, perfumes, and accessories from France There were Bon Marché locations in cities around England, each of which appears to have had an independent history.


The Bon Marché store in Brixton, London (pictured c. 1912), was the first purpose-built department store in the country. The Brixton store closed in the 1970s and the building is now occupied by a variety of shops and offices.


Bon Marché Gloucester was that city's first department store. Today the Gloucester store is known as Debenham's.


The Liverpool store is the best documented. It became renowned for its sense of style and its encouragement of the arts and, in 1927, a gallery was built in the Liverpool store where a series of exhibitions, lectures, and concerts were staged. During the 1930s, promotional events were a regular feature. Citizens flocked to see Gracie Fields selling stockings for fifteen minutes. (Gracie, a singer and actress, was the highest paid film star in the world in 1937.) In 1937, Bon Marché introduced Younger Liverpool Ltd., an early example of a boutique-style store. Even World War Two could not inhibit Bon Marché—they built a special air raid safety zone and staged a fashion show featuring the new Utility styles. During the 1950s its fortunes declined. In 1961 the Liverpool store was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership, who merged it with George Henry Lee stores.

Today, "bonmarché is an established value retailer focused on selling affordable quality womens' wear to women over 45 years in age."

Resources


Send comments or questions to mjbehm@kw.igs.net