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AA LEAD: The Concord Grape: An American Classic

(with 2 cuts)

CONCORD, MASS. -- The Welch's collection of advertising art provides a vivid

record, reaching back more than a century, of the marketing of a remarkable

product -- the Concord grape. First cultivated in 1849 and introduced to the

market in 1853, the "grape for the million," has become an American classic.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Ephraim Wales Bull's discovery of

the Concord Grape, the Concord Museum opened "The Concord Grape: An American

Classic," an entertaining and nostalgic tribute on exhibit through November 7,

1999.

The Concord grape was originally developed and promoted as a table grape by

gold beater-turned-horticulturist Ephraim Wales Bull, a neighbor and friend of

Concord's famous Transcendentalist philosophers, Emerson, Alcott and Thoreau.

Thomas Bramwell Welch began experimenting with the unfermented juice of grapes

in 1869. The company formed by his son and successors continued, over the rest

of the century, to expand the production of Concord grape juice. From the

beginning, the company took advantage of modern marketing strategies, then

just being developed, to distribute their products.

Welch's made many novel introductions, including the invention of peanut

butter and jelly sandwiches. Point-of-sale advertising from the 1940's

introduced this combination as a novel idea.

Celebrity endorsements and linkage to popular entertainment are now familiar

marketing strategies. Welch's developed some of the most successful with their

associations with The Irene Rich Show , one of the most popular shows in the

early days of radio, and with the pioneering television show Howdy Doody .

A humble but effective giveaway, the jelly jar glass has now achieved pop icon

status. The Welch's collection includes all the familiar examples from their

long (and continuing) series of decorated jars, including Howdy Doody and the

Flintstones.

The exhibition begins with Ephraim Bull, developer of the Concord grape, and

includes photographs, broadsides, and items associated with Bull and his

initial efforts to sell Concord grape vines.

Photographs beginning with the period 1895 to 1910 through the 1960s document,

decade by decade, Welch's trade exhibitions, grocery store displays, and other

promotions. Some of the rarest and most visually exciting pieces in the

exhibit are the point-of-sale materials.

Produced for grocery stores and soda fountains to appeal directly to the

consumer, these signs, stand-ups, and banners were made to be used and

discarded. The variety and impact of these items, most in perfect condition,

convey visually the changing strategies on the part of the company and

changing expectations on the part of the customer. The change in the color

palette alone conveys a sense of the time period represented.

Also included in the exhibit are examples of beautifully designed and printed

trolley car cards from the 1910s and 20s, recipe books from the 1940s

addressing the war-time sugar shortage, and audiovisual clips of Welch's

television advertising from the 1950s.

The Welch's collection ably illustrates the marketing of Concord's own grape,

which is in itself an interesting chapter in the history of marketing and

American pop culture. A gallery talk on June 25th at 10 am by museum curator,

David Wood looked at the early development of the grape by Concordian Ephraim

Bull, set against the background of the Welch's collection. Additional

associated programs will be scheduled throughout the run of the exhibit. "The

Concord Grape: An American Classic," is on exhibit through November 7.

The Concord Museum is at the intersection of Lexington Road and Cambridge

Turnpike. Telephone 978/369-9609.