I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog about having Stanley bench planes made during the ‘sweetheart’ period of the 1920’s through to the early 1930’s.
While this period is considered by many as when the quality of the Stanley planes was at it’s peak, it is the actual branding that holds a lot of interest.
Prior to 1920 there were 2 Stanley companies. Stanley Works was founded in 1852 as a corporation by brothers Frederick & William Stanley (but dates back to 1823) and was a manufacturer of general hardware (hinges, bolts etc.). Stanley Rule & Level Company was established in 1857 by a cousin of the Stanley brothers and started off making rules and then moved into other tools, especially Bailey planes.
Soon after it was established, Stanley Works employed a 19-year-old called William Hart who very quickly rose within the ranks of the company, becoming General Manager in 1860. He finally retired as President of the company in 1915 and became Chairman of the Board until 1918. During that time, he was responsible for a number of patents and the introduction of many efficiencies in the business. He was also well respected by his employees.
Following William Hart’s retirements as President, the company introduced the sweetheart logo in his honour. The SW within a heart branding appearing on marketing material.
By 1920 Alix Stanley head of the Stanley Tool & Level Company wanted to retire. He and the other stockholders settled on a merger with Stanley Works (really it was a takeover by Stanley Works). While up until this time they were 2 distinct companies -within the hardware industry they were often viewed as one company.
The new company needed a new logo to symbolize the merger and a contest was held amongst employees. Two employees (W.L. Hagen & E.C. Hartman) came up with almost identical designs. That design featured the notched rectangular ‘STANLEY’ from Stanley Rule & Level combined with the sweetheart from Stanley Works.
With thanks to ‘The Legend of Stanley – 150 Years of the Stanley Works’ Jeffrey L. Rodengen, 1996