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Exterior of Line, McDonald & Co. and Lawson and Jones Buildings

Exterior of Line, McDonald & Co. and Lawson and Jones Buildings

DateEarly 20th Century
Dimensions24.2 cm x 17 cm
Credit LineCollection of Museum London, 1999.
Object number1999.011.130
Label TextThis photograph depicts the Lawson & Jones production facility in the early 20th century. The signs in the window announce their product line: folding boxes and cartons, advertising calendars, labels and novelties, and envelopes. The photograph also depicts Line, McDonald. The company had been founded in 1891 by Robert D. McDonald and Harry Line. McDonald first worked as a clerk for cigar manufacturer H. McKay and Company starting in 1888. By 1889, he had risen to the position of bookkeeper. By 1910, Line, McDonald had 200 people working for them. London's cigar-manufacturing industry flourished from the 1860s until the First World War (1914-1918). At its peak, in 1912, some 20 firms were producing 80 million cigars a year. The advent of Prohibition in 1916, raised tariffs during the First World War, and a turn towards cigarettes spelled the end of the industry.
NamePhotograph