Names

Shell Oil Company Collection

IDs

NMM 15

Offline Only

Descriptions

The Shell Collection (donated by Shell Australia to the National Motor Museum in 2009) includes 23 examples of petroleana documenting the history of the Shell Motor Company in Australia. This collection includes examples of collectibles such as petrol cans and tin signs.

The London-based Shell Transport and Trading Company was one of the earliest fuel suppliers in Australia. Prior to the arrival of the first Shell tanker containing kerosene in 1901 Rockefeller's Standard Oil had a monopoly. Australia was a natural market for an oil company, since the vast distances and relative prosperity meant that there was high per-capita car ownership. [np] This collection documents the changing way that Australians travelled around the country - from early days when petrol was purchased in cans from a General Store or Blacksmith to the advent of petrol pumps and service stations. In 1951, Shell was the first in Australia to introduce single-brand service stations.

A National Motor Museum collection. Access to collection items held in Museum Stores is by appointment only.

Subjects

Advertising signs; Petrol cans

Garages; Garagiana; Petrol cans; Petroliana; Tin Signs

Marketing; Petroleum products; Road vehicles; Signage

National Motor Museum, South Australia; Shell Australia; Shell Motor Company; Shell Transport and Trading Company

Coverage Spatial

Australia

Coverage Temporal

1915

1987

Related Collections

Dates

2012-05-30 23:40

2011-03-04 14:04