A 1927 Envelope of Shaw Wallace & Company

In 1868, ‘Shaw Jamieson & Co’ was founded in Calcutta by David Shaw and W. Jamieson. The Company become ‘Shaw Finlayson & Co’ in 1873-74, when Francis Finlayson became a partner on Jamieson’s death. In 1874 Charles William Wallace joined the firm’s London Agents. The business in Calcutta expanded into the Indian produce business, built a railway and developed enterprises in coal, timber and oil. The firm made an unsuccessful attempt to float the ‘Assam Railways and Trading Company’. Charles William Wallace worked in Calcutta from 1884-86 whilst R.Gordon Shaw, a relation of David Shaw, returned to London. The firm Shaw Wallace & Company (SWC) was created in 1886. 

Throughout its long and rich journey, SWC has had many a first to its credit. 

· In 1891, it became an agent of Burmah Oil Company.

· In 1909, it became an agent of Orenstein & Koppel for supply all types of light railway materials.

· It was the managing agent for following tea gardens: Assam Frontier Tea with tea gardens at Hilika, Talap, Dangori and Longsaol in the Tinsukia District; Hapjan Parabat and Balimara in the Dibrugarh District; and Budla Beta Tea Co Ltd with tea gardens at Bokpara, Pengaree, Kanjikoah and Kharjan in the Dibrugarh District.

· It was one of the first importers of motor cars in India during the beginning of the 20th century. 

· It was also the first agent in India of a wireless company- Marconi's Wireless Telegraph. 

· In 1926, it became an agent of the airline, the Imperial Airways.

· In 1944, it started its liquor business

Wallace established the Charles Wallace India Trust, which today provides scholarships for mid-career Indians to spend time in the United Kingdom. 

SWC restructured its business in 1999, and sold Calcutta Chemicals Ltd and Detergents India Ltd to Henkel SPIC. In mid-2005, SWC's spirits business was acquired by United Breweries and was merged with United Spirits in 2008. Its breweries and beer business was acquired by SABMiller. Its whiskey brand Officers Choice was acquired by Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited. Allied got listed on exchanges in 2024.

https://wiki.fibis.org/w/Shaw,_Wallace_%26_Co

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaw_Wallace

 The original Law Union and Rock Insurance Company, established in the UK, underwent several significant changes over the years:​

• 1854:      Founded as the Law Union Fire and Life Insurance Company.​
• 1909:      Merged with the Rock Life Assurance Company, becoming Law Union and Rock Insurance.​
• 1919:      Acquired by the London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company.​ 
• 1962:      London and Lancashire was acquired by Royal Insurance, leading to the integration of Law Union and Rock into Royal Insurance. ​ 
• 1996:      Royal Insurance merged with Sun Alliance to form Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group, now known as RSA Insurance Group.​

As a result of these mergers and acquisitions, the original Law Union and Rock Insurance Company ceased to exist as an independent entity. Its legacy continues within the operations of RSA Insurance Group.

The African Oil Nuts Company Limited was Established in 1916 with a Head Office at Central House, Kingsway, London and branches in Lagos, Kano, Zaria, Badagry, Opobo, Eket, Egwanga, Aba, Udi and Port Harcourt. 

It was purchased by Lever Bros Ltd, and subsequently vested in the Niger Company on September 24, 1960.

These companies have now become Unilever Nigeria Plc.

Lloyd Triestino was an Italian insurance company established in 1833 which metamorphized into an ocean-liner company ferrying passengers across the globe. During World War II it lost 68 ships. In 1993, a Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine Corps entered in a partnership with Lloyd Triestino and eventually acquired them in 1998. It is primarily a container freight company now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Triestino

The envelope above travelled from Portuguese India to British India.

The Standard Vacuum Oil Company was established in 1931 as a joint venture between Standard Oil of New Jersey and Socony-Vacuum Oil, which was later known as Mobil. Socony stood for the Standard Oil Company of New York which was formed in 1882. Vacuum Oil was formed in 1866. In 1931, Socony had merged with Vacuum Oil to create Socony-Vacuum Oil.

During the 1950s, disagreements arose between the partners, ultimately leading to their split in 1962. As a result, two companies were formed: Jersey Standard Southeast Asia and Mobil Oil Southeast Asia. Interestingly, in 1999, the two entities reunited, merging to form the now-famous ExxonMobil.

In India, the company started its operations in 1910 as Standard Oil Company of New York and thereafter changed its name in 1931 to Socony-Vacuum Oil. In 1951, the company signed an agreement with Government of India to set up a refinery at Trombay. A new company Standard Vacuum Refining Company of India was incorporated. The company started manufacturing motor gasoline and expanded to LPG, JBO, asphalt, SBP spirit, hexane, naptha, petroleum ether and propane. 

In 1954, Socony-Vacuum Oil built the iconic Petroleum House in Bombay and relocated its headquarters there, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister, Morarji Desai. The building was notable for its modern and environmentally friendly design, featuring open office spaces. In 1974, the company was nationalized and rebranded as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

The sender of the letter is Vita Pack Corporation. Not much is known about Vita Pack Corporation, but the company played a significant role in the history of cashew nut exports from India. In the late 1920s, American businessmen from Vita Pack Corporation and General Food Corporation collaborated with Shri Narayan Zantye, a pioneer in the cashew processing industry in Goa. They provided technical and financial assistance to successfully export cashew kernels to the U.S. for the first time in 1928. This partnership marked the beginning of a thriving cashew export industry in Goa.