Last year, as part of my research for a course at Utah Valley University, I started digging through archives of my city’s local newspaper, The Springville Herald.* A local weekly paper has been around since 1891, but nothing is available digitally—only the original yellowing papers bound in large volumes and on microfilm.** I spent a lot of time over the course of two semesters huddled over large, open volumes in the tiny, leaking library (a new one is being built and will finally open in about 6 weeks… I can’t wait) taking photos of relevant articles for documentation.
It was a time-intensive process; I had to scan each headline with my very own eyeballs to look for keywords. Aside from making me REALLY appreciate our modern age of search engines and optical character recognition technology, it was an incredible experience to immerse myself in the past through the actual language and imagery that Springville residents consumed in their time. I also found myself analyzing their society and everyday culture as a benchmark for understanding how Utah Valley came to be so special in modern times.
I took photos of strange and curious articles and advertisements alongside my other research because I couldn’t help it. They were too funny, too strange, too outlandish. I had to rescue them from obscurity and I knew I would have to share them with someone who would appreciate them the way I did.
The idea for Happy Valley Crafters was born in the yellowed pages of 1934 with this small advertisement:
I am hoping that readers of Happy Valley Crafters will help me answer a nagging question I have regarding this ad: what the hell is SERVEX? It comes in powder or jelly form. Does it treat yeast infections? Is it a contraceptive? A lubricant? A cleanser? Does it prevent chafing? Is it a chemical depilatory? 1934, you need to be more concise. “Feminine hygiene” is a clue that it’s for my vaginal region, right? Oh, sorry, I forgot that you don’t know that word yet. Can I say “lower lady lips?” Is that how I should talk about this powder or jelly with my doctor or with the local druggist who also serves me fountain sodas? I am not a delicate lady and I need these things spelled out for me.
Thank you in advance for any insight or opinions that you share in the comments below. I am perplexed and amused by the complete avoidance of product description in this ad.
And I look forward to bringing you many more curious gems in this column entitled Vintage Happy Valley!
* The Springville Herald was independently owned until 2003, when the Daily Herald (a daily newspaper serving Utah Valley that is owned by one of the national newspaper corporations) acquired it. I enjoyed receiving the slim weekly newspaper because it focused on really local news, but it was “integrated” with the Daily Herald in January 2011 which basically meant that Springville’s interesting/charming local news was dumped. I was delighted when some of the former Springville Herald employees started up a new local, independent paper called Springville Independent News*** in June 2011. It’s even printed in Springville! That’s the kind of paper I want delivered to my door (or mailbox, as the case may be). I’ll read everything else online, thankyouverymuch.
**I was really annoyed with the inconvenience of not being able to do research from home in my pajamas, not to mention the other limitations:
- Original newspaper archives cannot be checked out (not surprising, but still inconvenient)
- Limited library hours (it’s open until 10-9 Mo-Thu, but it closes at 6pm on Fridays and at 4pm on Saturdays, and is infuriatingly closed year-round on Sundays)
- No microfilm readers in the library – the librarian said that I could take them to the local LDS family history center and should be allowed to use theirs… my mind is still popping a little with this)
- An alarming number of the library staff A) had no idea that the library even had newspaper archives B) didn’t know where they were located or C) didn’t know what the viewing/checkout policy was. I had to essplain it to them since apparently I’m the only person, ever, who showed any interest in old newspapers.
***If you live in Springville or Mapleton, please consider subscribing. This is not a paid endoresement – I just want this little paper to survive. It’s only 50¢ per week!
Hilarious! I love that “SERVEX” sounds just like cervix. Coincidence? Or a play on words? We may never know. My vote is that it was an anti-itch substance like Vagisil. Oh, and I also love that we’re diving right into vagina vocabulary. We’re going to scare away the male crafters in Utah Valley!
Maybe it’s Vagisil with spermicide, as Loaf suggested?
Aww man Sally beat me to the “cervix” joke.
It’s strange that it’s both powder and jelly. Powder indicates a drying/deodorizing substance, and jelly seems like a moisturizer/lubricant. WHICH IS IT?!?
It’s both! It’s neither! IT’S SCIENCE!!!
Sorry, Volsican!
“Plan your future. too. ” Though I am confused by the punctuation, I vote spermicide! Who’se with me?
Haha! Let’s remember, good grammar.
Ack! Who knows what it could have been since Lysol used to advertise itself as a ‘feminine hygiene product.’ I’m just really hoping that it wasn’t something like Borax.
Ugh. But Borax would still be better than Lysol, right?
Its douche mix, comes in powder or jelly form to mix with water when you have that “not so fresh” feeling. In vintage ad speak, you must be fresh for your husband, you cant risk offending him….
No.Lysol in liquid form. (Still available) was the Woman’s choice in the day to douche with. Ansd while many tell me of the “stinginfg sensation” it gave them it also killed all of the germs in the vaginal area. Problem is, it killed the bad and GOOD germs. Those that help regulate the healtiness of the vaginal area were also killed.
The stuff was intended to cleanse, but was fake. They were caught selling something that was not useful in any way: http://archive.nlm.nih.gov/fdanj/bitstream/123456789/64532/4/FDNJ25109.pdf