Women in Advertising and Communications London; WACL

"At a dinner given on Monday night, September 3rd, 1923, at the Hotel Cecil, Strand, W.C., by Mr John Cheshire, the President of the Thirty Club, to advertising women it was decided to form a Women's Advertising Club."
This short item in The Newspaper World announced the birth of The Women's Advertising Club of London. Three leading advertising men, members of the Thirty Club founded the Club: Mr John Cheshire, Managing Director of Lever Brothers, Mr C. H. of C. Vernon & Sons Ltd, and Sir William Crawford. TheThirty Club, like other advertising clubs at this time, had either a men only or male-dominated membership.

WACL was launched in 1923 with an initial purpose of entertaining the many overseas visitors expected to attend the International Advertising Convention at Wembley planned for 1924. The founder president was Marion Jean Lyon, Advertising Manager of Punch.

Its formation marked the recognition of women who had established themselves in executive positions in advertising. It became apparent, however, that a broader, more serious concept than that at first envisaged was essential to Club development, a concept that was summed up in the words, "To widen the scope of advertising vision", a phrase which headed the aims and objectives of the Constitution of the Women's Advertising Club in 1923.

Now, as then, WACL is for women who are actively engaged in advertising, and who have reached a senior position in the broad advertising world. Membership includes chairwomen, managing directors, board directors, publishers, senior executives in advertising, marketing and research '“ in fact every aspect of the advertising industry. Membership is by invitation only.

Archive content

Date range: 1923- present

Scope/Formats

The archive comprises the club's constitution and bye-Laws, Presidential /Vice Presidential files, Executive Committee and Committee Minutes, AGMs and Dinner Meetings, papers relating to roles of club officers, correspondence, financial records, membership records, newsletters and journals, WACL personality biographies and photographs,, speakers and speeches, OPP Committee (Old People's Parties), special events and outings, video and audio recordings, yearbooks and brochures, printed histories of WACL, general women's issues and artefacts.

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