Sunday, November 18, 2018

Soap


This is a scheduled post.  Again, thank you for visiting, even though I have no way to reciprocate right now.  If all goes as planned, I should be home late Sunday night and will be by after that to visit those of you who have dropped by my blog the past several days.

It's time to once again join Erika aka BioArtGal who is hosting Art Journal Journey this month with her theme Vintage or Modern.

I had never heard of Pears soap until I found a sheet of the ads in my stash.  Pears soap is the oldest continuously existing brand in the world, first registering its ingredients in 1789.  Up until recently, it has always had very few ingredients and if you find the old bars, it is hypo-allergenic. 

Pears transparent soap is a brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807 by Andrew Pears at a factory just off Oxford Street in London, England. It was the world's first mass-marketed transparent soap. 

It is sold as a transparent glycerine facial soap.

According to Our Everyday Life:
Founded by Andrew Pears in 1789, the Pears company produces a transparent scented soap bar composed of glycerin and natural oils. Pears soap is known for its old-fashioned composition--which hasn’t changed much since the Victorian age--and characteristic oval-shaped, amber-hued appearance.

Pears was acquired by Lever Brothers, now Unilever, in 1917 and products under the Pears brand are currently sold in India, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria.

The original Pears soap, which consisted of small batches, was made much like handmade soap.  The drying time was 13 weeks which caused the soap to become naturally concave in the center.

According to the blog Beautiful With Brains:
But what is it that makes Pears Soap so special and who invented it? Pears Soap was created by Andrew Pears, a Cornish barber. In 1789, he opened a store in Soho, London, and started making creams, powders and other beauty products. Because Soho was a rich residential area, a lot of his clients were wealthy women who used concoctions with lead and arsenic to give their skin that fair, alabaster complexion that was so fashionable at the time. Pears noticed that these socialites used his products to cover the damage and dryness caused both by these toxic substances and the harsher soaps of the time.

Further:
So, he decided to create something that would be gentler for the skin and, after some experiments, Pears Soap was born. It was made with glycerin and natural oils, had a scent reminiscent of that of an English garden and a transparent appearance that set it apart from its competitors. However, Pears was more interested in quality that quantity and so he sold his soap only to an exclusive customer base. The business grew and prospered, the shop moved to Oxford and Pears won the prize medal for soap at the Great Exhibition in 1851.

I started this page by gluing a page from an old telephone book to 110 lb cardstock.  I then misted it with my handmade shimmering mist.  All of the Pears Soap ads were on a single page found in my stash.  I cut them with scissors, then colored them with water soluble crayons.  After adding the ads to the background, I added the washi tape.

Bleubeard and I are truly delighted you chose to join us today and hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey



We are also joining Art Every Day Month (AEDM) for Day 18, and Bleubeard and I created a journal page.







21 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

I grew up with Pears soap, and it was always great to use. I haven't seen it here in Germany, but in England it was certainly THE soap for children and ladies, and they used to run beauty competitions for children to show how good it was for the skin. Valerie

Jeannette said...

i loving your soap page,love the images and the super backround,i love english soaps,and i have so many soaps,its good for the skin and smells so good.
happy sunday,dear elizabeth.

hugs jenny

johanna said...

i never heard of pears soap, the more interesting the informations you gave us... you did not only find awesome advertising pictures, i also love the backgroud color and the matching washi tape - all fits so well.
happy sunday!

Cath Wilson said...

I used to use the original Pears Soap all the time, Elisabeth - it had a very specific perfume, came in thick, oval shaped cakes and I suppose it reminded me of my childhood. It's still a nice soap and I still use it, but it doesn't smell the same any more. I still have an oil free version in my bathroom, but only because it's a sea green colour and that's one of my feel good colours - I use it for washing my hands. I'm actually allergic to most soaps - and face creams and make up... so I use a face wash instead.

The Lever Brothers were from this neck of the woods and have influenced the world in one way or another. Small beginnings, eh?

Great page. Love the telephone directory background and the splashes of colour.

Hope you've had a lovely break.

Cath x

froebelsternchen said...

I have learnt something completely new to me - never heard about this brand! You are always good for learning new things! That's why I love your blog! I also love how you put the things together on this fabulous page for Art Journal Journey! Gorgeous!
I use currently old soaps that I got from a friend after the death of her mother who had obviously hoarded soap for years. I even wash my hair with just soap now and this works fantastic. So I can save my money a long time for shampoo and showergel...lol. And the best - these soaps are plastic free packed! Sustainability - lol!

Hope you enjoy your pre Thanksgiving weekend a lot my friend!
Hugs, Susi

Meggymay said...

My favourite Soap and the one we always use in our home, grandmother used it and even if money was a bit short as it could be back then, she still managed to buy this soap. So I would say I use it because it was the soap I grew up using and why change. If I ever got perfumed soaps as gifts they were used in drawers to scent the laundry.
So Yes I love, love your fantastic journal page and the Pears advertising images you used.
Yvonne xx

jinxxxygirl said...

I remember Pears soap Elizabeth!! I haven't seen or used any in years though. I really enjoyed reading about the history. And your page is lovely~ Hugs! deb

WendyK said...

Fabulous nostalgic page. I too used that soap, but must admit I haven't seen it recently. I remember the adverts and the children pictures using it.

CJ Kennedy said...

I had heard of Pears Soap, but didn't know it's entire history or what it was made with. Clever use of the telephone book pages and the soap ads. Like a prospective sales list. Love the colors you chose.

Divers and Sundry said...

I remember Pears soap but haven't noticed it in stores in ages. I imagine the formula is different now so that it would seem like a different soap if you compared it with the original.

I'll be watching Woman in White on PBS on Sunday night, having been a complete stay-at-home all week-end long lol I hope your trip goes well :)

kathyinozarks said...

I really love this page very much Elizabeth-and I always loved pearl soap-it is a pure glycerin soap-have not seen in it the stores now for a very long time-perhaps online. although the soap base I melt down for our bars of soap are a form of glycerin-so nice for the skin
hope your travels were fun-hugs

kathyinozarks said...

ooops that should read pears soap I always call in pearl for some reason lol

My name is Erika. said...

This is a great page for AJJ my friend. I have heard of Pears soap in books before, but it is a fascinating story behind it. And your page is well done too. Using an old phone book makes a great background, doesn't it? Hope your weekend journey went ok and you had safe travels. Hugs-Erika

pearshapedcrafting said...

Aah! The memories!!! Your page is beautiful!!! I used to love this soap and the beautiful models that used to use for their advertising! I think it was the colour/transparency I liked most and the oval shape that used to change very slowly - it never went mushy like some soaps! I actually bought some earlier this year although I confess I mostly use liquid soaps these days! Hugs, Chris

Janet said...

Love your vintage-look pages...

Rita said...

Like the antique looking pages. I have heard of Pear Soap but have never used it. :)

Cindy McMath said...

Very pretty page - love the colours!

Jeanie said...

Interesting! I loved the background and history of Pears Soap as much as I loved the art, which is very nice indeed. And perfect vintage!

craftytrog said...

A wonderful page, and interesting read. I haven't used Pears soap for a long time, but I to prefer a cake to liquid soap.
Alison xx

Eileen Bergen said...

Lovely page. I remember seeing ads for Pear's soaps in vintage magazines my mom saved.

Rike said...

Wonderful vintage artjournal page with very interesting informations about the original Pears soap - I was surprised that the drying time was 13 weeks which caused the soap to become naturally concave in the center!
Love the colours of your page and the fine details!
Wish you a happy weekend! Rike xx