Hospitality soap wrappers collection 2015.290
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 14, 2021. Description is written in: English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Audiovisual Collections PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library Hospitality soap wrappers collection 2015.290
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Historical Note ...... 3 Scope and Content ...... 5 Administrative Information ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings ...... 6 Collection Inventory ...... 6 Inventory ...... 6 By state ...... 6 By region ...... 16 By soap product ...... 18
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Summary Information
Repository: Audiovisual Collections Source: Clarke Historical Library Creator: Unknown Title: Hospitality soap wrappers collection ID: 2015.290 Date [inclusive]: circa 1930s-1950s Physical Description: 0.25 Linear Feet General Physical 155 items (soap wrappers) ; 4 x 5 in. or smaller. Description: Language of the English . Material: Abstract: Soap traces its history all the way back to the Babylonians in 2800 BC. However, bar soap only dates back to the late eighteenth century. The use of bar soap became the norm in the mid-nineteenth century. By this time soap could be mass produced and mass marketed. Many of the large bar soap companies were established during this time. This collection consists of 155 hospitality soap wrappers that have been flattened. The soap wrappers generally contain the name of the hotel, city and state, as well as a logo or graphic of some kind. Most wrappers include the brand name and product name, though a few do not have any information about the soap listed on the wrapper. All of the hotels are in the United States, not all of the states are represented in the collection. This collection would be useful for those researching package design, logos, or the soap industry. Potentially the collection also indicates relationships between specific hotel companies and their personal hygiene vendors.
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Historical Note
Soap traces its history all the way back to the Babylonians in 2800 BC. However, bar soap only dates back to the late eighteenth century. The use of bar soap became the norm in the mid-nineteenth century.
- Page 3- Hospitality soap wrappers collection 2015.290 By this time soap could be mass produced and mass marketed. Many of the large bar soap companies were established during this time.
Procter and Gamble was established by the candlemaker William Procter (1801-1884) and his brother-in- law James Gamble (1803-1891) in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1872 Cashmere soap was introduced and is regarded as the first perfumed soap. Ivory soap was introduced in 1891 and became one of their most popular products. Ivory soap was known as "the soap that floats." Another popular product, Camay soap was introduced to market in 1926 and marketed specifically for women.
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. was formed in 1928 as a merger between Colgate (founded in 1806) and Palmolive-Peet Company (established in 1927, also as the result of a merger). William Colgate (1783-1857) like Procter, began his career as a candlemaker. The Peet Brothers Company was founded in Kansas City in 1872 by William, Robert and James Peet (dates unknown). In addition to laundry soaps, the company manufactured Creme Oil and Imperial Peroxide soaps. Founded by Caleb Johnson (circa 1858-?), Palmolive began as B.J. Johnson Soap Company in 1898 and changed its name in 1917 after its most popular product, Palmolive soap. Palmolive soap was made of palm and olive oils, hence its name. Palmolive merged with Peet in 1927. As Colgate-Palmolive-Peet, the company continued to make soaps from each of the individual companies.
Lever Bros. Co. was founded in 1899 by two brothers William H. Lever (1851-1925) and James Lever (1854-1910) in England. One of their most popular products was Lux soap. Lux soap began as as a laundry soap called Sunlight Flakes in 1899. The name was changed to Lux in 1900. In 1925 the company launched the soap in the United States. In 1930 Lever Bros. Co. became a subsidiary of Unilever.
Andrew Jergens Company was founded in 1882 by Andrew N. Jergens (1852-1929) in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1901 Andrew Jergens Company purchased the Woodbury Soap Company which manufactured facial soaps considered to be a remedy for eczema, acne and other complexion issues. The Woodbury Soap Company was founded in 1870 in Albany, New York by self-taught dermatologist John H. Woodbury (1851-1909), who went by Dr. John H. Woodbury despite not being a doctor. He also established the John H. Woodbury Dermatological Institute in New York. The details of the 1901 agreement are murky and what followed were a series of lawsuits between Andrew Jergens Company, John H. Woodbury, his cousin William Woodbury, and the John H. Woodbury Dermatological Institute. Initially the breach of contract lawsuit claimed that the Andrew Jergens Company altered the formula of the Woodbury soap, subsequent lawsuits were over the use of the name "Woodbury". In 1908 a lawsuit against the institute resulted in preventing corporations practicing medicine and advertising. In January of 1909 John H. Woodbury committed suicide, however, the lawsuits continued well into the 1930s. The Andrew Jergens Company was acquired by KAO in 1988.
Armour and Company was a meatpacking company in Chicago, Illinois founded by Industrialist Philip Danforth Armour (1832-1901) in 1867. Soap was a by-product of the meatpacking process. As early as 1918, the company was manufacturing a soap named Flotilla. The company introduced Dial its most popular soap in 1948. Dial is credited as being the first deodorant soap. [Please note: Dial is not represented in this collection].
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Manhattan Soap Company was founded by Frank G. Burke (1859-1929) in 1890 in New York, New York. The company was well-known for its Sweetheart and Garden Bouquet soap. The company was acquired by the Purex Corporation in 1956.
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Scope and Content
This collection consists of 155 hospitality soap wrappers that have been flattened. The soap wrappers generally contain the name of the hotel, city and state, as well as a logo or graphic of some kind. Most wrappers include the brand name and product name, though a few do not have any information about the soap listed on the wrapper. All of the hotels are in the United States, not all of the states are represented in the collection. This collection would be useful for those researching package design, logos, or the soap industry. Potentially the collection also indicates relationships between specific hotel companies and their personal hygiene vendors.
There is an associated typewritten inventory which was created by the collector, who is unknown. On the back of each wrapper is a letter and number code which corresponds to the inventory. The code reveals what hotel, city, and state the soap wrapper was obtained in. There are three coding systems used. The first is in alphabetical order by state/city. The second arrangement is by region and the third is by soap product.
The circa dates of the 1930s through the 1950s can be ascertained by a number of factors. Lever Bros. and Co. was acquired by Unilever in 1930, though the company continued to use the Lever Bros. and Co. imprint for a period of time. Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co. was first formed in 1928 and changed its name to Colgate-Palmolive in 1953. The Manhattan Soap Company was acquired by Purex in 1956. Additionally, the inventory only lists forty-eight states, indicating that the list was written prior to 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii became states.
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Administrative Information
Publication Statement Audiovisual Collections
PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected]
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Access Restrictions This collection is open for research.
Provenance These materials were found, in no particular order, in between the leaves of several books that were anonymously donated to the Clarke Historical Library in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
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Controlled Access Headings
• Hotels • Hygiene products • Packaging -- Design • Clarke Historical Library
Collection Inventory
Inventory Title/Description Instances Inventory volume 1 page i-vii
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By state Title/Description Instances The Battle House, Mobil, Alabama album 1 page 1 Scope and Contents
Iowa Soap Company.
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General
1 item.
The Whitley Hotel, Montgomery, Alabama album 1 page 1 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Majestic Hotel & Baths, Hot Springs, Arkansas album 1 page 1 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Broadway Hotel, Prescott, Arkansas album 1 page 1 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel El Tejon, Bakersfield, California album 1 page 2 Scope and Contents
Andrew Jergens Company.
Hotel Rosslyn, Los Angeles, California album 1 page 2 Scope and Contents
Armour and Company.
Hotel Fresno, Fresno, California album 1 page 3 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Buffalo Lodge, Colorado Springs, Colorado album 1 page 3 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Annapolis, Washington DC album 1 page 3-4 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
The Angebilt, Orlando, Florida album 1 page 4
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Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
The Norman Hotel, Chicago, Illinois album 1 page 4-5 Scope and Contents
Procter and Gamble.
The Alexandria, Chicago, Illinois album 1 page 5 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Sherman, Chicago, Illinois album 1 page 5 Scope and Contents
Manhattan Soap Co.
Hotel Sherman, Chicago, Illinois album 1 page 5 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Brevoort Hotel, Chicago, Illinois album 1 page 6 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Monmouth, Monmouth, Illinois album 1 page 6 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel Quincy, Quincy, Illinois album 1 page 6 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Lincoln-Douglas, Quincy, Illinois album 1 page 6-7 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
The Nelson, Rockfork, Illinois album 1 page 7
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Scope and Contents
Andrew Jergens Company.
Hotel Lawrence, Lawrenceville, Illinois album 1 page 7 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Wolford, Danville, Illinois album 1 page 8 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel St. Nicholas, Springfield, Illinois album 1 page 8 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Starved Rock Lodge, Utica, Illinois album 1 page 8 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Pascal, Peoria, Illinois album 1 page 9 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Lockerbrie, Indianapoles, Indiana album 1 page 9 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Roberts, Muncie, Indiana album 1 page 10 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Cedar Court Cottages, Clay Center, Kansas album 1 page 10 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Allis Hotel, Wichita, Kansas album 1 page 11
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Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Lafayette, Lexington, Kentucky album 1 page 11 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Lafayette, Lexington, Kentucky album 1 page 11 Scope and Content
Lever Bros. Co.
New Taylor Hotel, Lexington, Kentucky album 1 page 11 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel Bentley, Lake Charles, Louisiana album 1 page 12 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel Frances, Monroe, Louisiana album 1 page 12 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Charleston Hotel, Lake Charles, Louisiana album 1 page 12 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co..
Hotel Northampton & Wiggins Old Tavern, Northampton, album 1 page 13 Massachusetts Scope and Contents
Amour and Company.
The Hotel Olds, Lansing, Michigan album 1 page 13 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Hayes, Jackson, Michigan album 1 page 13
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Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Meridian, Meridian, Mississippi album 1 page 13 Scope and Contents
John Woodbury, Inc.
The Ambassador, Kansas City, Missouri album 1 page 14 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
The Chase Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri album 1 page 14 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Coronado Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri album 1 page 14 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Havre Hotel, Havre, Montana album 1 page 14-15 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Willow Park Cabins, Livingston, Montana album 1 page 15 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Ingham, Miles City, Montana album 1 page 15 Scope and Contents
Armour and Company.
Nicholson Cottage Court, Bozeman, Montana album 1 page 15 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Rainbow, Great Falls, Montana album 1 page 16
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Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Paxton, Omaha, Nebraska album 1 page 16 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Hilton, Syracuse, New York album 1 page 16 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Onondaga Hotel, Syracuse, New York album 1 page 17 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Jefferson-Clinton, Syracuse, New York album 1 page 17 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Nelson House, Poughkeepsie, New York album 1 page 18 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Taft, New York, New York album 1 page 18 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Martin, Utica, New York album 1 page 19 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Graver, Fargo, North Dakota album 1 page 19 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
The Dayton Biltmore Hotel, Dayton, Ohio album 1 page 19
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Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
The Dayton Biltmore Hotel, Dayton, Ohio album 1 page 20 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Skirvin Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma album 1 page 20 Scope and Content
Jennings-Sherry Co.
Calmez Hotel, Clinton, Oklahoma album 1 page 20-21 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Brunswick, Lancaster, Pennsylvania album 1 page 21 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Brunswick, Lancaster, Pennsylvania album 1 page 21 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Rushmore Motel, Rapid City, South Dakota album 1 page 21-22 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Albert Hotel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota album 1 page 22 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Sam Davis Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee album 1 page 22 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Savoy, Nashville, Tennessee album 1 page 22-23
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Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Monteagle Hotel, Monteagle, Tennessee album 1 page 23 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Andrew Johnson Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee album 1 page 23 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Claridge, Memphis, Tennessee album 1 page 23 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee album 1 page 24 Scope and Contents
Fine Art Complexion Soap.
The Roosevelt, Waco, Texas album 1 page 24 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
The Roosevelt, Waco, Texas album 1 page 24 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Ben Nilam, Houston, Texas album 1 page 25 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
William Penn Hotel, Houston, Texas album 1 page 25 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Brandon, Pecos, Texas album 1 page 25
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Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Plaza Hotel, San Antonio, Texas album 1 page 25 Scope and Contents
No brand name listed.
Kemp Hotel, Wichita Falls, Texas album 1 page 26 Scope and Contents
Andrew Jergens Co.
New America Motor Lodge, Salt Lake City, Utah album 1 page 26 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotels Hungerford Earl, Seattle, Washington album 1 page 27 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Hotel Menasha, Menasha, Wisconsin album 1 page 27 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Hotel Racine, Racine, Wisconsin album 1 page 27-28 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel Racine, Racine, Wisconsin album 1 page 28 Scope and Contents
Manhattan Soap Company.
Hotel Racine, Racine, Wisconsin album 1 page 28 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Camp Washakie, Worland, Wyoming album 1 page 29
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Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Freemans Auto Court, Evanston, Wyoming album 1 page 29-30 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Yellowstone Park Lodges and Camps, Yellowstone Park, album 1 page 30 Wyoming Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
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By region Title/Description Instances Hotel Du Pont album 1 page 31 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Blackhawk Hotels System, Midwest System album 1 page 31 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Hotel Evans, Story, Iowa/Hotel Story, Nevada, Iowa, Midwest album 1 page 32 System Scope and Contents
No brand name listed.
Van Orman Hotels, Midwest System album 1 page 32-33 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Van Orman Hotels, Midwest System album 1 page 32-33 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Barlow's Hotels, Arkansas, Southern System album 1 page 34
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Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Plaza Hotels, Texas, Southern System album 1 page 34 Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Plaza Hotels, Texas, Southern System album 1 page 34 Scope and Contents
No brand name listed.
Dinkler Hotels, Southern System album 1 page 34 Scope and Contents
No brand name listed.
Barringer Hotels, Southern System album 1 page 35 Scope and Contents
Andrew Jergens Company.
Reed Hotels, Southern System album 1 page 35 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Arthur L. Roberts Hotels, Northern System album 1 page 35 Scope and Contents
No brand name listed.
Covey's Lodges, Western System album 1 page 35 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Statler Hotels, Eastern System album 1 page 36 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Statler Hotels, Eastern System album 1 page 36-37
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Scope and Contents
Lever Bros. Co.
Statler Hotels, Eastern System album 1 page 37 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
Manger Hotels, Eastern System album 1 page 37-38 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
American Hotels Corp., Eastern System album 1 page 38 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
American Hotels Corp., Eastern System album 1 page 38 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
United Hotels, Eastern System album 1 page 39 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
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By soap product Title/Description Instances Flotilla Soap album 1 page 39 Scope and Contents
Armour and Company.
Colgate's Floating Soap album 1 page 39-40 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Cashmere Bouquet Soap album 1 page 40
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Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Palmolive Soap album 1 page 40 Scope and Contents
Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Co.
Camay Soap album 1 page 41 Scope and Contents
Procter & Gamble.
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