Our Love of Soap and Art

In 1886, Sir John Everett Millais painted "Bubbles" (originalled titled "A Child's Work,") a work that highlighted the tradition of vanitas imagery, which commented on the transience of life.  The "Bubbles" painting featured a five year old boy gazing upward toward a delicately floating bubble.  The painting symbolized the beauty and fragility of life.  

When the painting first exhibited in 1886 in London, it was aquired by Sir Willian Ingram of the Illustrated London News.  The painting was reproduced in the magazine and Thomas J. Barratt, an executive at A&F Pears, spotted and fell in love with the painting.  Barratt purchased the original painting from Ingram for £2,200.  Once Barratt had the exclusive copyright on the picture, he was able to alter the image and add his own company's product to the artwork... And what was Barratt's product?  Well a bar of soap of course!   

The world's oldest continuously existing brand is generally agreed to be Pears Soap which was established in 1789.  Andrew Pears setup a factory just off Oxford Street in London to produce the world's first transparent soap.  And then Barratt began a long history at the Pears Company of utilizing artwork to promote and market their products. 
 

Many historians believe that after the Pears Company implanted its bar of soap onto the Millais painting, the debate on the relationship between art and advertising officially began.  Millais was a bit nervous with the prospect of his art becoming "commercialized."  However when he saw the proofs of the proposed advertisements, he began to like the idea, which portrayed the soap as if the child had used it to make the bubbles.  For over a century, Pears released additional artwork that successfully presented its soap (and gift soaps) adjacent to other subjects that often related to daily life.  Children and puppies became familiar material.  

At Gift Soap, we are lucky to know the soap collector who holds the largest collection of Pears paintings.  While the Pears collections are clearly impressive, the Gift Soap Company has taken an interest in all art related to soap. For literally centuries, soap companies have worked closely with artists to create what has become libraries of remarkable images mixing soap and life.  The Gift Soap Company is working closely with several artists, collectors, and even a soap historian to establish what will become the world's first exclusive soap art gallery with various prints, both originals and reproductions available as gifts or collector pieces.  If you are looking for this art now, feel free to contact us and we can help.   

Gift Soap Company All Rights Reserved.  Gift Soaps Company US Division.  All personalized and unique soaps.