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Ivory Soap Advertising Collection

American History Museum

Advertisements
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
Finding aid
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .

Object Details

sova.nmah.ac.0791
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep88550648b-e85c-4b62-9ccb-f8e6872e4a86
Creator
Procter & Gamble Company
Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951
Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935
Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green
Topic
advertising
Soap
Provenance
Procter & Gamble donated this collection to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution on October 24, 2001.
Creator
Procter & Gamble Company
Leyendecker, J. C., 1874-1951
Smith, Jessie Willcox, 1863-1935
Elliott, Elizabeth Shippen Green
See more items in
Ivory Soap Advertising Collection
Summary
Print advertisements covering almost the entire history of Ivory Soap, including advertisements designed by artists including Jesse Wilcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and J. C. Leyendecker.
Biographical / Historical
In 1837, candle maker William Procter and soap maker James Gamble formed a partnership in Cincinnati, Ohio, to sell their products. The new company prospered, and by 1859 Procter & Gamble sales reached one million dollars. Contracts with the United States Army during the Civil War to supply soap and candles increased Procter & Gamble's customer base and reputation. In 1879, James Norris Gamble, son of the founder, developed an inexpensive pure white soap. A factory worker who forgot to shut off the soap-making machine when he left for lunch inadvertently improved the product. When he returned, the soap mixture was frothy due to the air that had been whipped into it, and the resulting soap cakes floated in water. There was immediate demand for the "floating soap." After considering many names for the new product, Harley Procter, son of the founder, finally named the soap "Ivory" after Psalms 45:8: "All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces whereby they have made thee glad." Chemical analyses of the soap in 1882 revealed that 56/100 of the ingredients were not pure soap. Harley Procter subtracted that amount from one hundred and the slogan "99 and 44/100% pure" was born. The first ads appeared in 1882 in The Independent, a weekly newspaper. Innovations in production, distribution, and market research contributed to Procter & Gamble's success. Procter & Gamble also developed other products such as Ivory Flakes, Chipso (the first dishwasher soap), and Crisco. By 1945, Procter & Gamble had become a nearly $350 million company. The company also was an innovator in advertising, developing creative print advertisements aimed at different target groups, sponsoring radio shows and comic strips, and airing its first television commercial (for Ivory Soap) during the first televised major league baseball game. Procter & Gamble is now a global company, selling more than 250 products, including Ivory Soap, to five billion customers in 130 countries.
Extent
10 Cubic feet (30 boxes)
Date
1883-1998
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0791
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Advertisements
Photomechanical reproductions
Citation
Ivory Soap Collection, 1883-1998, undated; Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Gift of Procter & Gamble.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into two series. Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements, 1883-1998, undated Series 2: Publications, 1883-1969, undated
Processing Information
Processed by Laura E. Hunt, 2003 and Anne Jones, volunteer, 2017.
Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Genre/Form
Advertisements -- 20th century
Photomechanical reproductions
Advertisements -- 19th century
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of print advertising and publications covering almost the entire history of Ivory Soap. Researchers may use this collection to examine the evolution of advertising strategies and techniques from the very early days of mass-produced brand-name consumer products to the present. From the beginning, Ivory advertisements proclaimed the product's "99 and 44/100%" purity, its ability to float, and its versatility. The collection, however, is much more than a glimpse into advertising history. It is an extremely rich resource for a wide range of cultural studies. Ivory advertising was primarily aimed at women, and it contains many images of women, babies, and young children. The depictions reflect contemporary attitudes toward class structure, race, immigrants and residents of other countries, cleanliness, and domestic relationships. The advertisements often play upon the guilt of women, suggesting that their main concerns should be their husbands, children, and dishpan hands. Many advertisements associate cleanliness with social and religious propriety, physical fitness, and athleticism. There also are many images of men and women performing every-day tasks in gender-defined situations.
Restrictions
Collection is open for research.
Related Materials
Several collections in the Archives Center have materials relating to Ivory Soap. The J. Walter Wilkinson Papers contain art he created for Ivory Soap advertisements. The Ivory Soap 1940 Essay Contest Collection consists of documents relating to the contest and its winner, Helen Nixon. The Procter & Gamble Product Packaging Collection, 1940s-1970s, includes Ivory brand products. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana's "Soap" subject category contains documents relating to Procter & Gamble and other manufacturers. About twenty-five per cent of the advertisements in this collection are reproduced in the Archives Center's digital image library.
Separated Materials
Artifacts donated to the Division of Medicine and Science.
NMAH.AC.0791
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep88550648b-e85c-4b62-9ccb-f8e6872e4a86
NMAH.AC.0791
ACAH
Record ID
ebl-1562730500512-1562730500716-0

  • Images 1,216 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Archival materials 1,427 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Print advertising 887 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Poems 28 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Comics 26 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Pamphlets 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Advertisements 5 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • Drawings 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Point-of-purchase displays 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Tear sheets 3 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Cartoons (humorous images) 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Comic strips 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Almanacs 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Washington (D.C.) 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Wisconsin 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection 1,427 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements 730 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements 440 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Trade 103 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Newsprint 47 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.6: Publications Relating to Soap Sculpture 23 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.5: Other Uses for Ivory Soap 15 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Compton 11 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.1: Informational and Promotional Publications about Ivory Soap 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.2: Personal Grooming 10 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.4: Publications for Children 7 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.3: Publications Relating to Baby Baths 6 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.7: Activity Publications 4 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.2: Personal Grooming / Ivory Handbooks for Mothers 2 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements undated 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Japanese-language 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 1: Ivory Soap Products Advertisements / Advertisements- Magazine 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.1: Informational and Promotional Publications about Ivory Soap / Booklet for the Laundry Salesman 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.3: Publications Relating to Baby Baths / Bathing Your Baby the Right Way 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.3: Publications Relating to Baby Baths / Bathing Your Baby –The Right Way! 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.3: Publications Relating to Baby Baths / The "How To" Book On Baby Bathing 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Ivory Soap Advertising Collection / Series 2: Publications / 2.7: Activity Publications / Captain Tim's Ivory Stamp Club Album 1 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Women 254 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Soap 210 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Men 196 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Baths 162 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Children 150 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Laundry 133 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Premiums (Retail trade) 106 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Clothing and dress 83 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Women in advertising 80 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • hands 80 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Mothers 79 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Skin 64 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Women domestics 52 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Beauty, Personal 48 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Complexion 47 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Delicate fabrics 45 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Men in advertising 44 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Wives 37 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Husbands 32 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Physicians 32 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Shopping 32 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Dishwashing 30 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Children in advertising 27 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Family 27 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • Endorsements in advertising 26 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
  • CC0 1,427 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus
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  • ead_component 1,427 Filter by term plus Exclude term minus

Clear facet(s):

Excluded:

  • Remove Resource Type: Photographs close
  • My Improved Ivory Soap is the Talk of the Town! [Print advertising.]

  • Ivory Soap [..] It Floats. [Print advertising.] St. Nicholas

  • What More Can You Ask of a Soap for Hospital Use? [Print advertising.] Hospital management publications

  • All Aboard! All Aboard! [Print advertising.]

  • It's a Guest Pleaser On Every Count! [Print advertising.] Motel industry publications

  • To week-ending males. [Print advertising.] Saturday Evening Post

  • For what purpose do YOU use Ivory Soap? [Print advertising.]

  • Ivory Soap [..] It Floats. [Print advertising.] National Geographic

  • A Treasure! [Print advertising.] New York newspapers

  • Ivory Soap [..] 99 44/100% Pure. [Print advertising.] General circulation publications

  • 2 "musts" for your beauty bath! [Print advertising.]

  • Proprietary Articles / Laboratory of Chemistry / Stevens Institute of Technology. [Print advertising.] The Century Magazine

  • Health is the Vital Principle of Bliss, and Exercise, of.. [Print advertising.] The Century Magazine

  • Yes, we could guarantee the colors of all these lovely new.. [Print advertising.] McCall's

  • Getting Ready for the Holidays. [Print advertising.] The Century Magazine

  • A Stranger's Glance made her blush for her Hands. [Print advertising.] Women's publications

  • Ivory Soap [..] 99 44/100% Pure. [Print advertising.] General circulation publications

  • In wartime, keep your colors flying!...Get up to TWICE THE WEAR... [Print advertising.]

  • The Widow LaRue. [Print advertising.] The Century Magazine

  • If you want a baby's clear, smooth skin use a baby's beauty.. [Print advertising.] Ladies Home Journal

  • The happy ending... [Print advertising, general circulation publications.]

  • [White--Just as soon as cold weather..]. [Print advertising.] The Century Magazine

  • A Good Night's Rest. [Print advertising.] Ladies Home Journal

  • Will her hands keep their loveliness, too? [Print advertising.]


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