Card of the Day - 2023-12-28

Soapine advertising card
Kendall Manufacturing Co. [trade : laundry supplies : O/S : USA] "Soapine Advertising Card" (1880s) 1/?

Whilst tobogganning is not an unusual sport, this is certainly an unusual costume! I do have a little feeling that things are about to take a turn for the worse though...

Now Soapine was just one of the brands used by the Kendall Manufacturing Co of Providence, Rhode Island, which was founded in 1827. And they also made laundry equipment for home and commercial use.

One of their most famous advertising pictures shows a whale being washed to white. And they proudly proclaimed Soapine "The Dirt Killer", promising that it  "Will not injure hands or fabric" - that it "Makes hard water soft" - and that it was of use to "Miners, metal workers, machine shops and factories. It is better than soap!"

This statement sent me hunting, for if it was better than soap it could not be soap. I found the answer, kind of, at Laurel Cottage Genealogy - and this is a great site, which also gives details of the lithographer, and shows another variant of this card with a red overprint. And there are lots of links there to follow.