This is an original 1904 black and white print ad for Woodbury’s Facial Soap, a product by The Andrew Jergens Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.
CONDITION
This 107+ year old Item is rated Near Mint / Very Fine. Light aging throughout. Light creasing. No natural defects. Some light surface rub. No tears. No water damage.
- Product Type: Original Print Ad; Black / White
- Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine
- Dimensions: Approximately 5.5 x 8.25 inches; 14 x 21 cm
- Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
- Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)
Woodbury’s. In 1870, The John H. Woodbury Company was established in Albany, New York. The Andrew Jergens Company bought the soap business in 1901, and moved it to Cincinnati, Ohio. While soap was The Woodbury Soap CompanyÕs primary product, it also produced such items as cold cream, facial cream, facial powder, after-shave talc and ear swabs.
During 1891, WoodburyÕs face was featured on his beauty soap, creating so much brand recognition that the advertising icon was nicknamed by consumers as ÒThe neckless head.Ó
Often, as similar tactics in marketing are used today, the Woodbury brand utilized such techniques as striking fear into women who did not use Woodbury products, as they would be unable to achieve such unparalleled beauty from other products; thus, repulsing men with their marked flaws. Another advertising strategy used by the Woodbury brand, and quite the opposite as the previous, employed tactics of female power and confidence with the use of the companyÕs products. Around 1911, a quick riser in the advertising copy industry at the J. Walter Thompson Company, Helen Lansdowne Resor, was employed by WoodburyÕs (as well as a long list of other brands) to lend her marketing expertise. Resor realized the importance of such promotional commodities as coupons, inexpensive or free samples, demonstrative illustrations paired with informative captions and emotional response advertising. Being a woman, Resor comprehended the reasons behind womenÕs buying habits, and often capitalized on womenÕs underdeveloped desire for self-improvement and attainment of wealth.
From 1907 to 1910, there was a three-way lawsuit between the John H. Woodbury Dermatological Institute, the Andrew Jergens Company and John H. Woodbury, in which the parties fought for the use of the word ÒWoodbury.Ó At the conclusion of the lawsuit, The Andrew Jergens Company was granted the rights to the name.
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Naked Women:
Bing Crosby and Bob Hope signed on with Woodbury Soap as celebrity endorsers. During the 1930s, when the Great Depression was wreaking havoc on companies across the country, famous celebrities oftentimes did not summon enough advertising power. Consequently, the Woodbury brand opted for the hard-sell route and frequently used nude images of women photographed by Edward Steichen in its advertisements to stun the public and generate a wide array of attention. The Woodbury, was in fact, the first to use a nude woman as part of its advertising.
Copyright 2016, Period Paper LLC
Keywords specific to this image: Vintage Advertising, Toiletries, Pricing
TSM1A11C04
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