Snapshots of the Past

Why, you use Pears too." Pears soap advertisement, Matchless for the Complexion – Antique Wall Art

Why, you use Pears too." Pears soap advertisement, Matchless for the Complexion — historic image
Why, you use Pears too." Pears soap advertisement, Matchless for the Complexion. Historic image from the Medicine & Health collection.

(Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This rare historic image captures Why, you use Pears too." Pears soap advertisement, Matchless for the Complexion in remarkable detail. It is part of the Snapshots of the Past archive, gathered over 25 years of research.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

Why, you use Pears too." Pears soap advertisement, Matchless for the Complexion

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Pears soap, a brand long associated with Victorian and Edwardian advertising, is the subject here, and the slogan "Why, you use Pears too" is what sets this advertisement apart from the many other pictures of toiletries on this board. The line works as a small piece of social theater: a conversation in which one speaker is surprised to find that a companion shares the same cake of soap, implying that the product is trusted across classes and that everyone who is anyone uses it. Pears' campaigns of the late 1800s leaned heavily on this kind of testimonial humor, pairing bright illustration with short, witty captions. Notice how the copy promotes the soap as a route to a clear complexion rather than through any medical claim, a common move in period cosmetic advertising.

Original scan605 × 891 px
Reference717

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Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.