(Almost) Wordless Wednesday ~ Pyle Pearline Soap Box

I recently shared a story about the legend of how James Pyle became convinced to advertise his soap powder. (It was not accurate: he had been advertising products in newspapers for years.)

If you search online newspaper websites for Pyle Pearline, you will find many advertisements for his soap product in the late 1800s throughout the U.S.

If you search images for Pyle Pearline, you will find many images of the advertising cards that have survived. Not only that, but you can also find old boxes that once held the powdered soap. One of my brothers gave me one a few years ago.

Note that this was James Pyle's Pearline but "made only by" Procter & Gamble.

The front of the box: Note the O K in the middle of the logo (my ancestor trademarked this in 1877 I think.) and that it was made by Procter & Gamble. According to Wikipedia, P&G opened a factory in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1914.

The right-hand side of the box lists instructions in French.

The back of the box lists instructions in English.

The left-hand side of the box contains the remaining instructions in French.

The top of the box includes information, including that it was made in Canada.

Even the bottom of the box included information!

James Pyle may or may not have been inspired to advertise due to Horace Greeley's encouragement, but he certainly marketed his Pearline soap products so well that Proctor & Gamble continued to use his name after his death!