Pears' Soap

Wandering around Dollar Tree, I noticed bars of Pears' soap for sale.  Until recently, that soap brand was meaningless to me.  But it just so happens to be one of the advertisements on the back of the magazine illustration Ali gifted me last week.  Pears' is the original transparent soap and was first produced and sold by Andrew Pears in London, England in 1789.  I figure something still going strong 200+ years later is worth a try.  Apparently, in the last few years the company has adapted the pioneering formula to create a "Gentle Care" soap that has a softer texture, lasts half as long, and smells different.  I must say, the first thing I noticed was the scent, and not in a positive way.  In response to consumer complaints, adjustments are supposedly being made to mimic the original scent.  I hope they succeed.  It lathers well with lots of suds and didn't blind my eyes (always a plus).  Not bad for $1.  And interestingly, it's now made in India.

Incidentally, Dollar Tree also has the best terry cloth headband for face-washing I've come across in recent years.  It's stretchy, soft, wide, doesn't fudge up my hair if I wash my face in the middle of the day, and of course, it's inexpensive.

Other Pears' soap advertisements range from adorable (left) to super offensive (right).

"The Father of a Thousand Girls"

Happy early birthday to me!  Ali and I went to a local antiques store in search of old tidbits for her archaeology summer camp session, and while there, she bought me a vintage print that I coveted the last time I visited the shop.  Yay!

The vintage print is a cover of the American Sunday Monthly Magazine illustrated by Harrison Fisher (to whom the title of this post refers) in the early 20th century.  I love the woman's one-shouldered blue dress and her gauzy wrap.  I love the couple's downcast eyes toward whatever might be in her hand as if they share a secret.  And I love that someone who lived 100 years ago loved this picture enough to save it.

Ali also let me pick out some stuff from the jewelry grab-bags she bought.  I now have a bitchin' long, dangly necklace of green beads and gold chain, as well as some adorable mini-cameo earrings (even if they are screw backs).

Bones for Children

Looky what Ali found for me at the library!

It's a children's book about animal bones written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, and simply and appropriately titled Bones.

Elephant bones!

Skulls!

Run, human, RUN!

A Skull or Not a Skull - That Is the Question

I like skulls and I dig the Victorian and Edwardian eras, so naturally, I think skull optical illusions of these time periods are pretty gosh darn cool. The Virtual Museum of Optical Illusions even published a paperback from their exhibition titled Skull Optical Illusions. Some examples:

"All Is Vanity" by Charles Allan Gilbert, 1892.

"L'amour de Pierrot" ca. 1905

My favorite postcard ca. 1910.

To browse more antique skull and skeleton advertisements and postcards, look here.

Good Stuff Cheap: Part Uno

I happened upon a spelndiferous children's book of fairy tales this afternoon. (Ostensibly, it's a gift for my little cousin Hannah, and I will try my best not to commandeer it.) The Fairy Tales is a collection of Perrault and Grimm Brothers fairy tales translated by David Walser and illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.

I'm especially tickled by the illustrations. I like the elephant in this illustration by Piańkowski from Joan Aiken's bedtime stories book A Necklace of Raindrops. I feel a trip to the library coming soon...