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J.B. Williams & Co. business card 1870

Wow that’s awesome! I live two towns over from Glastonbury and had no idea this company existed. I’ll have to do some digging on the history but any info anyone has would be greatly appreciated!
 
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I did a little research and found out why the 1845 date appears in different Williams advertisements instead of 1840. It seems that while the company was founded in 1840, J.B. Williams did not produce Yankee Shaving Soap until 1845.

The Williams brothers filed a copyright infringement suit in 1857 (Williams vs Johnson). The Williams brothers lawyer made the assertion that the soap was indeed created and first sold in 1845. I've included a photo of another Williams ad from a 1895 issue of Life magazine which states that the shaving soap has been sold for 50 years.

Now, on to the good stuff.

The Genuine Williams Yankee Soap puck was carefully removed from its wrapping and placed in a Fine shaving bowl. A little bit of hot water was added to the bowl and the bottom half of the puck was left to soak for five minutes. I loaded an old Star brush with soap for about 20 seconds and then proceeded to attempt to whip up a lather.

The soap is kind of prehistoric, so I thought there was a good possibility it wouldn't perform well, or at least not optimally. Boy, was I wrong. This stuff is incredible!!!! Wow!!! Best vintage soap that I have ever used. It produced a wonderfully slick, stable lather for my three pass shave. The puck was placed back in its wrapper and will be opened in two weeks for my birthday shave.
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img_1161-jpg.1328741
img_1162-jpg.1328740
img_1159-jpg.1328738
I did a little research and found out why the 1845 date appears in different Williams advertisements instead of 1840. It seems that while the company was founded in 1840, J.B. Williams did not produce Yankee Shaving Soap until 1845.

The Williams brothers filed a copyright infringement suit in 1857 (Williams vs Johnson). The Williams brothers lawyer made the assertion that the soap was indeed created and first sold in 1845. I've included a photo of another Williams ad from a 1895 issue of Life magazine which states that the shaving soap has been sold for 50 years.

Now, on to the good stuff.

The Genuine Williams Yankee Soap puck was carefully removed from its wrapping and placed in a Fine shaving bowl. A little bit of hot water was added to the bowl and the bottom half of the puck was left to soak for five minutes. I loaded an old Star brush with soap for about 20 seconds and then proceeded to attempt to whip up a lather.

The soap is kind of prehistoric, so I thought there was a good possibility it wouldn't perform well, or at least not optimally. Boy, was I wrong. This stuff is incredible!!!! Wow!!! Best vintage soap that I have ever used. It produced a wonderfully slick, stable lather for my three pass shave. The puck was placed back in its wrapper and will be opened in two weeks for my birthday shave.View attachment 1328773View attachment 1328774View attachment 1328732View attachment 1328733View attachment 1328734View attachment 1328735View attachment 1328743View attachment 1328745View attachment 1328748
I agree, This soap is great.
 
I really don't know how old my Genuine Yankee Soaps are. I can tell you that on the boxs I have there are no ingredients listed on them. I'll tell you that the wrappers are really stuck to the soaps but can be removed with warm water.
 
I really don't know how old my Genuine Yankee Soaps are. I can tell you that on the boxs I have there are no ingredients listed on them. I'll tell you that the wrappers are really stuck to the soaps but can be removed with warm water.
Same here. Not sure exactly how old this soap is. I'm thinking maybe 1890's - 1910's. The box in my photo is identical to an example I have seen which dates prior to 1885, when J.B. Williams & Company changed its name to The J.B. Williams Company.
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I live in a town next to Glastonbury Ct. and have been to the Glastonbury Historical museum. They have a box of Yankee soap like yours on display there. That one and yours are the only ones that I have seen. Congrats sir.
 
I live in a town next to Glastonbury Ct. and have been to the Glastonbury Historical museum. They have a box of Yankee soap like yours on display there. That one and yours are the only ones that I have seen. Congrats sir.
I have only come across two of these boxes in my life, as well. The other was empty, while this one is full. It is very rare, and I think we are both fortunate to have had the opportunity to shave with this soap.

I'm going to check out the Glastonbury Historical Museum very soon. Thank you for mentioning it. I live in the Providence area and it's about an hour and twenty minute drive to Glastonbury from my location.

One antique soap that I have on my radar is Vroom & Fowler's Military Shaving Soap. The company introduced a dedicated shaving soap in 1840, five years before Williams did, which I believe makes it the oldest shaving soap manufactured and sold in the United States. I have seen advertisements and trade cards for this brand, but I have never seen any of the soap being offered for sale.
 
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Make sure that you check their web site before going. They have a different schedule when their open every now and then. I live in East Hartford and can be there with 10 minutes. They also change the display every so often.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Cool examples of history. Did some quick google on the stamp duty mentioned on the back. Found the British stamp act but that must be referring to some us tax on soap?
 
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