box of three antique Castile soap figures for children designed by Lester Gaba
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box of three antique Castile soap figures for children designed by Lester Gaba:
$169.00
From the original Gaba soap to the Gaba girls and revolution in merchandizing, these are three original soap figures from c 1920’s by the master soap sculptor. The unbelievable story: Lester Gaba became fascinated with soap sculpture when he entered a Proctor and Gamble soap carving contest at the age of 10. He attended art school in Chicago, worked designing advertising posters where his employer was fascinated by his soap sculptures that soon became a stable of advertising companies, featured on magazine covers and sold as children’s soap. By 1932 Gaba moved to NYC where he was hired to produce Cynthia, a special realistic mannequin for Saks Fifth Avenue. Cynthia became the socialite of NYC, invited to all the elite parties, posed for a cover of Life Magazine, received complimentary memberships and gifts from Tiffany, Cartier and famous clothiers. Gaba Girls produced for Best and Company attracted much attention. The alabaster quality of models remained most beguiling although Gaba had transitioned to a modified material for these models. The story of Cynthia goes on and is well documented through newspapers, photographs, invitations and attendance at prominent affairs such as the marriage of King Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson. Lester Gaba rose with a humble piece of soap to the heights of society; he died with no descendants in 1987 at the age of 80 but he left a legacy of the art of display, the realistic gracious Gaba girls, instructions on sculpting, art in merchandising and this box of well preserved original finest Castile soap figures for children, offered almost 100 years later as a unique memento of Lester Gaba’s work.
box of three antique Castile soap figures for children designed by Lester Gaba:
$169.00