bear's grease and cold cream advertising model
Staffordshire, England for James Atkinson
1799-1818
creamware
H: 9.5"; length: 17"; Width: 9.5"
Bear grease was a popular pomade or hair treatment for hair loss in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and America. It was originally made from bear fat scented with roses. The London chemist's firm of J & E Atkinson was founded by James Atkinson in 1799, which originally sold pots of hair pomade made of bears' grease and perfumed with otto of roses. Histories of the company frequently claim James Atkinson used a live bear, chained to the pavement outside his London premises, to promote the sale of his product. During the early 1800s, James Atkinson advertised his Bear’s grease in chemist and druggist shops through the production of ceramic show bears. This one depicts a polar bear standing in an icy landscape. An identical model is part of the collection of the Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
1799-1818
creamware
H: 9.5"; length: 17"; Width: 9.5"
Bear grease was a popular pomade or hair treatment for hair loss in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe and America. It was originally made from bear fat scented with roses. The London chemist's firm of J & E Atkinson was founded by James Atkinson in 1799, which originally sold pots of hair pomade made of bears' grease and perfumed with otto of roses. Histories of the company frequently claim James Atkinson used a live bear, chained to the pavement outside his London premises, to promote the sale of his product. During the early 1800s, James Atkinson advertised his Bear’s grease in chemist and druggist shops through the production of ceramic show bears. This one depicts a polar bear standing in an icy landscape. An identical model is part of the collection of the Museum of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.