Colgate (toothpaste)

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Colgate logo

Names:
--- "Colgate's Antiseptic Dental Powder" (glass jar)
--- "Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream" (collapsible tube)

Category: Health - Beauty

Subcategory: Toothpaste

Inventor - Producer: Colgate & Company under the management of Samuel Colgate (founded by his father William Colgate in 1806)

Production start: 1873 (in jar, 1896 in collapsible tube) - New York City, USA

Features: The label of the "Colgate's Antiseptic Dental Powder" in jar reads: "To cleanse and whiten the teeth. This powder contains precipitated carbonate of calcium, carbonate of magnesium, and soap. Endorsed by professors of chemistry in dental schools and recommended by leading dentists".

Interesting facts: In 1806, William Colgate starts a starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City. In 1857, upon his death, the company is reorganized as Colgate & Co. under the management of Samuel Colgate, his son.

Slogan (1908): «We couldn't improve the product so we improved the tube».

Property: Colgate-Palmolive Company

Producer website: http://www.colgatepalmolive.com

Colgate's Antiseptic Dental Powder (1873)

Colgate's Dental Powder, newspaper advertisement (The Indianapolis journal, Oct. 18, 1891)

Colgate's Dental Powder in a sample box (1897)

Colgate's Antiseptic Powders advertisement (Country Life in America magazine, February 1905)

Colgate's Antiseptic Dental Powder advertisement: a special package marks Colgate company's 100th anniversary (The Delineator magazine, September 1906)

Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream (1896). In 1892, Doctor Washington Sheffield, an American Dentist of New London manufactured toothpaste into a collapsible tube (right image below). He had the idea after his son travelled to Paris and saw painters using paint from tubes. Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream was packaged in collapsible tubes imitating Sheffield. The original collapsible toothpaste tubes were made of lead.

Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream advertisement (The Ladies' Home Journal, Feb. 1910)

Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream advertisement (McCall's Magazine, Dec. 1911)

Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream advertising card (1915)

The inventors of the Colgate toothpaste.

From left: William Colgate (Hollingbourne, Jan. 25, 1783 - New York City, Mar. 25, 1857), who founded in 1806 what became the Colgate toothpaste company, and his son Samuel Colgate (New York City, Mar. 22, 1822 - Orange, Apr. 23, 1897), manager of the Colgate & Co. during the years of product launch.

Colgate toothpaste, an advanced version

Levi Strauss & Co. (blue jeans)

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Levi's logo 1967
by W. Landor & Associates

Name: "Levi's 501"

Category: Fashion

Subcategory: Pants

Inventors: Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis

Producer: Levi Strauss & Co.

Patented: May 20, 1873 - San Francisco, California, USA

First price: In 1879 Levi's pants were selling for 1.46 USD

Features: The pants - called "waist overalls" - had one back pocket with the Arcuate stitching design, a watch pocket, a cinch, suspender buttons and a rivet in the crotch. The pants were made of 9 oz. XX blue denim, which comes from the Amoskeag Mill in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Interesting facts: Levi Strauss, a Bavarian-born dry goods merchant, came to San Francisco in 1853 at the age of 24 to open a West Coast branch of his brothers' New York wholesale dry goods business. One day the wife of a local laborer asked Jacob to make a pair of pants for her husband that wouldn't fall apart. Jacob tried to think of a way to strengthen his trousers and came up with the idea to put metal rivets at points of strain, like pocket corners and the base of the button fly. These riveted pants were an instant hit. Jacob quickly decided to take out a patent on the process, but needed a business partner to help get the project rolling. He immediately thought of Levi Strauss, from whom he had purchased the cloth to make his riveted pants. Davis wrote to Levi to suggest that the two men hold the patent together. Levi, being an astute businessman, saw the potential for this new product, and agreed to Jacob’s proposal. The two men received the patent on May 20, 1873.

Slogan (1887): «It's no use they can't be ripped».

Property: Levi Strauss & Co.

Producer website: https://www.levistrauss.com

XX: the first 501 jean with its guarantee ticket (ca. 1900)

Figure from Patent granted to Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss (May 20, 1873)

Levi Strauss & Co., newspaper advertisement (The daily intelligencer, Seattle, June 4, 1880). «LEVI STRAUSS & CO.'S PATENT RIVETED CLOTHING, adapted especially for miner's wear».

Levi Strauss & Co., newspaper advertisement (Las Vegas daily gazette, July 7 1881)

Levi Strauss & Co., the "Two Horse Brand" leather tag (1887) showing a team of horses trying to pull apart a pair of pants, began to be sewn into the back of the company's "waist-high overalls", the term Levi Strauss preferred to "jeans".

Levi Strauss & Co., salesman's flyer (ca. 1900)

Levi's "Red Tab" (1936) was first placed onto the right back pocket of the overalls. The Tab was created to differentiate Levi's overalls from competitors.

The inventors of Levi's 501 jeans.

From left: Levi Strauss (Buttenheim, Feb. 26, 1829 - San Francisco, Sep. 26, 1902), businessman; Jacob W. Davis (Riga, 1831 - San Francisco, 1908), tailor, inventor, and entrepreneur.

Levi's 501, 150th Anniversary (1873-2023) products and celebrations