Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream Ad, 1910 Children’s Toothpaste

Description

Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream Ad, 1910 Children’s Toothpaste

Charming 1910 advert for Colgate’s early ribbon-form toothpaste, marketed with a candy-like flavour to encourage children’s dental hygiene — a playful yet clinical turn-of-century solution.

Measurements: approx. 4 3/4 x 6 7/8 inches
Dates: May 21, 1910
Source: The Sphere
Condition: In decent vintage condition. Please inspect images for quality.
Internal notes: QC passed

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In an era of bow-fronted sinks and nursery routines, Colgate’s Ribbon Dental Cream offered a cheerful solution to a familiar Edwardian challenge: encouraging children to brush their teeth. This delightful 1910 advertisement, published in The Sphere on May 21, 1910, features an illustration of three children at the washstand, with the eldest brushing his teeth diligently — a scene designed to assure mothers that “One nursery problem [was] solved.”

Boasting a “delicious candy flavour” and antiseptic action, Colgate’s toothpaste was cleverly positioned as both a treat and a safeguard. The copy blends playful appeal with clinical confidence: the cream “prevents decay-germs” and “acts as a body-guard against disease.” Sold from Colgate & Co.’s Holborn Viaduct depot in London, the product was offered in trial tubes of 42 inches for 2d in stamps — a detail that grounds it in the everyday consumer habits of Edwardian families. Measuring approx. 4¾ x 6⅞ inches, the advert is a prime example of early 20th-century transatlantic brand marketing in Britain.

This piece holds lasting charm for collectors of vintage children’s products, dental ephemera, or Edwardian commercial illustration. Preserved in decent vintage condition, it’s a heartening reminder of how even routine habits were lovingly branded and thoughtfully designed.

Categories: advertising, ephemera, children, health, hygiene, vintage
Tags: 1910, colgate, dental, health, holborn, hygiene, toothpaste, vintage
Focus keyword: colgate dental cream advert
Suggested Internal Link Keywords: colgate, dental cream, edwardian hygiene, children’s products, 1910, vintage advertising