🔎 UNIDENTIFIED does anyone know any history on a bowl I found in the dump in Kennedy N.Y. near me in the woods today ??

[matthewtextor100]

Hi everyone this is Matt again
today when I was bottle digging in a old dump in the town of kennedy N.Y. I found a old paislays shaving soap bowl it also says carrel ltd chicago illinois distributor in the middle and has a P in the center
does anyone know any history on this item I found ??
and thank you to anyone who leaves a reply

 

[AU Seeker]

Not really any info but does show the entire "bowl", lid and soap still inside, from two different sites.

Paislays | TomoNagura.Com | Keith V. Johnson

Paisleys soap comes in these cool ‘space ship’ shaped plastic bowls, and the soap is very comparable to Yardley or any other top-shelf tallow shaving soap.

www.tomonagura.com

PAISLAYS ART DECO BAKELITE SHAVING SOAP BOWL LAVENDER SHAVING SOAP NEVER USED | #1914734246

EXCEPTIONAL ART DECO SHAVING BOWL BY PAISLAY; NEVER USED. NO CHIPS, NO CRACKS IN THE BAKELITE PLASTIC BOWL OR LID. CARDBOARD INSERT IS STILL INTACT WITH TAG AND THE LAVENDER SOAP IS INTACT, NEVER USED

www.worthpoint.com

 

[AU Seeker]

Some more info but not muxh more than you already know.

"Paislays was a vintage brand of men's shaving soap famously distributed in distinctive Art Deco-style Bakelite or Catalin plastic bowls during the mid-20th century (circa 1930s–1950s).

Company and Brand Details

• • Product Type: Shaving soap (notably Lavender) packaged with plastic travel bowls.
  • Distributor / Maker: Distributed by Carrell Ltd. based out of Chicago, Illinois, during the 1940s and 1950s.
  • Era: Active alongside other mid-century wet-shaving giants like Yardley, Lenthéric, and Williams.

Historical Context
Packaging Innovation: The unique maroon-and-cream or multi-toned containers were celebrated examples of early plastics and Bakelite design used for utilitarian grooming products.

• Legacy: The soap has been out of production for decades, but original unused or vintage pucks and their signature "space-ship" Bakelite bowls remain rare collector's items eagerly sought after within traditional wet-shaving enthusiast communities"

 

[Red-Coat]

It seems to have been sold for a number of years throughout the 1940s and 1950s, as well as other Paislay-branded products such as talc and after-shave lotion. Advertising seems to have started in the early 1940s, such as this ad from 1941 for a gift set including the shaving bowl.

There are a number of variations in colour, with lids being in both cream and white, and bowls in both black/dark brown and maroon/red. I would think the dark bowls and off-white lids are the earliest since Bakelite and competitive plastics struggled to produce bright, clean colours at reasonable cost in their early days.