Bay West Wash-Up Kit, circa 1925

Summary

Traveling doesn't mean that you shouldn't be clean. This 1920s "wash-up kit" provided tourists, campers, hikers, picnickers, and motorists a quick and easy way to get clean. The kit includes soap in the form a paper sheet and paper towels. No need to carry a bar of soap and bath towels when you have this novel product in your automobile.

Traveling doesn't mean that you shouldn't be clean. This 1920s "wash-up kit" provided tourists, campers, hikers, picnickers, and motorists a quick and easy way to get clean. The kit includes soap in the form a paper sheet and paper towels. No need to carry a bar of soap and bath towels when you have this novel product in your automobile.

Artifact

Kit (Set)

Date Made

circa 1925

Creators

Bay West Company 

Becker, H.M. 

Place of Creation

United States, New York, New York 

United States, Wisconsin, Green Bay 

Creator Notes

Made by Bay West Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin; distributed by H.M. Becker of New York City, New York.

Driving America
 On Exhibit

at Henry Ford Museum in Driving America

Object ID

89.412.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Frank Jewell.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Cardboard
Soap (Organic material)

Color

Tan (Color)
Black (Color)
Green

Dimensions

Height: 12.25 in

Width: 5.625 in

Length: 0.625 in

Inscriptions

Printed on front cover: BAY / WEST / WASH-UP KIT / PURE / PAPER / SOAP / AND / PURE / PAPER / TOWELS / FOR TOURISTS, CAMPERS, / PICNICKERS, HIKERS ETC / ENOUGH FOR 12 / WASH-UPS Printed, in part, on verso: THE WASH-UP KIT CONTAINS / SOAP AND TOWELS [...] / DIRECTIONS FOR USE / [...] / NO WET SOAP TO CARRY NO CLOTH TOWELS TO WASH Printed on inner flap, in green: EVERY MOTORIST / NEEDS IT / EVERY EMERGENCY WASH-UP / DEMANDS IT! / [...] / WASH-UP KITS DISTRIBUTED BY H.M. BECKER, WHOLESALE CAMPING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES. 312 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, N.Y. Printed on dispenser flap: SOAP AND TOWELS / PURE SULPHATE FIBRE / PURE COCOANUT OIL SOAP / 12 / BAY WEST / FOLDED / DUBLTOWLS / (DOUBLE TOWELS) / 24 SHEETS 10" X 103/4" / 12 / BAY / WEST / FOLDED / SOAP PAPERS / SIZE 4" X 51/2"

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