Baby Print

Q: My great-grandmother used to collect everything “baby.” We found this little print in a mailing tube and I think it’s delightful. I plan on framing it for my children’s bathroom, but I would love to know what its story is.

A: Your print was a 1940s Swan Soap premium made from an illustration by artist Louise Rumely. She did several similar illustrations of babies used by Lever Brothers in print ads for its Swan brand of bar soap for babies. The ads explained that you could mail in soap wrappers and get a print. That’s probably what your great-grandmother did. A 1940s print in excellent condition sells for $40-$50. But be careful. Reproductions of the prints are being made today. They sell for about $12 each.

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