Cosmetics and Perfumes
Richard Christopher spent some time in Singapore after he qualified as a pharmacist, returning via Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and India. When he came to Bradford on Avon in 1908 to work the shop he immediately started to develop a range of perfumes, soaps and cosmetics based on the scents and flavours he discovered in the East.
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This is one of a series of coloured advertisements for Richard Christopher’s “Siva” brand of perfumes.
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Surviving in a scrap book of Christopher’s advertising are examples of hand-drawn designs for packaging for his “Siva” product range. They may have been made by his wife Miriam.
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Another of Richard Christopher’s “Siva” products was a jelly for protecting and improving the condition of the skin of hands. This is a lantern slide advertisement which was shown at performances at the Alexander Cinema (today St Margaret’s Hall), as is the next item.
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One of Christopher’s specialities was his oriental curry powder, reflecting his experience of living in Singapore at the beginning of the 20th century. It would have been a rarity until quite recently, in the days before curries became common. It was probably more of a Malayan recipe than the Indian ones we are familiar with. Many people remember it and the Museum gets requests for the recipe, but unfortunately it was not passed on.
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It is said that, due to shortages and rationing during the Second World War, chemist shops made lipsticks using metal moulds which were normally used for making suppositories.