Venus Soap advert

This colourful advertisement is for "Venus Soap" made by the Leeds firm of Joseph Watson and Sons Ltd. Founded in 1830 by Joseph Watson, the firm moved in 1861 to a site west of the Canal Basin, between Whitehall Road and the river. This was one of the largest soap works in England, employing around 750 people, and manufacturing six hundred tons of soap a week in 1893. They made brands such as "Watson's Matchless Cleanser" and "Venus Soap". The firm was known as '"Soapy Joe's".