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News Article
Gamble Estate proceeds will help conservation causes
By Eric C. Rodenberg

CINCINNATI — In 1837, the United States experienced its first depression. Hundreds of banks closed their doors, and with the nation gripped by financial panic, there was widespread concern that the new nation was bankrupt.

It was not the best time to start a new business. You could say it was a gamble.

Irish emigrant James Gamble apprenticed himself to a soap maker in the early 19th century. William Procter, emigrating from England, established himself as a candle maker in the city.

At the time, Cincinnati – or “Porkopolis,” as it was declaimed by many wags – was one of the major meatpacking centers of the United States. The rendered fat and oil were essential ingredients used in the production of soap and candles.

The two might never have met had they not married sisters Olivia and Elizabeth Norris. Father-in-law Alexander Norris, noting that his new sons were competing for the same raw material, suggested a joint venture.

On Oct. 31, 1837, a bold new enterprise was born as Procter and Gamble began making and selling soap and candles.

The rest – as they say – is history.

Today, Procter and Gamble is the largest consumer goods producer in the world with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. The list of brands they own – Charmin tissue, Crest toothpaste, Dawn dishwashing detergent, Scope mouthwash, Tide laundry detergent, Vicks cough and cold products, Head & Shoulders, to name a few – reads like the honor roll of American manufacturing and merchandising.

What initially pulled the company ahead of the pack was the company’s revelation of Ivory soap, with its 1891 marketing slogan “It Floats!” It was Gamble’s oldest son, John N. Gamble, a chemist, who devised a method to produce soap that floated in the bath water.

After a limited production run, the company was inundated with positive mail from the public. Swiftly reacting to the public’s positive feedback, the company increased production and began more aggressive marketing.

In 1895, Ivory advertising claimed their product was “99 44/100% Pure,” based on an independent laboratory analysis demonstrating their product was purer than the castile soap then available.

The younger Gamble also founded the first laboratory in P&G’s history, leading to the factory and research center named “Ivorydale.”

James N. Gamble (1836-1932) was, by several accounts, an active and generous man with an abiding interest in nature conservation.

He reportedly planted hundreds of trees throughout the Cincinnati suburb of Westwood. While serving on the Westwood village council in 1873, he sponsored legislation outlawing the shooting of songbirds. Violators could face a fine of $20 or a 20-day jail sentence.

With a long-flowing snowy white beard and a cheery demeanor, Gamble was affectionately called the “Grand Old Man of Cincinnati” and delighted in confusing children as a 20th century Santa Claus.

“He was a quiet philanthropist,” according to Carter Randolph, president of Greenacres, a foundation created by his grandson Louis Nippert and wife Louise Dieterle Nippert, to promote the family’s love of the environment, sustainable agriculture and the cultural arts.

“He was an extremely generous man … a devout Methodist who lived in what would be considered today a modest house.”

After he died in his sleep at the age of 95, his daughter Olivia Gamble lived in the home until her death in 1962.

“She basically maintained the house as it was when he died,” Randolph said.

The home, named by Gamble as Ratonagh, was vacant for nearly 40 years – fully furnished with turn-of-the-20th century relics from the Gilded Age. Lavishly carpeted with Oriental rugs, Arts and Crafts furnishing and lighting, a grand piano, fine silver, art glass, fine art and more, the estate was sealed off and kept under guard.

That was, until around 2000, when it was moved to the Greenacre’s property in the pricey village of Indian Hill. A suburb of Cincinnati, Indian Hill has been home to such diverse residents as astronaut Neil Armstrong, rock guitarist Peter Frampton and National Football League quarterback Carson Palmer.

“It was moved due to the structural deterioration of the home,” Randolph said. “It’s what he put into the house. It’s been untouched.”

On Aug. 23, Auctioneer Mark D. Mallette will sell the contents of the Gamble estate on the Greenacres property on Blome Road in Indian Hill. There is no buyer’s premium. There will be no Internet bidding; and you either show up and bid or submit absentee bids beforehand, according to Mallette.

“There are pieces here that, I believe, date back to 19th century Ireland, right up to the early 20th century,” Mallette said. “This was from the Gilded Age from the people who put Cincinnati on the map. There’s no question of the provenance … all these pieces have some social and historical significance.”

It will be a sale in which it is difficult to cite the highlights, chiefly because there are so many, Mallette says.

A framed KPM porcelain plaque, portraying a young lady shielding a candle, and signed Wagner is expected to be among the top lots. Arts & Crafts Mission-style chandeliers, Mission-style 2- and 3-glassed door bookcases and slag glass multi-sided pane class lights will be sold, in addition to Handel boudoir and desk lamps.

The Belleek collector should not be disappointed at this auction, with several older pieces (with black marks) up for sale, in addition to a 17-inch-tall Belleek female figurine.

The Gambles seemingly decorated their home with several marble busts that will be offered, including two tall (17 inch and 14 inch) Italian female busts signed by F. Pugi and four John Rogers (1829-1904) plaster statues, including two of the artist’s Civil War commemoration works, One More Shot and Taking the Oath.

Also among the more desirable antiques is a Regina music box, with 30 discs stored in a walnut cabinet. There will also be clocks, fine silver, numerous pieces of American Brilliant cut glass, and a circa 1900 Hazelton Bros. grand piano.

The sale, comprising around 600 lots, is expected to last about 8 hours, according to Mallette, with a second ring running throughout most of the morning and afternoon.

Proceeds from the sale will be placed into the endowment fund of Greenacres, according to Randolph. Last year, nearly 18,000 school children were bussed to the 600-acre Greenacres site where they saw a working farm and learned the importance of water, air and land conservation.

Often, Greenacres pays for the transportation of school children to the site. Money from the sale may be used to continue that program, according to Greenacres administrators.

“I think he (Gamble) would have been very happy,” Randolph said. “Some of the children are from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. We’re in Cincinnati to stay, and it’s funding like this (from the auction) that can be used to make a positive impact on the community.”

In September, Mallette will be selling from the estate of Louis (James N. Gamble’s grandson) and Louise Nippert. The Nipperts were also noted Cincinnati philanthropists, art patrons and former owners of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.

Contact: (513) 984-0400

www.malletteandassociates.com

8/8/2014
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