Bubbles

Bubbles, is a painting by Sir John Everett Millais that became famous when it was used over many generations in Pears’ Soap advertisements. The painting was reproduced and presented in the weekly newspaper as a colour plate, where it was seen by the managing director of A&F Pears, Thomas J. Barratt. He purchased the original painting for £2,200 which gave him exclusive copyright on the picture and was used as a backdrop for Pears’ Soap advertisements . This led to accusations against Millais for compromising his artistic principles and led to widespread debate about the relationship between art and advertising. The painting portrays a young golden-haired boy looking up at a bubble, symbolizing the beauty and fragility of life. On one side of him is a young plant growing in a pot, emblematic of life, and on the other is a fallen broken pot, emblematic of death.