Lester Gaba: Soap Carver, Mannequin Designer, and Visual Merchandising Critic, and Educator

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to document the relatively unknown history of Lester Gaba who was an influential soap carver, mannequin designer, visual merchandising critic, and educator based in New York City from approximately 1932 to 1987.1 Gaba was born in 1907 and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, where he spent much of his childhood at his parent’s general store drawing.2 At the age of ten he participated in a soap sculpting contest, which inspired him to initially pursue a career as a specialty soap sculptor (Figure 1).3 His passions would lead him to Chicago in 1930 where he studied art.4 In our attempt to document Gaba’s history and accomplishments we utilized objects as evidence, and primary source material retrieved from digital databases of publications such as Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), the New York Times, and Life magazine. Primary sources such as examples of extant soap figurines and other ephemera.