Patent Medicine Collection

American advertisement for Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment, c1895
PATENT MEDICINE AD, c1895. American advertisement for Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment, c1895

Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine
PATENT MEDICINE CARTOON. Deaths Laboratory. American cartoon, 1906, by Edward Windsor Kemble on the dangers of patent medicine and advertisers spurious claims to lure customers

Poster, c1880, for Pratts Healing Ointment
AMERICAN PATENT MEDICINE. Poster, c1880, for Pratts Healing Ointment

Late 19th century American patent medicine poster for Halls Hair Renewer
HAIR RESTORATIVE. Late 19th century American patent medicine poster for Halls Hair Renewer

Advertisement for Beecham's Pills, a popular patent medicine. Ananlysis showed it contained only Aloes
2604493 Advertisement for Beecham's Pills, a popular patent medicine. Ananlysis showed it contained only Aloes, powdered ginger and powdered soap

Ozone Paper, a patent remedy to be burned in a room to relieve shortness of breath in Asthma and Bronichitis
2603102 Ozone Paper, a patent remedy to be burned in a room to relieve shortness of breath in Asthma and Bronichitis. Advertisement published London, 1893.; (add.info.: Ozone Paper)

19th-century illustration showing a man offering Lamplough's Effervescing Pyretic Saline
5311103 19th-century illustration showing a man offering Lamplough's Effervescing Pyretic Saline. A cure-all patent medicine, Lamplough's Saline was made by Henry Lamplough

Street vendor of cough sweets and a Sneezing stick' which was supposed to prevent colds. Engraving, London, 1872
2604524 Street vendor of cough sweets and a Sneezing stick' which was supposed to prevent colds. Engraving, London, 1872.; (add.info)

The Carbolic Smoke Ball, a patent remedy. Offered £1, 000 to anyone contracting Influenza after using it
2604494 The Carbolic Smoke Ball, a patent remedy. Offered £1, 000 to anyone contracting Influenza after using it. Refused to pay but successfully sued in 1891.; (add.info)

Cures All the Ills of Man or Beast. Cartoon, 1921, by Rollin Kirby commenting on the resurrection of the Fordney
TARIFF BILL, 1921. Cures All the Ills of Man or Beast. Cartoon, 1921, by Rollin Kirby commenting on the resurrection of the Fordney Emergency Tariff Bill

Sheet Music Cover "A Message from the Battlefield", pub. 1864 (coloured litho)
2630668 Sheet Music Cover " A Message from the Battlefield", pub. 1864 (coloured litho) by Queen, James Fuller (1824-c.1877); Private Collection; (add.info)

American advertising display card for Groves Chill Tonic
PATENT MEDICINE, c1885. American advertising display card for Groves Chill Tonic

Life And Adventures Of The American Cow-Boy Cowboy
Title page of The Life and Adventures of the American Cow-Boy. Life in the Far West by Clark Stanley, Better Known as the Rattle-Snake King

Advertisement for Kiers Genuine Petroleum, or Rock Oil, c1850
AD: PATENT MEDICINE, c1850. Advertisement for Kiers Genuine Petroleum, or Rock Oil, c1850

AD: PATENT MEDICINE, 1849. Ad for Doctor Ralphs Pills. Lithograph, 1849

AD: PATENT MEDICINE, c1852. American advertisement for Sybilline Leaves. Lithograph, c1852

AD: BOVOX, c1895. Advertisement for Bovox Essence of Beef. Lithograph, c1895

AD: PATENT MEDICINE, c1895. American ad for Lorings Fat-Ten-U and Corpula Foods. Lithograph, c1895

MARYLAND: MEDICINE STORE. A patent medicine shop in Hagerstown, Maryland. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, 1937

VERMONT: MEDICINE MAN, 1937. A medicine man at the Vermont State Fair in Rutland, Vermont. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, September 1937

FLORIDA: MEDICINE MAN, 1937. A one-legged medicine man at a migrant worker camp in Belle Glade, Florida. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, January 1937

PNEUMONIA VACCINE, 1937. Army Medical Center Captain John R. Wood with the partially purified product in cellophane sacks to remove the reaction substances that give chills and fever

PATENT MEDICINE, c1920. American advertisement for Bakers Glandol, . c1920

PATENT MEDICINE AD, C1920. American advertisement for nuxated iron, with an endorsement from Pope Benedict XV, c1920

ROME: QUACK DOCTOR, 1872. A quack doctor pulling teeth on a street in Rome. Wood engraving, English, 1872

AD: BEARD ELIXIR, 1879. American advertisement for Dykes Beard Elixir, 1879

PATENT MEDICINE, c1850. American advertisement for womens hair tonic. Lithograph, c1850

PATENT MEDICINE, c1889. American advertisement for Dr. D. Jaynes tonic vermifuge, a remedy for worms. Lithograph, c1889

PATENT MEDICINE, c1874. American advertisement for Dr. Pierces family medicines. Lithograph, c1874

PATENT MEDICINE, 1886. American advertisement for Dr. M. A. Simmons liver medicine
PATENT MEDICINE, 1886. American advertisement for Dr. M.A. Simmons liver medicine. Lithograph, 1886

HAIR TREATMENT AD, 1886. Advertisement for Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower, 1886

AD: PABST, c1895. Advertisement for Pabst Malt Extract, c1895

AD: HAIR RESTORATIVE. American magazine advertisement for Packers Tar Soap, a hair restorative, late 19th century

Coca-Cola advert, 1890s C016 / 8823
Coca-Cola advert. 19th-century advert for an early form of Coca-Cola. This advert dates from the 1890s, only a few years after the drink was first produced in the USA

Patent medicine salesman, 1939 C014 / 8752
Patent medicine salesman (right) with a feathered headdress, showing remedies to US workers outside a tobacco warehouse where farming auction sales are being held

Patent medicines, early 20th century C016 / 4561
Patent medicines. Selection of some of the patent medicines sold by Alfred Barns Seelye (1870-1948) from a factory and laboratory next to his home in Abilene, Kansas, USA

American lithograph cartoon, 1898, on the differences between patent medicine salesmen and mental healers
PATENT MEDICINE CARTOON. American lithograph cartoon, 1898, on the differences between patent medicine salesmen and mental healers

American advertisement, c1890
PATENT MEDICINE, c1890. American advertisement, c1890

Late 19th century American patent medicine display card for Ayers Sarsaparilla
PATENT MEDICINE. Late 19th century American patent medicine display card for Ayers Sarsaparilla

Advertisement for Blairs Gout and Rheumatic Pills. Line engraving, English, 1898
AD: PATENT MEDICINE, 1898. Advertisement for Blairs Gout and Rheumatic Pills. Line engraving, English, 1898

Page from a 19th century American pamphlet advertising the German Electric Suspensory Belt as a cure for nervous
PATENT MEDICINE PAMPHLET. Page from a 19th century American pamphlet advertising the German Electric Suspensory Belt as a cure for nervous debility and loss of vigor, discreet terms for impotence

American magazine advertisement for Allcocks Porous Plasters, 1887
PATENT MEDICINE, 1887. American magazine advertisement for Allcocks Porous Plasters, 1887

American patent medicine advertisement, late 19th century, for the Common Sense Electric Belt
ELECTRIC BELT AD. American patent medicine advertisement, late 19th century, for the Common Sense Electric Belt

Advertisement for Beechams Pills from an American newspaper of 1890
PATENT MEDICINE PILL, 1890. Advertisement for Beechams Pills from an American newspaper of 1890

English newspaper advertisement for the Vapo-Cresolene vaporizer, 1898
VAPORIZER, 1898. English newspaper advertisement for the Vapo-Cresolene vaporizer, 1898

Advertisement for Dr. Scotts Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil from an American magazine of 1892
PATENT MEDICINE AD, 1892. Advertisement for Dr. Scotts Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil from an American magazine of 1892

Advertisement for one of Healy & Bigelows quack remedies, c1890
PATENT MEDICINE, c1890. Advertisement for one of Healy & Bigelows quack remedies, c1890

Dr. Scotts Electric Corset. American advertisement, 1882
ELECTRIC CORSET, 1882. Dr. Scotts Electric Corset. American advertisement, 1882

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"Unveiling the Dark Side: The Rise and Fall of Patent Medicine" Step back in time to the late 19th century, where American merchants eagerly promoted their patent medicines through captivating trade cards and posters. These artifacts provide a glimpse into an era when dubious remedies were peddled with little regard for safety or truth. One such example is the Cocaine Toothache Drops trade card from 1885, shockingly marketed towards both children and adults. This unsettling image serves as a reminder of how far we have come in our understanding of appropriate healthcare practices. Similarly, Pratts Healing Ointment poster from around 1880 promises miraculous results but leaves us questioning its true effectiveness. Were these claims based on scientific evidence or merely empty promises? Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment advertisement from 1895 takes us deeper into this world of deception. With spurious claims and false allurements, it highlights the tactics used by advertisers to lure unsuspecting customers seeking relief. In Edward Windsor Kemble's cartoon "Deaths Laboratory" (1906), we witness a scathing critique on the dangers associated with patent medicine. It exposes the sinister motives behind these products while shedding light on advertisers' unscrupulous strategies. Halls Hair Renewer poster showcases another facet of this industry – promising solutions for aesthetic concerns like hair loss. However, one wonders if these tonics truly delivered what they claimed or if they were nothing more than snake oil in disguise. The resurrection of Fordney Emergency Tariff Bill in Rollin Kirby's cartoon "Cures All Ills of Man or Beast" (1921) draws parallels between political maneuvering and deceptive marketing tactics employed by patent medicine companies during that period. Even earlier advertisements like Kiers Genuine Petroleum (c1850) highlight how long-standing this practice was within American society. These ads demonstrate that even before regulation existed, individuals sought quick fixes for their ailments without fully understanding potential risks.