[William H. Helfand graphic popular medicine ephemera collection]
Title
[William H. Helfand graphic popular medicine ephemera collection]
Description
Collection of illustrated ephemera, primarily letterheads, billheads, receipts, and fliers, for pharmaceutical firms in the United States (predominantly New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Mid-West), and London issued between 1800 and 1940. Firms well represented include Frederick Stearns & Co.; Maltine Manufacturing Company; and Wm. R. Warner & Co. Materials also document The Altenheim Dispensary; C.A. Bartlett & Co.; Dr. Shoop Family Medicine Co.; Henry K. Wampole & Co; J. N. Harris & Co.; J. H. Schenck & Son; John C. Baker Co.; Johnson & Johnson; National Remedy Company; R. H. Steward Company, Inc.; and Upjohn Pill & Granule Co. Also contains advertisements, bags, calendars, envelopes, illustrations, label proofs, and show cards. Prominent firms represented include Antikamnia Chemical Company; A. Vogeler & Co. (later Charles A. Vogeler Co.); Charles E. Hires Company; Lehn & Fink; Lydia Pinkham; and Morse Yellow Dock Root Syrup Company. Other firms, businesses, and products include Arctic Soda Apparatus; Barker's Cheveux Tonique; Chamberlain's remedies; Dr. Peiro Oxygen treatment; George T. Brown & Co.; A. Gsell; Merchant's Gargling Ointment; Mrs. S. A. Allen's Improved Hair Restorer; T. Jacob's Oil; Tilden & Company; and Wright's Indian Vegetable Pills., Illustrations depict various subjects. The most numerous are views of pharmaceutical factories and storefronts, often including street and pedestrian traffic. Imagery also depicts pharmaceutical and soda apparatus; genre and satiric scenes; children and animals; portraiture; the devil and death; and figures in traditional Japanese costume. Collection also includes ca. 1800 trade card "The Front of Swinton’s Original [Anthony] Daffy’s Elixir Warehouse, Salisbury Square, Fleet Street London"(Advertisements); "The Grand Stand Baseball Game" advertising the laxative "Pluto Water" (Advertisements); a placard for Fowler & Wells Co. containing an image of a phrenological head and corresponding explanatory key (Miscellaneous); and a sheet of stamps advertising Daggett & Ramsdell's Ha-Kol headache remedy (Miscellaneous)., Title supplied by cataloger., Various engravers and printers, including J. Bonsor; Detroit Lith. Co.; Donaldson Brothers; Doty & Bergen; R. Gair; Major & Knapp Eng. Mfg. & Lith. Co.; The Meisenbach Co.; The Richmond Lith. Co.; A. W. Robinson; and Strobridge Lithographing Co., Majority of the letterheads, billheads, and receipts contain manuscript and typewritten notes. Subjects include solicitations, giveaways with purchases, receipt of testimonials, corrections of mailing lists from postmasters, price lists, and the potential cost to consumers of the stamping of proprietary medicines (1898)., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., Gift of William H. Helfand., Digitized for AMD: Popular Medicine. Series I.
Date
[ca. 1800-1931, bulk 1870-1900]
Location
Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department Helfand Graphic Popular Medicine Ephemera Collection [P.2010.37]