IMAGE

Le Messager medicine ad Item Info

Title:
Le Messager medicine ad
Creator:
Le Messager
Date Created:
February 28, 1899
Description:
This advertisement features “Elixir Uterin” a patent medicine marketed towards women to cure “beau mal” feminine illnesses. This referred to anything caused by “uterine hysteria” rather than anything specifically related to one’s reproductive organs. As you can see in this image, the woman pictured advertising the concoction is a nun, and she is holding a sign that suggests the “elixir” can cure up to 7 illnesses! Claims like these were common among sellers of patent medicines, which actually contained mostly alcohol, as well as vegetables such as celery, rather than the medicinal ingredients they claimed. In fact, some patent medicines could include as much as 90% alcohol. This makes the choice to use a nun for advertising confusing, as members of the clergy were often pro-temperance.
Subjects:
newspapers, Le Messager, advertisements, patent medicines
Source:
Le Messager Newspaper Collection
Type:
text
Format:
image/jpeg
Source
Preferred Citation:
"Le Messager medicine ad", Le Messager Newspaper Collection, Franco-American Collection, University of Southern Maine
Repository Link:
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/fac-le-messager-print/93/
Rights
Rights:
Public Domain
Standardized Rights:
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/