. . . and then opened to reveal a surprise ending.
. . . after!
And don't we suppose that it was very, very dark? The back of the Buckingham card promotes another hair product, Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer. Its makes for some interesting reading:
Does it do anything for sore feet or ulcers?
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Hello Mark:
ReplyDeleteThese cards are enormous fun. What a very jolly way to advertise one's wares and what excellent condition these examples of yours are in after all these years. The drawings are of a very high standard, quite works of Art in themselves.
And, the hair dye does sound to have been a miracle concoction, how did it ever go out of fashion. Surely such a treatment is needed as badly today as it was then. Perhaps all the Physicians and 'Dealers in Medicine' throughout Massachusetts have secret supplies of the stuff?!!
Hello Jane and Lance:
DeleteIt is amazing that these little pieces of paper have survived into the 21st century! with luck they'll survive longer because I keep my collection in an album with plastic, air-free sleeves.
As I was putting this post together, it ocurred to me that I could do one entirely on the incredible "medical" statements of the Victorian period. It's both amusing and sad to realize that so many people believed them.
These advertising cards are such fun, and reveal so much about the past. Most people could never imagine chewing tobacco, eruptions on the head sound awful, and being bothered to dye a big white beard black.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of our friend Tony Meeuwissen, and his book Remarkable Animals, as perhaps being an example of current metamorphic illustrations.
Dear Rosemary - You're right that Tony Meeuwissen's book is a great example of this fun style. As a commercial artist who still gets excited by good illustration, I've found that wandering through the childrens' section of book stores can be very inspiring.
DeleteWhy don't we make "stuff" like that anymore?? Next time I go antiquing, I'll be sure to look for these antique advertising cards. They are so silly and very charming! I've never seen one before, Mark. I wonder if they are costly?
ReplyDeleteAnd, that Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer is exactly what I need....it is a miracle product :)
Cheers,
Loi
Hi, Loi - I'm glad you enjoyed these cards (and I'm sure you don't need Vegetable Sicilain Hair Renewer!).
DeleteAs I mention in my sidebar article on trade cards,
http://allthingsruffnerian.blogspot.com/p/trade-cards-early-corporate-identity.html
I started collecting antique advertising cards (trade cards) about 40 years ago, when most of them were then less than 100 years old. I was able to pick them up at antique stores anywhere from 15¢ to $3, many in the 50¢ range. The ones I see today are usually expensive, damaged and unremarkable, but there are still some nice finds if one knows where to look. And the place to look is antique book fairs or antique dealers who specialize in post cards. Ocassionally there are antique ephemera shows, and I've gotten on a plane to attend those a couple of times.
Who cares if any of these products work? They're so entertaining, one would eaily forget their malady.
ReplyDeleteHi, Steve - I keep looking at the Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer and wondering whether guys were putting salad dressing in their hair!
DeleteHi Mark, These mechanical cards are wonderful. I think the "after" Buckingham dye picture would make a great caption contest, his expression is so remarkable.
ReplyDeleteAs to the Hattatt's and others' remarks about the efficacy of these tretments, when researching the passage of the Pure Food and Drug act in 1906, I read that many of those hair dyes were based on coal-tar derivatives and other toxic compounds, and violent reactions including death were far from rare. Rather than mourn the loss of these products, we should just enjoy their creative advertisements.
--Road to Parnassus
Hi, Parnassus,
DeleteDid you notice that the hand model for Buckingham's Dye appears to have been a woman?
I'm sure the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 is pretty illuminating. And there's no telling what people were ingesting, let alone putting on their scalp!
One industrialist who was a champion for pure food was H. J. Heinz, who led the way with his own products. I read his biography years ago (The Good Provider) and one tidbit that has stayed in my mind is that he insisted that all his bottles be of clear glass. Until his time, most food was bottled in dark amber glass, and consumers never saw what they were buying.
The cards are really fun, I love the rhyming verse and the hand drawn pictures....I wonder what is the Assayer of Massachusetts?
ReplyDeleteAn assayer is a person who tests ores and minerals and analyzes them to determine their composition and value. The Assayer of Massachusetts may have "endorsed" the hair renewer by simply determinig that it wasn't deadly.
Delete