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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | English Female Bitters |
| Reference | 1989-8-67 |
| Library | Philadelphia Museum of Art |
| Collection | The William H. Helfand Collection, 1989 |
| Date | c. 1875-1885 |
| Place of Creation | Kentucky, USA |
| Document Type | Trade Card |
| Theme(s) | Women's Health |
| Keywords | tonic, cure |
| Additional Information | The young woman is being served a dose of English Female Bitters by her maid in a depiction of the relationship between different social classes that was unusual in the egalitarian world of nineteenth-century America. The bitters were promoted for the "the cure of all female complaints," a blanket term that included premenstrual tension, leucorrhea, prolapsed uterus, ovarian disorders, and vaginal bleeding. Because of the reluctance of women to consult with physicians, many products were marketed as promised cures for such problems. Few, however, could match the claims of this product, which advertised that it "assists nature in toning and building up the feeble and flagging energies,…imparts vitality, adds, luster to the eye, brilliancy to the intellect, gladness to the heart and restores women to strength, health and happiness." William H. Helfand, from 'The Picture of Health: Images of Medicine and Pharmacy from the William H. Helfand Collection' (1991), p. 108. |
| Note | Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Philadelphia Museum of Art's catalogue. |
| Visual Content | View thumbnails |
| Copyright | Philadelphia Museum of Art |