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"Miracle Cures: 19th-20th Century Patent Medicine Packaging and Advertisements" is a collection of objects created in the mid-late 1800s and early 1900s that served as packaging or print advertisements for patent medicines. Due to the immense popularity of patent medicine in the United States during this time, the bulk of the collection is American in origin. These objects range from glass medicine bottles, to cardboard boxes, to printed trade cards and posters.
I have a great deal of interest in the history of science and medicine, as well as American culture and history, particularly the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, which makes the history of patent medicine a very intriguing subject for me. I believe it is critical to digitally preserve our scientific past in order to remind ourselves how far as a society we have come in terms of science and medicine, while also acknowledging the ways in which we have gone wrong. The patent medicine era is a perfect example of the importance of maintaining some sense of regulation during periods of great progress, as well as the necessity for doctors and other medical professionals to cultivate trust with their patients. These objects give 21st-century observers a window into the medical, cultural, and social landscape of the mid-late 1800s and early 1900s, allowing us to better understand how and why these dubious remedies prospered as much as they did. In digitally preserving this piece cultural heritage, I hope to educate people about the "golden age" of patent medicine and prompt them to consider what lessons we can take from these objects today.
