Light cardboard trade card for Ayer's Hair Vigor in chromolithograph; front: colour depicting young woman with shiny, luxuriant hair, white gown and pink rose; back: tan with blue writing, and a picture of a woman writing (perhaps praising the product)
Light cardboard trade card for Ayer's Hair Vigor in chromolithograph; front: colour depicting young woman with shiny, luxuriant hair, white gown and pink rose; back: tan with blue writing, and a picture of a woman writing (perhaps praising the product)
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Purchased by Dr. M. Chiong for his patent medicine collection, July 15, 1995 (before).
Unsure as to exact start/end, around until at lease 1911 (Hudson Bay Fall / Winter 1910-11 Catalogue)
Material
paper: red; brown; pink; green; blue
Inscriptions
"AYER'S // HAIR VIGOR // THE // BEST HAIR DRESSING, // PROMOTES A NEW GROWTH OF HAIR AND // RESTORES GRAY HAIR // TO ITS // ORIGINAL COLOR // AYER'S HAIR VIGOR // Prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. USA // Removes DANDRUFF, Prevents Baldness"; back: describes its benefits with praise from a user
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-G Chiong Trade Cards Binder A
Dimension Notes
Length: 13.5 cm. x Width: 8.0 cm.
Condition Remarks
Front: top 1/4 stained, slight pencil marks top right; back: hole (small) below all writing, stained top and most of the card appears to have been exposed to light for a long time, darkening the paper noticably
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Reference Comments
"The Golden Age of Quackery" by Stewart H. Holbrook, pp. 53-55; "The Snake-Oil Syndrome, Patent Medicine Advertising" by A. Walker Bingham, p. 74; "American Health Quackery" by James Harvey Young, pp. 130-134; "One For a Man, Two For a Horse" by Gerald Carson, pictures p. 15, 111; "Step Right Up" by Brooks McNamara, p. 10 of colour inserts -- identical picture; Eaton catalogue, 1892-94, 1901-03; Hudson Bay catalogue, 1910-11
Research Facts
Dr. J. C. Ayer became rich thanks to his various medicines (including Cherry Pectoral and his sarsaparilla), starting around 1841, died in 1871, but continued by his brother Frederick; bought out Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer in 1895 to eliminate competition to its Hair Vigor; cost 70 cts/bottle in 1893 (Eaton's), 65 cts in 1901-1903 (Eaton's), 70 cts 1910-1911 (Hudson Bay)