Cure All Collection

English mountebank with sword and stuffed fox selling potions in the Place du Louvre
FLO4657085 English mountebank with sword and stuffed fox selling potions in the Place du Louvre. Lithograph after Jean Duplessis-Bertaux from Paul Lacroix 'The Eighteenth Century

19th-century illustration showing a man offering Lamplough's Effervescing Pyretic Saline
5311103 19th-century illustration showing a man offering Lamplough's Effervescing Pyretic Saline. A 'cure-all' patent medicine, Lamplough's Saline was made by Henry Lamplough

Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company, 1892 (b / w photo)
HGL396722 Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company, 1892 (b/w photo) by Gentieu, Pierre A. (1842-1930); Hagley Museum & Library, Wilmington, Delaware, USA; eHagley Museum and Library; French, out of copyright

Advert for Scotts Emulsion for the treatment of coughs, colds and other ailments
3245478 Advert for Scotts Emulsion for the treatment of coughs, colds and other ailments, late 19th century (litho) by American School

Advertisement for Moffats Vegetable Life Pills and Phoenix Bitters, c
PNP383888 Advertisement for Moffats Vegetable Life Pills and Phoenix Bitters, c.1860 (print) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Purify the blood)

The Theriac Seller (w / c on paper)
CHT344092 The Theriac Seller (w/c on paper) by French School, (17th century); Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France; (add.info)

Hunts Remedy (chromolitho)
3656998 Hunts Remedy (chromolitho) by American School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Hunts Remedy. Illustration for trade card)

A shop in Lhasa, Tibet, advertising Yartsa Gunbu - the caterpillar fungus
China, Tibet, Lhasa, A shop advertising Yartsa Gunbu Ophiocordyceps sinensis the caterpillar fungus considered an aphrodisiac and a cure-all for any ailment in both traditional Chinese

Advertising Promotional card for Ayers Pills, which can seemingly affect a cure for any known ailment... The image depicts a (French?) military hero sweeping to victory on a battlefield

Advertisement for Ellimans Universal Embrocation in a 1907 edition of The Graphic, a weekly illustrated newspaper, published in London from 1869 to 1932

Advertisement for Beechams Pills, the Rosebud of Health, 1890 (engraving)
XJF869680 Advertisement for Beechams Pills, the Rosebud of Health, 1890 (engraving) by English School, (18th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

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Step back in time and explore the fascinating world of 'cure-alls' - remedies promised to heal various ailments from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From the Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company's elixirs in an 1892 black-and-white photo, to Scotts Emulsion for coughs and colds, Moffats Vegetable Life Pills and Phoenix Bitters, the Theriac Seller's wares, Hunts Remedy, Ayers Pills, and Ellimans Universal Embrocation, these advertisements transport us to a era when faith in miraculous cures ran high. Even a shop in Lhasa, Tibet, boasted the healing powers of Yartsa Gunbu - the caterpillar fungus. Join us on this journey through history, as we marvel at the creativity and conviction behind these 'miracle' remedies.