I think the original version of this page was a BOOK.
Too Long.
In 2015 I started creating vintage, satirical medicine show labels and tried to sell them on the internet.
Folks could order a fully made jar, or just buy the label file to make one of their own.
That ended two years ago.
Now, rather than just have them sit in a folder, not helping anyone make gifts or smile or share them with friends,
I've decided I'd rather they get used and enjoyed.
The images below show some of the actual ads that inspired me to give it a try.
I think part of what gets me so intensely interested in this ephemera is the fact that the mindset of the general populace
had to have been SO different when these ads were published.
I'm not saying that people were any more stupid, gullible or desperate for cure-alls in, say . . . 1900 than they are today. Recent behavior of at least HALF the population from 2016 to today, proves without a doubt that we are far MORE stupid than we were in 1900.
I just think there was a broader canvas for the unscrupulous entrepreneur to paint on 100 years ago.
Legally, and medically it seems to me there were fewer constraints, which led to much Bolder claims, even among purveyors that genuinely believed in their own so-called "medicine".
In hindsight, artists can look at the time periods and styles of the Victorian Era, The Roaring 20's or even as recently as the
Fluorescent, Day-Glo 80's and create images and objects that match the time.
It seems to me that the practice of creating a false past, or making an accurate "reproduction" of something that never existed should have a name. ("Steampunk" is a good example that covers a slice of it.)
I just don't know what that name is for all the other feels and genres.
It should certainly be its own study of art.
Here's a Perfect Example of what I'm talking about: ( Dr. Grordbort Aether Oscillators )
The Spirit of an historical age in combination with a very specific genre of fiction makes a comfortable and well-defined compartment for anyone to create in, but it also presents a tough challenge to any artist or author.
Author and founder of "AntiPills.com", Anim5 ( not to scale ).
The challenge is to bring whatever present day sensibility you have to the Nostalgic framework and keep it
looking and feeling true to the source.
Do the AntiPills mock-medicine labels look and "feel" right?
I'm still working on meeting that challenge. I don't believe I've come as close as I can . . but I hope to create more
"AntiPills" with new designs that bring me closer, and hopefully make folks laugh or smile when they see them.
Now that we're at the bottom line . . here it is again: I made funny labels and glued them onto empty bottles.
