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America's Pastime: Patent Medicine Trade Cards on Pain Main Menu Introduction Student Projects The Power of Emotional Marketing: How Vintage Medical Trading Cards Used Children to Sell Their Products to Parents The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the rise of patent trade medicine cards across the country. Prominent among the many marketing strategies employed were those involving child imagery. By exploring the historical juncture between child imagery and society, new insights are gained regarding the appeal of child imagery and its employment in various marketing approaches. - By Kevin Kerr, Curran Whitney-Vazquez, Chandler Warth, Samuel Sakowski, Eden Breslauer-Friedman Clothing as Tool of Expression: Utilizing Fashion in 19th Century Marketing In analyzing our group’s medicine trading cards, we were able to convey the significance of clothing throughout its relation to medicine. Various forms of clothing demonstrate symbolism towards an indvidual’s perception on medicine as well as foreshadowing the message in which the trading cards demonstrate. The various forms of clothing and stances the individuals and characters in the trading card portray indicate symbolize towards various forms of clothing and stances to highlight the social class and hierarchy of power with its purpose in medication trading cards. The way that every individual is dressed eludes to different perceptions of varying social classes as the medical epherma is not targeted to one specific group. This persuades individuals to buy the medicines and adapt to their encouraged medicine techniques. - By Brittney Abdi, Alan Torres, Jolene Matian, Zoe Rosenberg, Javier Perez Mejia Humanity, Animals, and Religion: The Metaphorical Sense of Rebirth and Apotheosis of Purity. In the late 19th and early 20th century, America saw a rise in Patent Medicine leading up to the civil war. It was a lucrative trade that encouraged individuals to cultivate their own brand and medicinal products. The rise in Patent Medicine could be explained by a multitude of factors, such as rapid increases in industry and manufacturing, urban living, the absence of drug regulation, and the lack of accessibility and distrust of contemporary medical practices. During this period, Patent medicine companies vigorously marketed their products through small, colorful cards that featured illustrations , along with information about the medicine's supposed benefits and ingredients. To persuade consumers to purchase their products, patent medicine companies utilized a variety of marketing techniques. Some of the most popular ones being the portrayal of humanity, animals, and religion to convey the notion of rebirth and purity. - By Dominic Castillo, Vanessa Jiang, Stephen Liu, Leo Martinez, Selena Quispe The Utilization of Youthful Figures, Both Humans and Animals, in Medical Trading Cards The UCLA Library Digital Collections consist of a diverse collection of Patent Medicine Trade Cards that depict historically meaningful and strategic methods of medical advertising, specifically focusing on irregular and alternative medicines. The following trade cards investigate the significance of youthful figures in medical advertisements, as seen in both humans and animals. - By India White Cloud, Shanya Rostami, Andreas Tunney, Noah Orshansky, Netaniel Daee, and Justin Vayakone The Appeal of Youth and Family in Patent Medicine Trading Cards Medical Ephemera has had a long history of using emotional tactics to appeal to its intended target audiences. One of the most prevalent motifs is that of youth and children. Through visual and written rhetoric, this theme appeals to many family oriented communities and their values. From reliability to rejuvenation, for many people children can represent what they want in a medicine. However, this era of trade cards was particularly deceitful towards audiences by using this rhetoric, yet had a significant impact on marketing tactics that are still seen and thriving today. - By Lauren Tanaka, Allison Bushong, Mollie Brown, and Garrison Hallum Innocent Imagery: A Technique of Patent Medical Trade Cards The evolution of curing pain and uplifting human welfare greatly interested the public. To help combat this suffering, medical corporations turned to advertising through Patent Medical Trade Cards. These small cards significantly helped sell medicines throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States of America. Specific techniques and styles, such as Innocent Imagery, assisted in attracting the consumer to purchase the drug. For instance, harmless animals, delicate flowers, and emotional characters were critical sources of visualizing innocence. -By Lauren Heiberg, Sean Eshraghi, Bradley Reed, Camila Ramirez-Leng and Shayan Mansourian Youth as a Marketing Tactic to Relieve Pain Our group page dives into the way patent medicine trade cards have utilized youth and innocence as a marketing tactic to improve their advertisement. We have focused on UCLA library’s collection as a whole and chosen to individually select a few of the cards that best match our theme all together. This project has allowed us to study the advertisement techniques of medical cures and solutions of its time as a group. We hope our findings are as insightful to you as they are to us - By Tara Kahrobaie, Rebeca Daee, Talia Fouladian, Ashley Kohen, Nathan Darougar, Saman Khalifian The Children of Medicine: An Appeal to Consumer Emotions Our group page explores the intricacies of 19th century marketing strategies that heavily revolved around depictions of children and the youth in an attempt to psychologically appeal to the emotions of consumers in hopes of converting sales. However, we also discuss how problematic this can be, especially when the product advertisement itself is deceiving and may even pose a threat to the lives of consumers. Though effective, using the youth to advertise products can be unethical and as a result, there were different legislations enacted to combat this and different marketing strategies have evolved in conjunction with it. - By Johnny Thai, Margarita Balbuena, Ryan Nelson, Chuntao Qiu How Depictions of Women and Children Sell Medication In this page, we examine the usage of women and children portrayed on patent medicine trade cards to advertise and sell medication. Throughout this page, we employ the collection of patent medicine trade cards from the UCLA Library Digital Collections, analyzing the images and text to gain a deeper understanding of this form of advertising. - By: Jacquelyn Bakshian, Abby Kim, Tyler Maghen, David Sagizadeh, Shana Simanian, Mia Tumbaga The Influence of Innocence and Purity in Patent Medicine Trade Cards This page will explore how themes of innocence and purity were primarily utilized in patent medicine trade cards in order to generate enticing advertisements to consumers at the time. Themes of purity, innocence, and femininity entwined with the audience's perception of an ideal person, and this page will dissect how these themes were utilized to create an impactful advertisement for medical ephemera. —By Lesley Sierra, Alejandro Haro, Taylor Sullivan, Karina Tairyan, Jennifer Lay, Parinaz Kyavar The Healing and Appealing Powers of Purity and Femininity Our group page focuses on the use of femininity and purity in advertising as a means to demonstrate the efficacy of the advertised medications. Through close inspection of various Patent Medicine Trade Cards from the UCLA Biomedical Library Special Collections, our group has gained an understanding of advertising strategies and the use of cultural norms to demonstrate medicinal efficacy. Women, ideas of femininity, and purity found in nature are the central themes of our scalar book and reveal advertising strategies of medications in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These cards as well as our own individual pages will explore the complex and historically relevant themes of femininity and purity through the lens of advertising strategies of medications and medicinal products in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. - By Stephanie Zager, Ella Kitt, Megan Sparrow, Corey Gear, Neda Afsharian Parental Protective Instincts: Child Imagery in Patent Medicine Trade Cards In the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century, pharmaceutical companies established marketing strategies in which they value child imagery upon the medical trade cards. By evaluating and uncovering new insights regarding the appeal of child imagery, the selection of six cards from the UCLA’s Patent Medical Trading Card collection will elucidate its marketing values and how it appeals to buyers. By Chelsie, Adrian, Micaiah, Princess Animals used In Medicine Trade cards Our presentation focuses on the use of animals in Patent Medicine trade cards, as advertisements , essentially animals are used are marketing tools. By using animals as the main focus on the image, the companies are able to grasp the attention of the viewers. - By Aaron Kohanbash, Aaron Ezra Kohanbash, Elan Amona, Samuel Kohanteb, and Avner Shamtoub The Usage of Various Species in Advertising Medicinal Products The UCLA Patent Medicine Trade Cards expounds on medicine under a variety of labels and names through its collection of 247 patent medicine trade cards. With the variety of medical products on the market, companies utilized artwork to advertise their products to the general public. Specifically, various species and the attributes associated with them were one common theme among patent medicine trading cards. - By Hoyeol Lee, Fady Tawfik, Daniel Rabkin, Mia Kubal, Sarkis Vartanyan, and Daniel Pirian Utilizing Trade Cards as a Key Advertising Technique Trade card makers employed them as a medium to promote medical products, utilizing various advertising tactics to entice consumers and guarantee profitable sales. These marketing approaches included leveraging maternal connections, portraying children, emphasizing the product's "healing powers," and presenting visually appealing designs. By- Hannah Shaye, Yaelle Shaye, Leah Tabibi, Odelia Safadel, Ely Gabbaypour, and Arya Afgham 19th Century Remedies for Women's Daily Troubles During the 19th century, patent medicine trade cards often were marketed to women. These cards advertised products that intended to relieve ordinary women of troubles that they faced on a daily basis. Many of these products included cure-alls, medicine for mothers, and medicinal makeup, which addressed the frequent concerns women experienced regarding bodily health, motherhood, and femininity. – By Omotola Adesina, Gengjia Lin, Renateh Moradian, Grant Pate, and Brooke Vallone.

Nature's Palette: Usage of Aesthetics and Nature to Attract Consumers and Convey Safety

40985 As a highly effective marketing tool, patent medicine trade cards utilized a variety of techniques to grab the attention of consumers and spark interest in the products being advertised. Designed with aesthetics and natural imagery, these cards captivated consumers and created a sense of safety and reliability around the products as well. Nature was additionally associated with calmness and tranquility in which reassured potential customers that the medicines were natural and effective. - By Abby Kim

Among the many trade cards in the UCLA Library Digital Collections, there are three examples of medical ephemera that illustrate aesthetics through color and utilize imagery of nature to appeal and convey a sense of safety and reliability to their consumers: Morley’s Blackberry Balsam, Alexander’s Tonic Pills, and David Nicholson’s Liquid Bread. A pure extract of malt. These cards provide a fascinating glimpse into alternative medicine, where pain relief and remedies for irregular ailments were often advertised with unusually bold claims. Each of these three cards portray a different balance between natural imagery and aesthetically pleasing colors. Even though all are depicted with various color tones, David Nicholson’s Liquid Bread. A pure extract of malt places more emphasis on the aesthetics of vibrant colors to establish a vivid and eye-catching design compared to the others. On the other hand, Morley's Blackberry Balsam and Alexander’s Tonic Pills both equally feature natural elements such as flowers and mix contrasting colors to construct a striking visual effect to captivate the viewer.

The card shown above is the front of Morley's Blackberry Balsam, advertising a blackberry balsam to help with bowel troubles. This trade card utilizes natural elements and earthy tones to appeal to the audience and convince them of the safety and efficacy of the product. The graceful and elegant scenery of the church next to a lake suggests a sense of peace, tranquility, and harmony with nature. Additionally, the birds that are perched on the branches with flowers contribute to the overall sense of natural beauty and calmness. By associating the blackberry balsam with these natural elements, the trade card suggests that the medicine is both safe and effective in providing relief from any type of bowel troubles. When looking at the whole picture, the trade card utilizes aesthetically calm and earthy tones which also add on to the overall calming effect. The soft natural hues and subtle colors establish an atmosphere of serenity and peacefulness which ultimately reinforces the idea that the medicine is reliable and will not cause any harm to the buyer.

Here you can see the front and back of Alexander’s Tonic Pills side by side, advertising tonic pills that can help with a wide range of illnesses such as leanness and even pimples. Both the front and back of the trade card uses similar natural elements and an image of young girls to draw attention and create a pleasing visual experience for the customer. The cards feature two young girls with pink rosy cheeks holding objects, an apple and a fan. The pink color of the cheeks and the green of the foliage suggest health and vitality which further helps convince consumers that the product is effective and safe. Since the colors are also typically associated with nature and the outdoors, it adds to the overall wholesome and natural image of the tonic pills, ultimately reinforcing that it is safe to take. Additionally, the use of flowers and vibrant colors in the background help appeal to the consumers’ desire for natural remedies and attempts to calm and assure them that the product is not harmful.

The card shown below on the left, is the front of David Nicholson’s Liquid Bread. A pure extract of malt, advertising a tonic that can supposedly help with appetite, muscular strength, nervous energy, and producing hydro-carbon. This patent medicine trade card emphasizes the use of contrasting colors to attract potential consumers with eye-catching designs. The image on the front of the card features a nun that is pouring "Liquid Bread" into a glass for a male patient who is severely injured. Since nuns are usually associated with healing and caring for the sick, the presence of the nun helps conclude that the product is trustworthy and reliable. Additionally, the stained glass windows in the background illustrate muted colors and intricate designs that reinforce the sense of peace and are visually soothing. With the usage of deep reds, golds, and blues, the aesthetic colors create an elegant atmosphere to draw the attention of consumers and allow the card to stand out from other advertising materials.

Specifically, when looking closely at this card, the bright colors and different fonts of the title are eye-catching and striking. The cropped image on the right shows the title of the product with two different fonts colored in yellow, orange, and a hint of red. With the vibrant blue background, the image illustrates a clear contrast in color that allows the title to visually pop out for customers to see clearly. Additionally, the top of the image depicts a golden bird on top of a crest surrounded by pink flowers and green leaves. By including these elements, it convinces consumers that the product is legitimate and the ornate designs that are incorporated make the card visually appealing and memorable as well. These aesthetic elements play a vital role in allowing the cards to be seen as high-quality, conspicuous, and to help evoke certain emotions in viewers such as curiosity or nostalgia.

This page has paths:

How Depictions of Women and Children Sell Medication Chien-Ling Liu Zeleny In this page, we examine the usage of women and children portrayed on patent medicine trade cards to advertise and sell medication. Throughout this page, we employ the collection of patent medicine trade cards from the UCLA Library Digital Collections, analyzing the images and text to gain a deeper understanding of this form of advertising. - By: Jacquelyn Bakshian, Abby Kim, Tyler Maghen, David Sagizadeh, Shana Simanian, Mia Tumbaga
Contents of this path:
1. The Signifigance of Human Figures and Subliminal Messages in Texts in Trade Cards The use of human figures and subliminal messages in texts play a big part in the marketability of Medical Patent Trade Cards. This theme is repeatedly seen throughout many trade cards to advertise their products. The use of human figures such as women and children attracts the targeted consumers and catches their attention. Furthermore, subliminal texts like personal statements and additional remarks on the product's success in curing ailments build the consumer's confidence in the item. This page highlights these trade cards and many examples of how the use of human figures and subliminal texts catch the consumer's attention. - By David Saghizadeh
2. The Use of Subliminal Images in Advertising Medication in the Early 20th Century While flowers and animals may be visually pleasing, they may also be utilized to convey meanings that may not be immediately obvious. Advertisers can make better use of the limited surface space of patent medication trade cards by pairing specialized visuals with secondary information. On the Antikamnia Tablet patent trade card, there is warm lighting and a young woman staring out the window while holding white Tiger Lilies. A little child with rosy cheeks holds up an apple with both hands on the front of the Alexander's Tonic Pills patent trade card, which is framed by exceptionally large red poppies. The front of the Bell-cap-sic Plasters Patent Trade Card features a sizable illustration of cute puppies. - By Jacquelyn Bakshian
3. Shana Simanian
4. The Importance of Vibrant Color and Detail in Patent Medicine Trade Cards The use of vibrant color and detail in patent medicine trade cards is a significant theme that helps the marketability of the cards through appealing to the consumer of the product and advertising prosperity through their products. In order to curate these trade cards in a way to convey a general theme of health and wellness, these trade cards possess eye-catching details and color that advertise its product more efficiently. Here, you will see multiple examples of trade cards that all provide robust images in order to attract the eye of the audience. - By Tyler Maghen
5. Patent Medicine Trade Cards as a Way to Reinforce Women's Gender Norms Patent Medicine Trade Cards are a way of companies to establish and perpetuate social norms such as feminine fragility, beauty, and responsibilities. These cards all reflect themes of women-hood, motherhood, and wifehood as was most likely experienced in the era as well as helped enforce the status quo through ordinary depictions of women who are happy to do their womanly duties. - By Mia Tumbaga
6. Nature's Palette: Usage of Aesthetics and Nature to Attract Consumers and Convey Safety As a highly effective marketing tool, patent medicine trade cards utilized a variety of techniques to grab the attention of consumers and spark interest in the products being advertised. Designed with aesthetics and natural imagery, these cards captivated consumers and created a sense of safety and reliability around the products as well. Nature was additionally associated with calmness and tranquility in which reassured potential customers that the medicines were natural and effective. - By Abby Kim

This page references:

David Nicholson's Liquid Bread. A pure extract of malt (inscribed) (cropped - Vibrant Title)
Alexander's tonic pills (inscribed) (Front) Original trade card forms part of: Collection no. 311, History & Special Collections for the Sciences, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA. Two panels each has a poster of a little girl. One poster the girl is holding an apple with the word wealth, there are flowers in the background. The other poster is a little girl holding a fan with the words rosy cheeks, there are flowers in the the backgound.
David Nicholson's Liquid Bread. A pure extract of malt (inscribed) (Front)
Morley's Blackberry Balsam (inscribed) (Front)
Alexander's tonic pills (inscribed) (Back) Original trade card forms part of: Collection no. 311, History & Special Collections for the Sciences, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA. Two panels each has a poster of a little girl. One poster the girl is holding an apple with the word wealth, there are flowers in the background. The other poster is a little girl holding a fan with the words rosy cheeks, there are flowers in the the backgound.