Description |
SHIPPING AVAILABLE > The 1940 Swamp-Root Almanac and Dream Book by Dr. Kilmer & Co., measures 8-1/8 x 5-1/8 inches and features 32 pages. Its cover showcases vivid chromolithograph artwork with a central Native American woman wrapped in a blanket, accompanied by zodiac signs arranged vertically on the left margin, each represented by symbolic imagery.
The title SWAMP-ROOT ALMANAC DREAM BOOK prominently arches across the front, with the bottom attributing the publication to DR. KILMER & CO. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. The back cover illustrates the sprawling factory headquarters of Dr. Kilmer & Co., completed in 1902, and describes its extensive facilities as absolutely fireproof, devoted entirely to the Swamp-Root business. This includes laboratory, bottling, and printing operations, further accentuated by decorative Native American motifs and "COMPLIMENTS OF PRESTON DUNN, DRUGGIST, ESKRIDGE, KANS."
Internally, the almanac offers horoscopes, weather predictions, anatomical guides linked to zodiac signs, lunar phases, and eclipse data. Notably, a Certificate of Purity attests to the product's safety, claiming it does not contain harmful substances and emphasizing its vegetable-based composition. Swamp-Root is detailed as a remedy for kidney, liver, and bladder ailments, with a list of botanical ingredients such as buchu leaves, valerian root, and balsam copaiba, underscoring its purported natural formulation.
Dr. Kilmer's Swamp-Root was marketed as a cure-all medicine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite its widespread use, it has been criticized for exaggerated claims, leading to its classification as a "patent medicine." Such products were part of the era's burgeoning market for over-the-counter remedies, often using almanacs like this one as promotional tools to disseminate health tips and advertising disguised as informative content. These almanacs were indispensable to rural and agricultural communities, offering crucial meteorological, agricultural, and medical advice in a time before widespread access to modern communication.
This almanac exemplifies the unique blend of quackery and marketing that characterized patent medicine advertising. The elaborate illustrations, inclusion of zodiac forecasts, and pseudo-medical endorsements aimed to create a sense of credibility and allure for Swamp-Root, cementing its place in the history of early American consumer health culture.
CONDITION REPORT > A notably well preserved example ~ Perhaps typical and minor elements relative to age, handling and materials.
|