1885 Allen's Cocaine Tablets

And to think that I have to show my license to buy Advil Cold and Sinus because it contains pseudophedrine.  Anyone living in 1885 could have cured their sinus troubles with cocaine, though mail order or over the counter.

1908 Moxie

The book Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains, by Anne Cooper Funderburg, explains the meaning of this ad, "Learn to Drink Moxie."

Moxie began life as a tonic that promised to cure anything from paralysis to nervous exhaustion.  In 1884 Moxie was sold in bottles and in bulk as soda fountain syrup.  The secret ingredient, the gentian plant, was said to sometimes taste like turnips, and resembled asparagus or milkweed.  The new marketing strategy promoted Moxie as "a delicious blend of the bitter and the sweet, a drink to satisfy everyone's tastes."  Moxie's unusual flavor was an acquired taste; advertisements urged consumers to "learn to drink Moxie" and turned it's bitterness into a virtue by boasting that it was "never sticky sweet."  Moxie-flavored lollipops were given to children to help them learn to like it.  In this ad, it states that the drink is sold by all temperance beverage sellers.

1932 Joel Baggs cartoon slams Democrats

The more things change, the more they stay the same!  Here is a 1932 cartoon aimed at the Democratic party.  Many years before Fox News!

1938 NY Telephone Company

In modern times many people have a cell phone, home phone, and work phone.  In 1938 many families did not even have a telephone at all!  This ad is aimed at farm families.

1918 NY State Fair

This is an ad for the 1918 New York State Fair, during the last year of World War I.  Note that going to the fair is your patriotic duty!

1918 Smith Brothers Cough Drops

This is an ad for Smith Brother's Cough Drops in 1946.  They were still feeling the effects of WWII rationing.