Vintage Ads

Thanks to my twitter feed, I became aware of J&J's non-English ads from the turn of last century



Slovenian, Italian, Yiddish, German, Spanish, and many others.

More here: https://www.jnj.com/our-heritage/how-johnson-johnson-embraced-immigrants-in-the-early-1900s

More here: https://www.kilmerhouse.com/2007/08/multicultural-advertising
 &
https://www.kilmerhouse.com/2015/07/more-than-100-years-ago-hola-from-the-johnson-johnson-spanish-language-department

I couldn't find "Last Date" but I found "Last Prom" (warning for horrible accident footage)

It's black & white, it's magic, it has an address AND it has a wacky illustration with floating hands. :D

See that address today.

I found so much interesting info, like this USDA judgment against them for "misbranding" (the "magic" part, despite containing only some caffeine and acetanilide) and causing illness (due to acetanilide, a toxin/carcinogen).  As Wikipedia notes: "Acetanilide is no longer used as a drug in its own right, although the success of its metabolite – paracetamol (acetaminophen) – is well known."


( Read all about the shocking $15 fine! )

Even more interesting are these two trade cards, which seem purposefully designed to induce headaches:

( If you fail to solve the puzzle after working at it for an hour or two, try a Gessler's Magic Wafer.... )