Box, Medicine

Object Name:

Box, Medicine

Object ID:

1992.063.214

Place of Origin:

Portsmouth, NH

Date:

1880-1900

Description:

Packaged medicine, Preston's Pharmacy, Portsmouth, NH. Small rectangular cardboard box. Light brown color with black printing. Printed on front, "THE A.P.P. / PORTSMOUTH / CATHARTIC / PILLS / For Biliousness, Torpid / Liver, Headache, Indi- / gestion, Fever and Ague, / and all conditions due / to unhealthy action of / Liver or Kidneys. / DIRECTIONS INSIDE. / PRICE 25 CENTS. / Preston of New Hampshire". Printed on top flap, "THE A.P.P. / PORTSMOUTH / CATHARTIC PILLS". Promotional text on back and sides, including company history: "William R. Preston in Beverly, Mass., 1830 to 1838, and in Portsmouth, 1838 to 1879, and Andrew P. Preston in Portsmouth, 1879 to date." Box contains glass bottle with metal screw cap and printed paper label that includes instructions; bottle contains white pills and cotton. Box also contains folded printed sheet with promotional text and product list.

Material:

Paper

Dimensions:

H-2.3 W-1.35 D-0.8 inches

Provenance:

Part of the Wilfred B. Osgood Pharmacy Collection, consisting of the 1870s-1950s contents of the Knox Pharmacy (owned by Fred L. Knox) and Roberts Rexall Store (owned by George C. Roberts) in Farmington, NH. Wilfred Osgood purchased both pharmacies in the late 1940s/early 1950s, and kept the original furnishings from both stores. During the 1970s, he created a pharmacy display room from the contents of both stores. This collection is the contents of that display. The collection also includes manuscripts, books, photographs, and printed ephemera, transferred to NHHS library (1992-068.)

Credit Line:

Gift of Donna T. Osgood in memory of Wilfred B. Osgood

People:

Osgood, Wilfred (1911-1988)

Subjects:

Pharmacies, Pharmacists, Drugs, Pills