Lydia Pinkham became one of the most famous women in late 19th century America
Lydia Pinkham became one of the most famous women in late 19th century America . Her “vegetable compound,” marketed as a cure for a wide variety of “women’s problems,” earned her millions of dollars and the radical idea of using her image on the packaging (it was the first time a product had ever been marketed with a photo of the owner/inventor) made her instantly recognizable in households around the country. It was a time when hundreds of unregulated patent medicines were being sold and marketed as cures for just about everything. The mainstream medical community derided the sellers of these patent medicines as “toadstool millionaires,” although much of the popularity of the remedies was due to widespread (and reasonable) distrust of 19th century medical practices. Under pressure from the medical establishment, the government began to crack down on patent medicines in the early 20th Century. The 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act required that ingredients be listed and that soon result...