Ephemera – Bitters Trade Cards

I began collecting Bitters trade cards about 40 years ago. Until then, I had been collecting Bitters bottles. What attracted me to the trade cards were their outlandish claims. Having spent much of my career as a professional salesman, I was fascinated that the Bitters manufacturers could get away with such false and outlandish advertising. There were claims that Bitters was a sure cure for Cancer, Diabetes, Cholera, Drunkenness, Syphilis, and even Lying.

Note that Bitters were little more than cheap whiskey and a few herbs.

This was the golden age of nostrums and quackery.

Below is a fine collection of Bitters trade cards for you to enjoy!

Fig. 1 Bell’s Cocktail Bitters obverse and reverse. Have you found the cat? And what is the meaning of the triskelion (three-legged) man and boy?

Fig. 2 Bischoff”s Mandrake Bitters obverse. Manufactured in Charleston, S. C. A rare trade card from the South, where few survived the damp climate.  C. N. Morris, Cin., lithographer

Fig. 3 Dr. Brady’s Mandrake Bitters obverse. A stock card with a religious message. A card like this would have been difficult to discard and served as a reminder to buy the product.

Fig. 4 Callender’s Left Liver Bitters obverse. One of a stock series of anthropomorphic fruits. (I wonder if they ever brought out a Right Liver Bitters?) Chas. Brown, lithographer

Fig. 5 Celebrated Chill-Chill Bitters obverse. From a stock series by famed lithographer Currier and Ives.

Fig. 6 Colton’s Nervine Strengthening Bitters obverse. An example of a “With/Without” trade card illustrating the advantages of using the product versus the disaster that befalls those who don’t.

Fig. 7 Congress Bitters obverse. A patriotic theme.

Fig. 8 Damiana Bitters obverse. Damiana leaves were thought to have aphrodisiac properties, so the subtext is that these bitters will increase virility.

Fig. 9 Dandelion Bitters obverse. Image of a “Dandy Lion” (a symbol of strength) and his family.

Fig. 10 English Female Bitters (card #1) obverse. A wood-engraved image showing that it was acceptable for women to take these bitters. E. H. Thomas Co., Lou. KY, lithographer

Fig. 11 English Female Bitters (card #2) obverse. An aesthetic style graphic with the image of a woman “hidden” in the potted plant. E.H. Thomas Co. Lou. KY, lithographer

Fig. 12 Forestine Blood Bitters obverse and reverse. A “Hold to Light” card.  When held up to the light, the infant opens its eyes and the rest of the text appears.

Fig. 13 Germania Bitters obverse. Printed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

Fig. 14 Golden Fruit Bitters obverse. An example of anamorphic writing that must be read by tilting the card and viewing it from its bottom edge.

Fig. 15 Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters obverse. Image depicts an actual event where a train carried 3,600 cases of Dr. Harter’s Bitters from St. Louis to major cities throughout the Midwest and as far east as Pittsburg, PA. Compton Litho. Co., St. Louis

Fig. 16 Hartshorn’s Bitters obverse. An example of Gaslight Printing suggests three-dimensional lettering.

Fig. 17 Hewitt’s Calisaya Bitters obverse. The artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (aka “Kash”) is best known for his painting, “Dogs Playing Poker”.

Fig. 18 Dr. A. S. Hopkin’s Celebrated Union Root and Bark Sarsaparilla Bitters obverse. “In Union is Strength” likely references the Civil War.

Fig. 19 Howe’s Ague Cure and Tonic Bitters obverse. Elaborate card offering a huge cash reward if the product failed to effect a cure. Lithographic Chromo Co., of Rochester, N.Y.

Fig. 20 Kaufman’s Blue Jacket Bitters obverse. A Steel Engraving with a Patriotic theme.

Fig. 21 King B Bitters obverse. Fanciful use of a bumblebee to stand in for the letter B. Bancroft Lith. S.F.

Fig. 22 J. M. Laroque’s Anti-Bilious Bitters obverse. A highly detailed design in the aesthetic style. Eastmore Litho. Co.

Fig. 23 Lewis Red Jacket Bitters obverse. An unusual monochrome color card connecting “strictly pure roots and herbs” with the storied power of native American remedies.

Fig. 24 Malarial Shield Tonic Bitters obverse. A classical warrior protected by an allegorical female figure symbolizing the protective quality of the product. The Milwaukee Litho. and Engr. Co.

Fig. 25 Montana Great American Cordial Bitters obverse. Bitters bottle shown complete with label, seals and awards received.

Fig. 26 Orient Bitters obverse. Rare, very small (2 ½” X 2 3/4”) trade card evoking exotic, Far Eastern remedies.

Fig. 27 Prickly Ash Bitters obverse. The image implies that these bitters are safe for children (although they undoubtedly contained alcohol.) Compton Litho Co., St. Louis.

Fig. 28 Dr. Rattinger’s Herb & Root Bitters obverse. Pretty enough to frame.

Fig. 29 Reed’s Aromatic Stomach Bitters obverse. Bitters bottle complete with label, seals and awards received. It even shows the tax revenue stamp affixed to the neck of the bottle. Joseph Laing,

Lith., N.Y.

Fig. 30 Rheinstrom’s Stomach Bitters obverse. Card shows labeled bottle along with the backside label where you will find the prescribed dosage for several different diseases.

Fig. 31 Sanitarium Pepsin Celery Hi-Hi- Bitters obverse. Bitters for sophisticated clientele.

Fig. 32 Sassafras Herb Bitters and Tonic obverse. A four-card set of stock trade cards overprinted with the advertisement.  Such trade card sets were commonly collected in the late nineteenth century and could comprise 48 cards or more.

Fig. 33 Shoo Fly Bitters obverse. A whimsical trade card that was sent to wish the product’s clientele A Happy New Year.

Fig. 34 Stoughton’s Sphinx Bitters obverse and reverse. The company trade mark illustrates the front of this elegant card. 

Fig. 35 Tyler’s Standard American Bitters obverse. A steel engraved card with a patriotic image.

Fig. 36 Dr. Van Dyke’s Holland Bitters obverse. A surreal die-cut made to stand on a counter-top. 

Fig. 37 Dr. Walker’s California Vinegar Bitters obverse. “Free from Alcohol,” if the claim can be believed…