Description
Made from the 1870s to the 1890s this is a Victorian novelty hold to light card advertising Forestine Bitter for babies. It is an early hold to light made of 2 thin pieces of fine paper, front and writing with baby’s face on the back. Hold the baby to the light and you will see all kinds of phrases and words pertaining to healthy, lungs, throat, healthy, strong, hungry, sick, Forestine Blood Bitters, etc…You can also see on the back that the baby is now healthy, strong and alert with eyes wide open! It was distributed by Anderson Drugs and Paints in Owego, NY. Excellent vintage condition. No tears.
AI info regarding this particular card:
AI Overview
Forestine Bitters “Hold to Light” advertising trade cards were primarily produced in the early 1890s.These novelty Victorian-era cards were used by patent medicine peddlers as interactive marketing pieces to promote their elixirs.History & Specifics:Dates Produced: The cards were mass-produced around the peak of the Victorian advertising card fad (the late 1870s through the 1890s). Specific surviving “Forestine Blood Bitters” hold-to-light cards from this era are documented to circa 1891.How They Worked: When viewed normally, the card would typically depict an everyday illustration, such as an infant. When held up to a direct light source, the translucent back layer caused the infant to open its eyes, revealing hidden text and an altered image.The Era: This “Golden Age of Trade Cards” utilized the then-new mass-color printing process of chromolithography, and pieces like the Forestine Blood Bitters card were widely distributed by local apothecaries and merchants.
