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W. H. Comstock : Original Trade Card - "Morse's Indian Root Pills & Comstock's Dead Shot Worm Pellets, Morristown, N.Y.; W. H. Comstock. Sole Proprietor."

Original trade card in the shape of a fan with a color illustration of a woman looking through a pair of binoculars. No date, circa 1880-1919. 3 1/2" x 4 1/2." Trade card is very clean and intact except for age toning, a few surface tears limited to the back, and a wrinkle at the base of the fan where it meets the handle. A Very Good copy. Trade card for William H. Comstock, a drug store in Morristown, New York. Text on the back promotes two of the products the store carries, Morse's Indian Root Pills and Comstock's Dead Shot Worm Pellets. William H. Comstock (1830-1919) was an American-Canadian businessman and druggist who helped popularize Dr. Morse's Indian Root Pills and other medicines including McKenzus Worm Candy and his own Dead Shot Worm Pellets. While the effectiveness of any of these medicines was questionable at best, they were very popular during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Morse's Indian Root Pills supposedly cured "impure blood," which was thought to be the cause of many diseases, and Comstock's Dead Shot Worm Pellets was marketed as a vermicide. Morse's Indian Root Pills were invented in 1854 by Andrew B. Moore. Following Moore's ownership was a period of several years in which different companies fought over the rights to the medicine. The legal matters were settled in 1867 when Comstock gained sole ownership of Morse's Indian Root Pills. Trade cards were antique business cards that first became popular during the late seventeenth century in Paris and Lyon, France and London, England. Trade cards were often given by business owners and proprietors to patrons and customers as a way to promote their businesses. Prior to the use of street addresses, trade cards had maps so clients could locate the associated business. Many of these cards also incorporated elaborate designs, illustrations, and other decorative features. Trade cards became popular in the United States during the nineteenth century in the period after the Civil War. The late nineteenth century also saw the advent of trade card collecting as a hobby. While they are no longer in use, trade cards influenced the formation of trading cards and were the predecessors of modern-day business cards.. Ephemera. Book Condition: Collectible-Very Good. Binding: No Binding

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