Glass jar with paper label that reads in part “FREE SAMPLE BOTTLE OF / RUBIFOAM / ALCOHOL 45 PER CENT / FOR THE TEETH / . . . / Prepared by E. W. HOYT & CO. / PROPRIETORS OF / HOYT’S GERMAN COLOGNE / LOWELL, MASS.” Eli W. Hoyt (1838-1887) owned a drugstore in Lowell, Mass., and began manufacturing Hoyt’s German Cologne in 1870. The firm introduced Rubifoam, a liquid dentifrice, to market in 1887.
A mild, efficient cathartic and after-dinner pill. Dose, for laxative effect to relieve sick headache and biliousness, two or three Hood's Pills at night, or morning. For purgative effect, three to six pills with draught of water.
Made by J. C. Ayer and Company, Practical and Analytical Chemists, Lowell, Mass., in the 1860s, Ayer’s Hair Vigor "Restores grey hair to its natural vitality and color," but "does not color the hair." Advertisements pronounced that it was "free from uncleanly dangerous or injurious substances" and that it would cure dandruff and stop falling hair. Patented in 1868, this was the only Ayer product to have a patent, although the company sold a variety of health-related products popularly known as "patent medicines."
Along with these other medicines, Ayer’s Hair Vigor was advertised in Ayer’s American Almanac, which was first published in the mid-19th century and continued into the 1920s. The almanac featured astronomical, astrological, and weather information for the year, as well as medical advice promoting the company’s products.
The indications or uses for this product as provided by the manufacturer are:
For Restoring the Natural Vitality and Color of the Hair
This is a very fine needle for making lace. It is attached to a small envelope with the inscription: Lace Needles given me by W. Moens, Brussels - 1936(?). It is matching 2013.0121.36 and was donated by Marian Hague.
One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali". Each piece is labeled "10/55, $.45 each". Madame Kefer-Mali was one of four women on the Lace Committee working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium. The lace was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I.
This is a very fine needle for making lace. It is attached to a small envelope with the inscription: Lace Needles given me by W. Moens, Brussels - 1936(?). It is matching 2013.0121.36 and was donated by Marian Hague.
One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali". Each piece is labeled "10/55, $.45 each". Madame Kefer-Mali was one of four women on the Lace Committee working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium. The lace was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I.
One of a set of six identical curved stylized cone or paisley shaped black silk Chantilly bobbin lace appliqués or insertions. The attached paper tag states "131, 6 pieces, No 10/55, Chantilly, made by hand in Flanders for the C'on for Relief in Belgium, M. Kefer Mali". Each piece is labeled "10/55, $.45 each". Madame Kefer-Mali was one of four women on the Lace Committee working with the Commission for Relief in Belgium. The lace was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I.
Ayer’s Hair Invigorator was produced by the Ayer Company of Lowell, Mass. It contains capsicum, the same compound found in hot peppers. This was intended to stimulate the scalp. The exact date of this product is not known, but it appears to be a modification of an early Ayer product, Hair Vigor. It probably dates to around 1920, after the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, which required labels to list a product’s alcohol content.