Warner’s Safe Cure: The Native Gatherer Revisited

In April, 2008, I did a post on one of the trademarks of Warner’s Safe Cure, the Native Gatherer. This icon appeared early in Warner’s advertising campaign to highlight the fact that his remedies were the result of a combination of rare herbs gathered from distant lands. This symbol appeared on Warner’s  Safe Cure proprietary stamps and in early Warner’s almanacs. Recently, I found that the image was also used in newspaper ads placed by Warner in the early  1880′s. Below are a few of those  ads:

The first ad appeared in the Fort Wayne Sentinel on July 6, 1882 and the second in the Atlanta Constitution on November 22, 1881. Although the text of both ads differs slightly, the message is unmistakeable.  Warner’s Safe Cure is the key to good health.

Warner’s Safe References – “The Snake-Oil Syndrome”

In an effort to make this blog both interesting and informative, I have tried to highlight sources of information on H. H. Warner and his patent medicine enterprise. Without question, the most complete published work is the article by Edward C. Atwater entitled “Hulbert Harrington Warner and the Perfect Pitch,” published in New York History magazine in 1975. The article is thoroughly researched and provides as good a source as exists on the topic. Indeed, Atwater’s article has served as a primary source for countless books and articles in the last 30 years.

I have recently discovered another book that I would recommend. It is entitled  “The Snake-Oil Syndrome: Patent Medicine Advertising” by A. Walker Bingham published in 1994. The book is loaded with great information about patent medicine advertising, including a brief discussion about H. H. Warner and examples of his advertising. The bad news is that the book appears to be out of print, so you will need to check your library to get a copy or folk out about $125 to a book dealer.