At first glance, this piece seems like just another herbal remedy. Dig deeper, though, and you’ll learn the artifact is tied to histories of abolitionism and early feminism. Lydia E. Pinkham, who created this remedy, was a trailblazer of the 19th century.

Lydia Pinkham grew up in an abolitionist Quaker family in New England. She spent time with Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison, both friends of her family who nurtured her strong spirit. She believed in women’s rights to vote and engage in economic activities, neither of which was widely supported in the mid-1800s.

Eventually, when her husband’s businesses failed, she began creating and marketing herbal. These remedies were meant to help with what the medical community had dismissed as “female complaints”—things like menstruation, menopause, and “hysteria.” The women who bought Lydia’s mixtures often didn’t receive any help from the medical community and turned to individuals like Pinkham for aid.

Even though women were told they shouldn’t engage in business or marketing, Pinkham’s dive and spirit led her to create one of the most successful herbal remedy companies in U.S. history. Her descendants carried on this work after her passing and founded the Lydia E. Pinkham Memorial Clinic in Massachusetts to provide better health services to young mothers and children.

Maker: Lydia E. Pinkham’s Medicine Company
Date of Creation: 1942