Snake Oil Tapestries
Description: Clark Stanley was an American herbalist and quack doctor who marketed a "snake oil" as a patent medicine, styling himself as the "Rattlesnake King." Stanley claimed that after eleven years working as a cowboy, he studied for more than two years with a Hopi medicine man learning the "secrets of snake oil." With the help of a Boston druggist, he began marketing his product at Western medicine shows and soon had a runaway success as people bought his claims of being a cure-all. A decade after the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, Stanley's concoction was found to be of no value. It was determined to contain mineral oil, beef fat, capsaicin from chili peppers, and turpentine. He was fined $20 and the term "snake oil" would go on to
Description: M.A.S.K. is a media franchise created by Kenner. The main premise revolved around the fight between an underground task force called M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and a criminal organization called V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). After its initial launch in 1985, the franchise spawned a variety of products, including four series of action figures, an animated television series, video games, comics, and a live-action theatrical film is currently in development by Hasbro Studios and Paramount.
Description: Pond’s started out in 1846 as a patent medicine company when Theron T. Pond, a pharmacist from Utica, New York, began selling ‘Golden Treasure’ ... which was renamed as Pond’s Extract. Pond’s Extract was a mixture of witch hazel distillate, alcohol and water. It was promoted as a general cure-all for burns, colds, catarrh, wounds, chilblains, hoarseness, sore throats, piles, scalds, bruises, sunburn, rheumatism, chapped hands, bites, boils, chafing, lameness, nosebleed, frost bite, inflamed eyes and female complaints.
Description: Is it satire or a public health warning? This bold and funny anti-RFK Jr. t-shirt calls out Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dangerous anti-vaccine stance and science denial. Whether you're a fan of facts, public health, or just tired of pseudoscience politics, this design says it loud: RFK Jr. makes me sick—literally! A perfect gift for doctors, nurses, science lovers, and anyone who believes in vaccines, herd immunity, and common sense. Wear it to rallies, science marches, or your next booster shot appointment. Because misinformation isn't harmless—and neither is RFK Jr.
Description: In 1887 an Austin, Texas farmer William Radam was issued a U.S. patent for “a new and improved fumigating composition for preserving and purifying purposes.” The elixir was said to “kill all fungus, germs, parasites, and other matter producing fermentation or decay.” Despite the fact his patent did not mention human consumption, Radam, was convinced he had invented the remedy to all the ills of mankind. Radam’s concoction of water laced with small amounts of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid was an international commercial success that saw him open up 17 factories across the U.S. He became a wealthy man, moving from Austin to a Fifth Avenue mansion in Manhattan until his death in 1902.
