Posts tagged with "quackery"



04. May 2023
An original Jintan (仁丹) cloth advertisement banner used in 1930s China. From the MOFBA collection.
Advertising is known to use subliminal messaging, but this cloth banner advertisement from our collection, tells the incredible story of a brand that not only shaped fashion trends but allegedly paved the way for Japan’s invasion of China in 1937 with a secret code.
30. January 2023
1920s Doan's Ointment advertisement (兜安氏皮膏病新篇) in Foster-McClellan's Chinese customer magazine. Illustration by 叔达. From the MOFBA museum.
A lovely and innocent Chinese girl in 1920s fashion, advertising a skin medication by Foster-McClellan in Shanghai. A check in the historic “List of American firms at Shanghai” by the US consul identifies the company as “importers of patent medicines”. What dark secrets could this fair facade possibly mask?