Uncle Ezra Alka-Seltzer Display Stand
date: label: date made
content: ca 1934-1940
name: label: maker
content: Advertising Metal Display Company
notes: label: Description
content: The Dr. Miles Medicine Company of Elkhart, Indiana developed Alka Seltzer in 1931. Alka Seltzer was an effervescent antacid and pain reliever used to relieve headaches, gas, indigestion, colds, muscle pains, and neuralgia. Alka Seltzer advertised by sponsoring the National Barn Dance radio show in 1933, then the spin off Uncle Ezra show in 1934.This Alka Seltzer market display bears an image of Uncle Ezra encouraging customers to “Try it!” and held a half dozen large Alka Seltzer packets, or one dozen small packets. Commercial artist George W. French created the cartoon figures and rhyming verses that appear on the right and left sides. The left side of the display features a woman saying “When it comes to dodging colds you surely take the prize” with a man replying “Oh, I’ve been playing safe this year,—I ALKA SELTZER–IZE!” The right side depicts a woman saying “My headaches so, I’ve got to go and find a place to rest” with another woman replying “I’d take an Alka Seltzer Flo, I’ve always found it best.”
topic: label: Subject
content: Advertising Devices
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition
content: American Enterprise
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Alan & Elaine Levitt
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1985.0460.141
label: accession number
content: 1985.0460
label: catalog number
content: 1985.0460.141
objectType: label: Object Name
content: display, pharmacy
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 16 3/4 in x 7 5/8 in x 9 in; 42.545 cm x 19.3675 cm x 22.86 cm