You are invited to attend a press preview for

Health for Sale: Posters from the William H. Helfand Collection

Friday, April 1, 10 a.m. - noon

Philadelphia Museum of Art - Berman and Stieglitz Galleries

A tour with curator John Ittman begins at 10:30 a.m.

William H. Helfand will be present

 

RSVP to pressroom@philamuseum.org

Boldly claiming cures for all manner of ailments, posters have long been a favorite form of advertising for manufacturers, pharmacies, and quack doctors alike. Bright colors and punchy slogans captured the public’s attention, using humor, satire and caricature to sell products, promote pharmacies, or to warn against social evils including alcoholism, marijuana, and venereal disease.

Health for Sale: Posters from the William H. Helfand Collection (April 2 – July 31, 2011) presents some 50 health-related posters, their subjects ranging from medical conferences, good hygiene, and pharmaceuticals to spurious cures. The advertisements are drawn from the personal collection of William H. Helfand, who has been amassing fine prints, drawings, caricatures, trade cards, posters, and ephemera depicting medical subjects since the mid-1950s. The exhibition is drawn from the many generous gifts that he has made to the Philadelphia Museum of Art over the course of more than four decades.

for full release and press images.

Inquiries:
Lindsay Warner
Senior Press Officer
(215) 684-7860
lwarner@philamuseum.org

>From left: Uricure - In the Major Drugstores and Pharmacies, c. 1910-11. Leonetto Cappiello, French (born Italy), 1875 - 1942. Color lithograph (poster), Image: 51 15/16 x 36 1/8 inches (132 x 91.8 cm) Sheet: 54 x 38 inches (137.2 x 96.5 cm) Mount: 56 1/8 x 39 5/8 inches (142.6 x 100.6 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, The William H. Helfand Collection, 1988. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris; Vin Mariani - Popular French Tonic Wine,  Fortifies and Refreshes Body & Brain - Restores Health and Vitality.  Jules Chéret, Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, 20, rue Bergère, Paris, Printed by Imprimerie Chaix (Ateliers Chéret), Paris, 1894.  Color lithograph (poster), Image: 46 7/16 x 32 5/16 inches (118 x 82 cm),  Sheet: 48 15/16 x 34 1/4 inches (124.3 x 87 cm), Lent by William H. Helfand, New York