Soothing the Self: Medicine Advertisement, Non-Performative Identity, and the Cult of Domesticity.

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Health and Inequality in the Archaeological Record" session, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Excavations for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum were conducted in 2008 and 2009 by Fever River Research and yielded dozens of unique features in downtown Springfield, Illinois. This case study focuses on Feature 35 in the East Parking excavation block that yielded five bottles of Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup. Intended for use with small children and infants, the syrup was a popular opium and alcohol laced panacea. Advertisements for the syrup showcased a radiant mother and her children, featuring recipes or domestic tips in order to capitalize on the emphasis of domesticity as a virtue during the nineteenth century. This case study focuses on the presence of multiple bottles of the syrup within a tight stratigraphic range to explore concepts such as the idealized versions of one’s self within advertising and the public shift against the use of opiate-based medicines for children.  

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Health and Inequality in the Archaeological Record   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2019

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 376