Thursday, July 1, 2010

Newspaper advertisements

In preparation for an upcoming exhibit about patent medicines, we have been looking through past issues of the Bossier Banner newspaper. Here are a few examples of the fun advertisements we've been finding.

Bile Beans claimed to cure just about any ache, pain, or general discomfort. This ad is from the January 26, 1885 Bossier Banner.


Oxidine placed many ads in the Banner during the early 1920s. The product was meant to cure malaria, but it claimed to fix other ills, too.


It's hard to focus just on medicinal advertisements when there are so many other eye-catching ones in the paper. Above is a good ad for safe deposit boxes at the Bank of Benton from the January 14, 1954 issue.

Stop by the Historical Center to look through our collection of historic newspapers. Don't forget that you may also find marriage and birth announcements, obituaries, and town "gossip" to help in your genealogy searches! You can also look at the Bossier Banner index, accessible through the link in the menu to your right.