[Broadside]: Dr. Vandenburgh's Female Renovating Pills. These Pills . are now respectfully submitted to the attention of the Females of America, as an effectual remedy in all cases where the operations of nature are impeded, or languidly performed .

BIRD, Mrs. [Margaret G.], Midwife and Female Physician

Published by (New York City), 1849

About this Item

Advertising Broadside. Measuring 6" x 10". Octavo. Printed on a light rose-colored sheet with two printed addresses crossed out and corrected in manuscript (from 80 Warren Street to 101 Sheriff Street). Light toning and very light small stain at upper right edge only, a few small nicks at the right edge and corners, very good. An historically important broadside advertising two unregulated patent medicines: "Female Renovating Pills" and "Mrs. Bird's Celebrated Soothing Syrup, for Children Teething"; and recommending Mrs. Bird's medical practice "To the Ladies" as a qualified "Midwife and Female Physician." As documented in a 2019 exhibition at the New York Historical Society (which owns a copy of this broadside), women in need of "birth control or abortifacients," could "contact providers such as a Mrs. Bird, who advertised her expertise in â the task of imparting relief, and effecting cures in the most desperate cases.' While the word abortion was not used in 19th Century advertisements for products or providers, a history of thinking of early pregnancy as a â stoppage' or a â complaint' rendered this language of â renovating' and â restoring' loud and clear." Margaret G. Bird, widow, is listed in New York City directories at 101 Sheriff from 1849 to 1851. The following two longer excerpts provide the best description and historical context of Mrs. Bird's remarkable broadside: "Dr. Vandenburgh's Female Renovating Pills. These Pills which have acquired a well deserved celebrity throughout Germany, for their excellent effects, are now respectfully submitted to the attention of the Females of America, as an effectual remedy in all cases where the operations of nature are impeded, or languidly performed . The Female Renovating Pills should not be taken during Pregnancy. These Pills are to be obtained of Mrs. Bird, Midwife and Female Physician . ." "To The Ladies. How many Females in this great city are subject to complaints which the natural delicacy of their sex forbids them from revealing to a Male Practitioner. Ladies suffering under derangements of the system, are respectfully invited to call on Mrs. Bird, whose long experience in the treatment of the diseases of females, well qualifies her for the task of imparting relief, and effecting cures in the most desperate cases . [and] as a Female Physician." A scarce, well-preserved broadside, rich in primary social historical content relating to the intimate lives of women in New York City during the mid-19th Century. *OCLC* locates only two copies. (New-York Historical Society exhibit: "Female Remedies: A Little Show Draws a Big Response.").

Seller Inventory # 499043

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Broadside]: Dr. Vandenburgh's Female Renovating Pills. These Pills . are now respectfully submitted to the attention of the Females of America, as an effectual remedy in all cases where the operations of nature are impeded, or languidly performed .
• Publisher: (New York City)
• Publication Date: 1849
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Americana
  • Ephemera