Beware the cancer quack A reputable physician does not promise a cure demand advance – Historic Poster Reproduction
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Few images capture their era like this vintage poster of Beware the cancer quack A reputable physician does not promise a cure demand advance. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. It makes a striking addition to a living room, study or office, and a thoughtful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
Beware the cancer quack A reputable physician does not promise a cure demand advance
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Its headline, "Beware the cancer quack," warns readers that a reputable physician never promises a cure and never demands payment in advance, a message aimed at the fraudulent remedy sellers who preyed on cancer patients in the 1930s. The poster was produced under the Works Progress Administration's federal art program, and the record credits the U.S. Public Health Service with working alongside the American Society for the Control of Cancer, the organization that later became the American Cancer Society. Cancer had no reliable cure at the time, which made desperate patients easy targets for quacks. The subject tags point to New York State, so the poster likely addressed a local problem, though its message was meant for the public at large.
| Created / published | 1936 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen color. |
| Notes | Date stamped on verso: Sep 2 1938. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). U.S. Public Health Service in cooperation with the American Society for the Control of Cancer. Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles : Wheatly Press c1987 no. 208 · Mérimée Prosper 1803-1870. Carmen.Federal Music Project (U.S.) sponsor. |
| Subjects | United States. Public Health Service--Public relations--1930-1940. Cancer--1930-1940. Health care--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. Quacks--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection |
| Original scan | 1,221 × 1,536 px · prints to 4 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 291_Beware_the_cancer_quack_1936 |
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