The only safe weapons against cancer are surgery x-rays [and] radium Do not trust you – Historic Poster Reproduction
![The only safe weapons against cancer are surgery x-rays [and] radium Do not trust you, 1938 — vintage poster](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/67/67eb9def1a0f-L.webp)
(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 The only safe weapons against cancer are surgery x-rays [and] radium Do not trust you. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.
Order it framed and ready to hang, or unframed to match a frame you already love. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
The only safe weapons against cancer are surgery x-rays [and] radium Do not trust you
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This silkscreen poster warns that the only safe weapons against cancer are surgery, x-rays, and radium, and it urges readers not to trust unproven cures. Its message reflects the period's concern with fraudulent remedies, when cancer was widely feared and many people turned to patent medicines and self-styled healers. The Federal theater Project, one of the Works Progress Administration's arts programs, sponsored New York health posters like this one, using bold graphic design and short slogans to reach audiences who might not read long pamphlets. The date stamp on the back, September 2, 1938, places it in the program's last years of active poster production.
| Created / published | 1938 |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 print on board (poster) : silkscreen color. |
| Notes | Date stamped on verso: Sep 2 1938. Work Projects Administration Poster Collection (Library of Congress). · Federal Theatre Project (New York N.Y.) sponsor. |
| Subjects | Cancer--1930-1940. Health care--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Work Projects Administration Poster Collection |
| Original scan | 3,782 × 4,754 px · prints to 13 × 16 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | 299_The_only_safe_weapons_a_1938 |
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