Compound Oxygen - Vintage Home Treatment Art Print / Canvas

$25USD
  • Forget cheap copies or printable posters
  • Archival grade fine art paper and canvas
  • Giclée printing stays vibrant up to 100 years
  • FSC® paper & wood + non-toxic pigment inks

Size
Art Print or Canvas?

White borders = 3 - 5% of shortest side

Matboards = 2" / 5cm

Framed canvas gaps = 3/8" / 1cm

Automatic Discount Magic
Any 2 wall art treasures = 10% off
Any 3 = 15% off
Any 5 = 20% off
American Express
Apple Pay
Bancontact
Google Pay
iDEAL Wero
Mastercard
PayPal
Shop Pay
Union Pay
Visa

Meet the Family >>>


About this Artwork

Compound Oxygen — Vintage Home Treatment drops its pitch with the confidence of the open water: a mustachioed oarsman in a crimson-and-silver striped athletic jersey hoists an apothecary bottle above a sage-green harbor, the brass oarlock gleaming beneath his rested wrist.

This American chromolithographic advertising print from the patent medicine era of the 1880s reads like a manifesto for the Gilded Age belief that science and vitality were one purchase away. The scarlet beret, violet pompom blazing at its crown, anchors the figure in the recreational sporting culture flooding American harbors as steam vessels blurred the horizon behind pale cream sails.

 Flat tonal gradients and the smooth halftone dot pattern of color lithography give every crimson stripe and rose-pink tone the seductive clarity of a carnival broadside. The oarsman's raised bottle and half-smiling gaze lock the viewer into a transaction — health as theater, the harbor as stage, the sky's blue-gray wash closing behind him like a curtain drawn on doubt.

Origin Story

Compound Oxygen Inhaling Fluid was the signature quack remedy of Drs. George R. Starkey (1823–1896) and Gilbert E. Palen (1832–1901), two non-practicing Philadelphia physicians who built a thriving late-nineteenth-century patent medicine empire from their salon at 1529 Arch Street. Marketed as effective against consumption, asthma, bronchitis, dyspepsia, catarrh, hay fever, and a sweeping range of chronic disorders, the preparation was theatrically billed as acting on the body "magnetically."

The product was, by the doctors' own admission, simply a combination of oxygen and nitrogen — most likely nitrous oxide. Contemporary medical critics dismissed the claims as "bosh" and "pretentious nonsense," yet cobalt-blue bottles, trade cards, testimonial-stuffed pamphlets, and a Whitall Tatum–manufactured glass stopper kept the enterprise profitable well into the 1890s. The bottles remain sought-after antique medicine collectibles today.

Size
Art Print or Canvas?
Product information

Produced on Demand

Produced after you purchase at print labs across the US, UK, EU & AUS. Significantly minimising landfill waste by only making things people actually want.

Production Time

Produced, quality checked, packed with care and handed to trusted shipping carriers within 72-96 hours on average.

Powered by Prodigi

Prodigi's network of print labs:

1. Ensure your new treasure's made as close to you as possible.

2. Adhere to anti child labour and anti forced labour regulations.

3. Provide traceability for core raw materials from suppliers. 

4. Screen suppliers for compliance with fair labor and sustainability standards.

Learn more

Cost

Free shipping to Continental United States, Canada, UK, EU, Australia, New Zealand & more: see full list here.

Production + Delivery =

US: 4-9 days • Canada: 5-12 days • UK: 4-9 days • EU: 5-10 days • AUS: 4-9 days • NZ: 5-12 days • Rest of the world: 3-4 weeks

Every package tracked from A to B to You.

Sent carbon neutral at no extra charge.

Peace of mind your money's being kind.

More on orders & shipping.

30 Day Returns

1. You're welcome to open a return / exchange request within 30 days of your order's delivery. All items for return must be delivered back in their original condition, with their original packaging included.

2. No guarantees your return will be approved if you send items back before the approval of your return request.

3. No returns, refunds or exchanges on discounted or sale items.

Read the step-by-step returns process.

Your Latest Loves

Pick Your Pleasure

Art Your Way

Archival grade fine art prints, classic chevron cut wooden frames, or sleek float framed canvases for a tactile dimension.

Forget cheap reproductions and printable posters: warm white, archival-grade, 200gsm matte art paper.

True-to-life colors and tones without glare or distortion: vivid, non-toxic pigment inks honor your art and the planet.

Black: Suits any style, anywhere, all the time. White: Helps art shine brighter. Natural: Infuses warmth wherever it goes.

Chevron cut for a timeless statement. Ultra-clear perspex glaze. 2" / 5cm archival-grade matboard.

Artist-grade cotton canvas, finely textured for depth and precision.

Hand-stretched and natural white to capture light/color with striking clarity.

Chic floating frame for sleek, gallery-worthy effect.

Fine Art Prints

True-to-life colors for a hundred years of daydreams

Ships in 2-4 days
Velvety matte art paper
Heavyweight 200gsm fine art paper. Smooth, clean finish. Naturally white tone. Acid-free to resist yellowing and deterioration.
Classic wood frames
Chevron-cut frame made from solid FSC®-certified sustainable wood. Ultra-clear Perspex glazing. Delivered ready to hang.
3 framing styles
Framed art prints can be shipped with no border, a slim border, or set in a classic acid-free mat. Museum-quality, however you style it.

Giclée Printing

A Century of Color

Forget 4 color CMYK. Every treasure you find here is giclée printed — layering up to 12 colors so your new artwork feels alive with deeper shadows, richer highlights and multidimensional contrasts.

Enriched by a pro-lab process that helps art stay bold & breathtaking for up to 100 years with non-toxic, archival-grade inks.

Peecho print shop employee inspecting artwork
Prodigi framed print production in progress
Print lab with multiple workstations where people are engaged in hands-on art print projects
Framing a canvas
worker stretching art print
Picture framer using a framing tool.
Peecho print shop employee inspecting artwork
Prodigi framed print production in progress
Print lab with multiple workstations where people are engaged in hands-on art print projects
Framing a canvas
worker stretching art print
Picture framer using a framing tool.

Framed Canvas

Alive with multidimensional shadows, highlights and contrasts

Ships in 2-4 days
Artist-grade cotton canvas
38mm cotton canvas, ideal for photography, reproductions and impactful graphics. Luxurious, matte surface delivers depth and detail with outstanding clarity.
Premium float frames
The thin frame sits slightly away from the edge of the canvas, creating an elegant, gallery-worthy floating border.
Care in every detail
Canvas stretched over FSC®-certified, knot-free European pine. Milled with a curved profile to prevent pressure marks and surface cracks.

Happy Customers