Compound Oxygen - Vintage Home Treatment Art Print / Canvas

$35USD
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Art Print or Canvas?
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★★★★★ "Delighted, all as described." — Clare
★★★★★ "Gorgeous print. Brilliant communication!" — Aaron
★★★★★ "Quality and colors outstanding." — Roumayne
★★★★★ "Delighted, all as described." — Clare
★★★★★ "Gorgeous print. Brilliant communication!" — Aaron
★★★★★ "Quality and colors outstanding." — Roumayne
★★★★★ "Delighted, all as described." — Clare
★★★★★ "Gorgeous print. Brilliant communication!" — Aaron
★★★★★ "Quality and colors outstanding." — Roumayne

About this treasure

Forget cheap copies or printable posters
Bold & breathtaking for up to 100 years
3 frame colors — delivered ready to hang
True-to-life tones from non-toxic pigment inks
Made to order in USA, UK, EU + AUS
Shipped in 2-4 days
Love it or return it in 30 days
Artwork Description

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.

Artist Biography

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

Your new treasure gets produced after you purchase at print labs across the USA, UK, EU & AUS. Significantly minimising landfill waste by only making things people actually want.

Average Production Time

After you purchase, expect your new treasure to be produced, quality checked, packed with care and handed over to trusted shipping carriers within 72-96 hours on average.

Powered by Prodigi

I work with Prodigi to create all the products on my store. Their international network of print labs:

1. Ensure your new treasure's made as close to you as possible. Reducing delivery times and carbon emissions from the print lab to your front door.

2. Adhere to anti child labour and anti forced labour regulations. Providing safe and generous working environments for all staff.

3. Provide traceability for core raw materials from suppliers. 

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

Cost

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

Production + Delivery =

USA: 4-9 days • Canada: 5-12 days • UK: 4-9 days • Europe: 5-10 days • Australia: 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

Fine Art Prints

Heavyweight 200gsm fine art stock. Smooth, clean finish and natural white tone. Ideal for photography, bold graphics and illustrations.

All Gems, No Junk
Every piece of wall art is made to order, because I only produce things people actually want. And your new treasure will be handcrafted by a specialist in the USA, UK, EU or AUS.
Classic wood frames
Chevron cut frames crafted from solid FSC® sustainable wood. Ultra-clear perspex glaze + 2" archival-grade matboard. Delivered ready to hang.

Heavyweight 200gsm fine art stock with a smooth, clean finish and natural white tone that stays beautifully consistent – ideal for photography, bold graphics and illustrations.

Choose a white border for a fresh look or no border for an immersive viewing experience.

Black: Suits almost any style, anywhere, all the time. White: Helps art shine brighter in dark rooms to lift your mood. Natural: Infuses warmth wherever it goes with rich, honeyed tones.

All framed art prints come with a 2" / 5cm archival-grade matboard — just like you see in museums and galleries.

Luxe artist-grade canvas

38mm cotton canvas stretched over European knotless pine. Luxurious, matte finish. Renders image depth & detail with outstanding clarity.

A century of color
Forget 4 color CMYK. Giclée printing layers up to 12. Alive with deeper shadows, richer highlights and multidimensional contrasts for up to 100 years.
Premium float frame
FSC® Certified European knotless pine for canvas substrate. Milled with curved profile to protect canvas damage. Finished with sleek float frame in 3 distinctive colors.

Thin frame sits apart from the edge of the canvas helping to create a floating border and sleek, gallery-worthy effect. Sustainably sourced FSC® certified European knotless pine.

Make any room a showpiece. Luscious artist-grade cotton canvas, finely textured for depth and precision. Hand-stretched and natural white to capture light/color with striking clarity.

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