by Ben Crane

Dr. Kilmer's Standard Herbal Remedies were among the best known patent medicines in America in the late 1800s , and were aggressively advertised through trade cards, almanacs and other types of ephemera. One of the medicines, Swamp Root, remained in manufacture until 1940.

A. Walker Bingham, author of the book "The Snake-Oil Syndrome: Patent Medicine Advertising," lists 14 Dr. Kilmer trade cards in his informative article titled "The Kilmer Swamp Root Story" which appeared in the Summer 1995 issue of "The Advertising Trade Card Quarterly."

Shown below are thumbnail images of the13 most commonly found Dr. Kilmer cards. Click on a thumbnail for a larger view, or click here to begin viewing the cards in slide show fashion.

Standard Herbal Remedies     1 1r           Prompt Parilla Pills Female Remedy 2 3 4 5         Meadow Plant Anointment Indian Cough Cure 6 7 8 9         Swamp Root Cure Heart Remedy 10 11 12 13