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History of Medicine

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Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera
Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Varieties of Medical Ephemera banner. Here Today, Here Tomorrow is written in brown lettering above Varities of Medical Ephemera written in blue letter. Addiction written in blue lettering below an image of a woman laying in a bed with two children at her side. AIDS written in blue lettering below a red AIDS ribbon Bookplates written in blue lettering below an illustration of a man leaning against a stack of books holding a rod of Asclepius in his left hand. Children written in blue lettering below a color image of a boy sitting in a chair playing doctor on a dog lying on a table while three girls look on. Medical Education written in blue lettering below an illustration of a doctor making patient rounds in a hospital with three students attending. Medicine Show written in blue lettering below a color illustration of the cover of Graphic Scenes Kickapoo Indian Life in the South and West. Public Health written in blue lettering below a diagonal half white half black illustration with a cigarette in the center surrounded by a red circle with a line through it. The bottom right black diagonal has Thank you for not smoking here written in white lettering. Tuberculosis written in blue lettering below a predominantly blue poster with white and yellow lettering. In the center is an illustration of Santa Claus holding a little girl in one arm and an oversized Christmas seal in the other hand. Buy Christmas Seals Fight Tuberculosis is in yellow lettering at the bottom. Women written in blue lettering below a black and white image of a woman standing and taking the pulse of a man sitting in a chair. In the upper left corner are the words The Lady Doctor in black lettering.

AIDS

As long as the AIDS epidemic continues, the only reliable means we have to minimize its consequences is either abstinence or the practice of safe sex. Much of the copious quantity of ephemera stresses safe sex habits, particularly the proper use of condoms. A set of six greeting cards voicing optimistic hope has also been issued; these are meant to be sent, with or without a written message, to people with AIDS. A set of 120 trading cards, with portraits of men and women in some way connected with the epidemic as researchers, patients, philanthropists, etc. has also been published; a package of 12 different cards in the series, accompanied by a condom, were offered for sale for approximately $3.00 each. There are also messages specifically directed to women, African-Americans, Hispanics, drug users and the homosexual community. Certain publications from religious groups suggest retribution, while statements from politically oriented groups present specific demands. For example, a crudely stenciled broadside from one such organization, ACT-UP, proclaiming that Healthcare is a right..., was removed from a wall at a construction site in Washington, DC, in the summer of 1991.

A color sticker with a red AIDS ribbon in the center with the words World AIDS Day; 1994; GMHC below it in black lettering.

Gay Men's Health Crisis,
World AIDS Day,
color sticker,
New York, 1994,
6.3 x 3.8 cm.

A black and white post card featuring a group of men wearing Act Up shirts. The man in the forefront is holding a poster in his right hands with the words Read my Lips on it.

Act Up,
post card,
New York, c. 1988,
10.8 x 15.1 cm.


Color trading card of head and shoulders view of Arthur Ashe resting his chin on his hands. At the bottom in black lettering is Arthur Ashe's name.

AIDS Awareness Trading Cards,
Arthur Ashe,
color trading card,
Forestville, California, 1993,
8.8 x 6.4 cm.

Color sticker of AIDS quilts being stretched over the earth. In red and yellow lettering on the right side it says How Many AIDS Quilts does it take to cover the earth? Let's not find out!

AIDS Awareness Trading Cards,
How Many AIDS Quilts,
color sticker,
Forestville, California, 1993,
8.8 x 6.4 cm.


A teal color poster with a slightly abstract illustration of a seated woman reading a book.

New York City Department of Health,
AIDS is a Women's Issue,
color poster,
New York, c. 1992,
29.1 x 21.5 cm.

A color poster of an African American couple intertwined, each grabbing the other partner's buttocks. The title at the top in yellow lettering says Carry Condoms. In blue lettering at the bottom it says don't yourself get carried away, protect yourself from AIDS.

New York City Department of Health,
Carry Condoms,
color poster,
New York, 1989,
22.5 x 15 cm.


A color bumper sticker featuring a cartoon-style image of a man dressed as a super hero in a red, hooded leotard with the title Condoman in yello lettering. The man is saying Use Condoms!

Australian Department of Health,
Condoman,
color bumper sticker,
Australia, c. 1987,
7.5 x 30.3 cm.

The middle portion of a brown briefcase with the handle. There is a tag on the handle saying business class: a brife case for playing it safe in Australia. Below that is a sticker saying Travel safe: commonweath department of health, housing and community services. A third white sticker says ANCA Australian National Council on AIDS.

Australian National Council on AIDS,
Playing it safe in Australia,
12 page booklet,
Australia, c. 1994,
23.6 x 9.9 cm.


A Card with a color sticket attached. At the top in red lettering is because you have not given up the fight, I've enclosed a free gift for you. Below that in black lettering is this ribbon is a symbol of compassion and hope in the face of this devastating epidemic. Below that in red lettering is Wear this ribon with pride! A sticker attached to the card has a red AIDS ribbon on it.

Because you have not given up the fight,
card with color sticker attached,
n.p., 1993,
19.9 x 8.3 cm.

A color sticker featuring a blue map of the United States with the words AIDS written in white lettering in the center. At the top of the sticker in red lettering is Campaign 92. Also in red lettering, but at the bottom is vote as if your life depended on it!

Campaign '92,
color sticker,
n.p., 1992,
7.5 x 7.5 cm.


White bumper sticker with black lettering with a two part saying. The first part says If it's not on followed by a person covered from head to ankles in a condom. The second party says it's not on followed by a person walking away. In the bottom left corner it says AIDS Department of Human Services and Health.

Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health,
If it's not on, it's not on,
color bumper sticker,
Australia, c. 1991,
7 x 29.5 cm.

A color post card with AIDS written in blue lettering on a green background. In a section below that it says General Idea, Koury Wingate Gallery 1988 written in green lettering on a red background.

General Idea,
AIDS,
post card with illustration by Robert Indiana,
n.p., 1988,
20.3 x 15 cm.


Broadside advertising a public forum on A.I.D.S.: Bubonic Plague of the 21st Century?

National Democratic Party Committee (Lyndon Larouche),
A.I.D.S.: Bubonic Plague of the 21st Century,
broadside,
Atlanta, Georgia, c. 1992,
27.8 x 21.7 cm.

Color booklet titled Angela's Dream in white lettering on a purple background. In the center is a picture of a womaning holding an infant wrapped in a blue blanket.

New York State Department of Health,
Angela's Dream,
16 page color booklet,
New York, 1989,
21.5 x 17.7 cm.


A color broadside discussing the you and your partner and all of the people who have sex with the people who have sex with the people you've had sex with. Red hearts are used to show the progression between you and your partner with a multitude of hearts at the end for all the people finally involved. Below those in white lettering is AIDS Factline, you can get the facts.

Pennsylvania Department of Health,
AIDS Factline, you can get the facts,
broadside,
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1989,
22.8 x 10.6 cm.

A color information card for Wear the Ribbon featuring head and shoulders view of a man and a woman wearing white shirts and red hats with red AIDS ribbons attached all over.

Wear the Ribbon,
color information card,
England, c. 1992,
10 x 15 cm.

Last Reviewed: January 25, 2024