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William H. Helfand collection of artwork and printed ephemera

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
Print Collection 66
Repository:
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Extent:
0.5 linear feet (1 box and 7 oversized folders)
Preferred Citation:
William H. Helfand collection of artwork and printed ephemera, 1790-1990, Print Collection 66, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania
Date:
1790-1990 (inclusive)
Creator:
Helfand, William H.
Form:
Periodicals, Cartoons (humorous images), Posters, and Prints (visual works)
Abstract:
William Helfand (1926-2008) was a scholar of the histories of medicine, pharmacy and art, and a collector of prints and ephemera related to all three. This collection contains a fairly diverse set of artwork and printed ephemera collected by Helfand, which, for the most part, relates to pharmacy and medicine and/or the fine arts.

William Helfand was a scholar of the histories of medicine, pharmacy and art, and collector of prints and ephemera related to all three. Born in 1926, in Philadelphia, to Minnie and Leopold, Helfand was exposed at an early age to pharmacy through his father's drugstore at Broad Street and Chelten Avenue. He graduated from Central High School in 1943 and served in the United States Army for two years.

After returning from military service, Helfand earned degrees in Chemical Engineering (University of Pennsylvania, 1948) and Pharmacy (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, 1952), as well as honorary degrees of Doctor of Sciences (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, 1976), and Doctor of Humane Letters (Albany College of Pharmacy, Union University, 1981). For more than three decades, he worked as an executive manager for the multinational pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. (including time as president of the French Division from 1970-1974), until he retired in 1987.

A historian of pharmacy and medicine, he is the author of many publications on these subjects, including the books Medicine & Pharmacy in American Political Prints (1978), Pharmacy: An Illustrated History (1990, with David L. Cowen), and several articles and catalogues of exhibitions on pharmacy and medicine prints, posters and ephemera.

Helfand was, himself, a collector of medicine and pharmacy-related material, and exhibitions of his posters, illustrations, and prints have been hosted at the Philadelphia Museum of Arts, the New York State Museum, and the National Library of Medicine, among other venues. Helfand has donated his collections to research institutions across the United States.

Helfand married Audrey Helfand in 1954 and they were the parents of Jessica and Rachel. He died on October 2, 2018 at the age of 92.

Sources:

"William Helfand, 92, collector and authority on medical quacks," by Robert Moran, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2018 October 5.

This collection contains a fairly diverse set of artwork and printed ephemera collected by William H. Helfand. For the most part, the collection relates to pharmacy and medicine and/or fine arts. This collection should be used with other collections gifted by Helfand: William H. Helfand collection of medical quackery ephemera, 1736-2006, (Print Collection 34) and William H. Helfand collection of ex-votos and devotional painting on medical subjects, 1868-2002 (Ms. Coll. 1219).

Arranged in seven series, this collection provides visual evidence of the role of pharmacy in the everyday world over the past several hundred years. Series I. Advertisements (largely for pharmaceutical products) includes ads for remedies in newspapers or magazines, posters, metal plaques, and wooden cribbage boards, from countries including England, Italy, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Russia, and the United States. While the bulk of the remedies are for humans, Santivan advertises that their product "Means Health for Sheep."

Series II. Artwork is believed to be original artwork (reproductions of artwork can be found in Series VII). As much as possible, artists have been identified, although in a few cases they are either not listed or are illegible. For the most part, this artwork relates to pharmacy, dentistry, and health, more generally.

Series III. Brochure and posters for art exhibits are largely posters (only one brochure) for exhibits that do not relate to pharmacy, medicine, or health. Instead, it is presumed that Helfand collected these posters because he attended these exhibits or simply like the artists. Several of the posters are signed, but there is no evidence that Helfand had any specific connections to the artists or the exhibits. They are arranged alphabetically by the museum or gallery that hosted the exhibit.

Series IV. Posters for exhibits relating to medicine and pharmacy were presumably collected because of Helfand's very specific collecting interests in medical quackery and pharmacy. While most do not have a direct connection to Helfand, one exhibit, "Medicine and Pharmacy: 100 Years of Poster Art," was made up of material from the collection of William H. Helfand, and commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the Albany College of Pharmacy (1881-1981). These posters are arranged alphabetically by the museum or gallery that hosted the exhibit.

Series V. and VI. Periodicals or bound volumes and Extracts from periodicals relate largely to the image of pharmacy and medicine in printed works. These groups of material contain caricatures and comics, as well as ads for surgeons and remedies.

The final series, Series VII. Reproductions of artwork, include posters and prints of material, much of which was probably widely available for purchase. These items are largely (but not entirely) related to medicine and pharmacy, and are arranged alphabetically by the artist, when known.

This collection, when used in conjunction with other collections containing material regarding pharmacy and medicine, provides images that portray the evolution of pharmacy in history--from the farcical portrayals of doctors and remedies to the much more respected image of a field that saves lives. It is important to note, however, that this collection is, by and large, a collection of Helfand's; and not the tightly curated groups of materials donated by him on previous occasions (Ms. Coll. 1219 and Print Collection 34).

Gift of William H. Helfand, 2017

Duke University: William H. Helfand collection of medical prints and posters, 1695-1991

Grolier Club: William H. Helfand Bookplate Collection, 1776-1993

Huntingon Library: (William H. Helfand Collection, 1493-2006 (bulk: 1800-1900))

Library Company of Philadelphia: William H. Helfand popular medicine collection, circa 1800-1940

New York Academy of Medicine: William H. Helfand collection of pharmaceutical trade cards, 1875-1925

University of Pennsylvania, Barbara Bates Center for The Study of The History of Nursing: William H. Helfand collection, 1923-1962

University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts: William H. Helfand collection of ex-votos and devotional paintings on medical subjects, 1868-2002, Ms. Coll. 1219

and William H. Helfand collection of medical quackery ephemera, 1736-2006, undated, Print Collection 34

Subject
Occupation

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
Finding Aid Author
Holly Mengel
Finding Aid Date
2021 July 23
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Collection Inventory

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American Pharmaceutical Association and National Association of Retail Druggists, advertisement for National Pharmacy Week, United States, circa 1950.
Drawer 5 Folder 2
Calamante Fort, by Laboratorio Farmaceutico, Italy, circa 1910.
Drawer 5 Folder 2
Evans Antiseptic Throat Pastilles, London and Liverpool, circa 1895.
Drawer 5 Folder 1
Farmasian Paivat 1984 (Pharmacy Days, 1984), Finland, 1984.
Box 1 Folder 1
Les Fumades (Courrier des Fumades, Concours des Fumades, les Eaux des Fumades), eight ads, 1912-1913.
Box 1 Folder 1
Hidcol, Leblanc Corporation, United States, circa 1940.
Drawer 5 Folder 2
Morrisons Vegetable Pills, "Extraordinary Effects of Morrisons Vegetable Pills!" by C.J. Grant, United Kingdom, circa 1845.
Box 1 Folder 1
Odamine Besmetzuiverende (for cholera and typhoid), Netherlands, circa 1895.
Drawer 5 Folder 1
Priest's Powder, wooden cribbage board issued by Priest Drug Company, Bangor, Maine, United States, circa 1925.
Box 1 Folder 1
Puretest Aspirin tablets, "My Headache's Gone," United States, circa 1910.
Drawer 5 Folder 2
Russian advertisement for gastro-intestinal remedies for children (in Russian), 1940.
Drawer 5 Folder 2
Santivin, "Means Health for Sheep," Stephen Pettifer & Sons, United Kingdom, circa 1890.
Drawer 5 Folder 1
Sherriffs Ointment, for all skin diseases, Alexander Sheriffs, MPS, United Kingdom, circa 1890.
Drawer 5 Folder 2

Anonymous, Pharmacy Progresses to the 21st Century, United States, circa 1950.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Avery, Eric, The Roast Beef of England, United States, 1990.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Criri, Simone, "Cosman and Damien," Paris, 1985.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Fontanez [Jules], caricature of a charlatan selling pills, France, circa 1875.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Jamar, M., "Le Geurisseur," France, circa 1950.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Roussey, "Info Santé," medical symbol with plants, France, circa 1964.
Drawer 5 Folder 3
Unknown artist [signature is illegible], Dentist Pulling Tooth (print 55 of 350), France, circa 1955.
Drawer 5 Folder 3

Cabinet Des Estampes, "Piranesi," Geneva, Switzerland, 1969 September 5-November 11.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Centro Culturale Saint-Vincent, "Leonetto Cappiello: Fra Arte, Costume e Comunicazione," Italy, 1985 March-May.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Chisolm Prats Gallery, Original Poster Art of the Last Hundred Years, United States, undated.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Chisolm Prats Gallery, New York Poster Show, United States, circa 1950.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Leo Castelli, Jasper Johns exhibition poster, United States (signed), 1963 January 12-February 7.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Museum of Fine Arts, "American Prints", 1941.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
Museum of the Borough of Brooklyn, Brooklyn College, "Politics in Art: Art of Politics," United States, 1984 October 23-December 4.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
National Portrait Gallery, "Prints to Press, 1720-1888," part of "Drawn and Quartered: The World of the British Newspaper Cartoon, 1720-1970," United Kingdom, 1970 (check).
Drawer 5 Folder 5
National Portrait Gallery, "Drawn and Quartered: The World of the British Newspaper Cartoon, 1720-1970," United Kingdom, 1970.
Box 1 Folder 2
Philadelphia Museum of Art, "Jaspar Johns Prints--1960-1970," United States (signed), 1970 April 15-June 14.
Drawer 5 Folder 4
University of Texas, Fox Fine Arts Center, "Avery, Eric, Sera Siempre Asi" (signed), United States, 1989 January 20-February 10.
Drawer 5 Folder 4

Focke-Museum, Christus als Apotheker (2 copies), Germany, 1975 September 30-October 31.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Poster introducing stamp for National Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign (XVII Campagna Nazionale Antitubercolare 1954) , 1954.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Images of Life and Death, by Eric Avery, United States, 1982.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Moody Medical Library and Rosenberg Public Library, Images of Life and Death: Prints and Photographs, by Eric Avery, Galveston, Texas, 1982 August 20-September 15.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Le Carré Thorigny, "Molière et la Médicine de son Temps", circa 1972.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Ars Medica: Art, Medicine and the Human Condition (poster contains collage by Jess) (2 copies), 1985 September 22-December 1.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
New York State Museum, "Medicine and Pharmacy: 100 Years of Poster Art," from the Collection of William H. Helfand, In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Albany College of Pharmacy, 1881-1981, United States, 1981 October 5-1982 January 3.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Xochil Art Institute, Imagens de Muerte y Vida en Mission, Mission, Texas, 1983 September 11-October 1.
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Yale University School of Medicine, "Vareties of Medical Ephemera," United States, 1987 October 7-1988 January 15.
Drawer 5 Folder 5

Au Quartier Latin, "Le Souvenir Programme des Fetes de l'Association Generale des Etudiants, 16-17-18 Juin 1911", 1911.
Box 1 Folder 3
Essai d'une Caracteristique de L'Enseignement Medical de Montpellier, développée dans les Quartre Premieres lecons du Cours de Physiologie par le Professeur Lordat, 1843.
Box 1 Folder 3
L'Assiette au Beurre Les Pharmaciens, par Galanis, No. 107, 1903 April 18.
Box 1 Folder 3
Les Grandes Figures, Larousse-Paris, 1939.
Box 1 Folder 3

"Clarence at the Pharmacy," in New York Herald Tribune, United States, 1929 October 13.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Der Doktor Eisenbart," in Bilderbogen, Germany, circa 1860.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Ein Todentanz," by A. Rethel (six illustrations), Germany, 1848.
Box 1 Folder 4
"First Day's Business in New Drug Store," in New York Herald Tribune, United States, 1900 December 9.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
Leeds Times, featuring a number of ads for surgeons and remedies, United Kingdom, 1842 March 5.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Noveau Guide Amusant de Paris," Nos. 2, fabriqué d'estampes de gangel à Metz, France, circa 1860.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Revue du Premier Trimestre," in Journal pour Rire, created by Nadar and Jules Hetzel, 1851 January 3.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Revue du Premier Trimestre," in Journal pour Rire, created by Nadar and Jules Hetzel, 1851 April 4.
Drawer 5 Folder 6
"Your Glands Wear Out," Lewis Laboratories, in Topeka State Journal, 1924 February 11.
Drawer 5 Folder 6

Abbott Laboratories, "Medical Events in North America," United States, 1950.
Box 1 Folder 5
Anonymous, "Le Curieux," extrait de l'album n. 1 du Musée galant du XVIII Siecle, published in Le Courier Francais, 1896 March 29.
Box 1 Folder 5
Anonymous, "Picture of Good Health," United States, circa 1976.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Bellenger, Albert, "Apothecary," after the original by Henry Stacy Marks, United Kingdom, circa 1890.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Board game with monkeys, France, circa 1925.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Chéret, Jules, "Bal Masque," France (original, circa 1865), undated.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Didion, P., "Metz--Ambulance--Wagons," Imagerie de P. Didion, à Metz, 1870.
Box 1 Folder 5
Gada, Antonio, "Pharmaciens sans Frontieres," United States, 1993.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Gillray, James, "The Cow-Pock, or The Wonderful Effects of the New Innoculation," published by H. Humphrey St. James's Street, United Kingdom, 1802.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Help, C., "The Quack Doctor," after the original by G. Dou, United Kingdom, 1797.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Imagerie Pellerin a Epinal, "Les Animaux Parlants", circa 1885.
Box 1 Folder 4
Kahn, Fritz, "Der Mensch als Industriepalast (Man as Industrial Palace)," Stuttgart, Germany, 1926 (3 copies).
Drawer 5 Folder 5
Laboratoires Houdé, "Joseph Pelletier, 1788-1842: bicentenaire de sa naissance," Éditions Louis Pariente, France, 1988.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Le Veau, Jean Jacques André, "La Consultation Appréhendée," after a painting by Marie-Marc-Antoine Bilcoq, France, 1790.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
"Medical History in Pictures: Series One: 15th and 16th Century Woodcuts of the Human Body," facsimiles from the Historical Library, Yale Medical Library (No. 106 or 200), 1976.
Box 1 Folder 5
Merlin, Jean-Pierre, Snake on antique object, Realisation et © Editions Louis Parietée, circa 1990.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Motte, C., "Le Mari Malade," after A. Maurin after original by Henary Decaisne, France, circa 1860.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Nobile Collegio Chimico Farmaceutico di Roma, prints of five churches in the Roman Forum, Italy, circa 1895.
Box 1 Folder 5
Pellerin & Co., "Mademoiselle Tralala (Oh, la, la! Pouah!)," Imagerie D'Epinal, No. 343, circa 1885.
Box 1 Folder 4
Premiere traverse de la Manche en Aeroplane par le Français Louis Blériot, le 25 Juillet, 1909, Droit Reservé, K. F. Editeurs (original circa 1910), undated.
Drawer 5 Folder 7
Smiley, C. F., William Osler portrait, United States, circa 1915.
Box 1 Folder 5
"St. Kosmas und Damian," pewter plate, Germany, circa 1920s.
Box 1 Folder 6
Thiébault, Jean-Baptiste, Napoleon Bonaparte touching the bubo of a plague victim at Jaffa in 1799; Epinal : De la fabrique de Pellerin, imprimeur-libraire, circa 1875.
Drawer 5 Folder 7

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