Object Record
| Object Name | Card, Trade |
| Date | 1887 copyright |
| Description | Trade card. Chromolithograph on paper. Humorous illustration of four infants seated at a table; two of the infants wear caps. Three of them hold spoons and one holds a nursing bottle. In the center of the table is a white can with a blue eagle and blue print: "Trade Mark of the NEW YORK CONDENSED MILK CO. / GAIL BORDEN / EAGLE BRAND / ...". Parts of highchairs are visible behind two of the children. Printed in lower right corner: "COPYRIGHTED 1887 BY THE N.Y. CONDENSED MILK CO." Printed on reverse: "GAIL BORDEN / EAGLE BRAND / CONDENSED MILK. / ... It is simply pure milk of the best quality, from which a large percent- / age of water has been evaporated, combined with the finest grades / of refined sugar. / As a food for infants it has no equal. / DIRECTIONS FOR USE. / ...FOR INFANTS. While it would be impossible to give exact direc- / tions for the mixing of Condensed Milk for infant's use, as the amount of / dilution necessary for a weak or sickly child would not be required for / one of ordinary health or strength; experience enables us to give the / following general directions, which will be found sufficient for most cases. / 1st Month, add 14 to 16 parts water to one part of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk. / 2d Month 12 to 14 [ditto marks] / 3d Month 10 to 12 [ditto marks] / Continue to decrease gradually the amount of water as the child grows / older, ... / ... After the twelfth / month other food may be used in connection with the Gail Borden Eagle / Brand Condensed Milk, but until that age no other food is required. / The water in all cases should be boiled before using, ... / N.Y. CONDENSED MILK CO. / 79 MURRAY STREET, / NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. / MAJOR, KNAPP & CO. N.Y / COPYRIGHT 1887." |
| Acquisition | From Alice Austen |
| Ownership and History |
Condensed milk, patented by Gail Borden in 1856, was sometimes used in place of fresh cow's milk because it was thought that the processing made it safer. Advertisements claimed that Borden's Eagle Brand Condensed Milk was an ideal food for infants and that before twelve months of age, no other food was required. This card is part of a collection of personal items that came to the Staten Island Historical Society from photographer Alice Austen in 1945. |
| Earliest Date | 1887 |
| Latest Date | 1890 |
| Maker | Major, Knapp & Co. |
| Material | Paper |
| Subjects |
Advertising cards Children Dairy products Food Ephemera |
| Lexicon Sub-category | Advertising Medium |
| Associated People |
Austen, E. Alice |
| Catalog Number | 45.002.0015 |
| Support Acknowledgment | Online Collections Database record made possible by the Staten Island Historical Society, December 2012. |
| Legal Status | Items represented here are from the collections of the Staten Island Historical Society. Materials reproduced for personal non-commercial use must credit the Staten Island Historical Society. Commercial licensing is available. |