1890s (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This product became notorious for running a series of newspaper advertisements in 1891 offering £100 (a considerable sum of money) to any user of the carbolic smoke ball who contracted the flu. A legal case was brought against them after they refused to honour the promised payout to a Mrs. Louisa Elizabeth Carlill who caught the flu regardless of using the product regularly. The company was legally represented by the future Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and they attempted to claim it was not a serious contract. They lost the case which is still frequently referenced in matters of contract law.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Colour lithograph |
| Brief description | Anonymous pictorial advertisement for the Carbolic Smoke Ball as a flu remedy. Great Britain, c. 1890s. |
| Physical description | Colour lithograph of pictorial advertisement for a flu remedy consisting of a rubber ball with a tube to be inserted into the nose and squeezed. The ball contained carbolic acid or phenol. A woman in a smart green costume with lace cuffs is seen demonstrating it. |
| Dimensions | Various sizes. |
| Association | |
| Summary | This product became notorious for running a series of newspaper advertisements in 1891 offering £100 (a considerable sum of money) to any user of the carbolic smoke ball who contracted the flu. A legal case was brought against them after they refused to honour the promised payout to a Mrs. Louisa Elizabeth Carlill who caught the flu regardless of using the product regularly. The company was legally represented by the future Prime Minister H. H. Asquith and they attempted to claim it was not a serious contract. They lost the case which is still frequently referenced in matters of contract law. |
| Bibliographic reference | Victoria & Albert Museum, Department of Engraving, Illlustration and Design & Department of Paintings, Accessions 1919, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1921. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.956-1919 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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