{"product_id":"cocaine-toothache-drops-smith-co-chemists-high-holborn-c-1885","title":"Cocaine Toothache Drops — Smith \u0026 Co Chemists, High Holborn c.1885","description":"\u003cp\u003eStep into the gaslit world of Victorian London, where the shelves of Smith \u0026amp; Co Chemists on High Holborn gleamed with amber bottles and hand-lettered labels promising swift relief. Among the most popular remedies of the age: cocaine toothache drops — dispensed without a second thought, purchased by ladies and gentlemen alike, and considered entirely respectable medicine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was an era of extraordinary contradictions — empire and poverty, innovation and superstition, laudanum in the nursery and cocaine at the chemist's counter. The Victorians did not lack for confidence in their remedies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe History Behind this Advertisement\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCocaine was widely used in Victorian medicine as a topical anaesthetic and pain reliever\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eToothache drops were among the most common over-the-counter preparations of the 1880s and 1890s\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHigh Holborn was one of London's great commercial thoroughfares — home to chemists, stationers, and merchants of every kind\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe sweet drops sold at establishments like Smith \u0026amp; Co were considered entirely ordinary — a fact that never fails to astonish the modern eye\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePerfect For\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollectors drawn to the social history of Victorian Britain, lovers of apothecary ephemera, and anyone who delights in the stranger corners of everyday life in the 19th century. A conversation piece as much as a print.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Elliott Best","offers":[{"title":"COLLECTOR – 11x14in \/ 28x36cm","offer_id":47349695250603,"sku":null,"price":79.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GALLERY – 18x24in \/ 46x61cm","offer_id":47349695283371,"sku":null,"price":99.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"STATEMENT – 36x48in \/ 91x122cm","offer_id":47349695316139,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/7621\/8539\/files\/0F042510-EDE0-4314-B557-2ABDDE687324.png?v=1783276469","url":"https:\/\/elliottbest.com\/products\/cocaine-toothache-drops-smith-co-chemists-high-holborn-c-1885","provider":"Elliott Best","version":"1.0","type":"link"}