{"product_id":"old-sachem-bitters-wigwam-tonic-vintage-poster-1859","title":"Old Sachem Bitters \u0026 Wigwam Tonic Vintage Poster, 1859","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOld Sachem Bitters – Wigwam Tonic\u003c\/em\u003e, produced in 1859 by Major \u0026amp; Knapp Lith. Sarony, turns a commercial beverage advertisement into an elaborate theatrical scene. A spear-bearing Native American figure commands the centre, enlarged against a distant encampment and framed by the arched words “OLD SACHEM BITTERS”. Brilliant reds and oranges animate the feathered headdress and richly patterned clothing, while subdued earth colours, blue and green recede into the landscape behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe design belongs to a period when American patent medicines, tonics and bitters were promoted through increasingly sophisticated visual branding. Commercial lithography allowed advertisers to combine decorative lettering, emphatic colour and detailed figurative imagery in displays intended to compete for attention in crowded public settings. Here, that persuasive language depends upon a romanticised and stereotyped construction of Native American identity. Words such as “Sachem” and “Wigwam”, together with the imagined camp setting, were appropriated to imply inherited knowledge, natural potency and exotic novelty rather than to document a particular community or culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA closer look\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is built around an emphatic contrast of scale. The principal figure rises almost the full height of the vertical design, standing firmly on grass and rocky ground with the spear providing a strong upright line. Details accumulate across the costume: bands of pattern enliven the sash and leggings, while individual feathers introduce alternating colours and pointed contours around the head. Crisp highlights bring the face, hands and clothing forward, separating them from the softer tonal transitions of the distance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBehind this imposing foreground presence, the landscape opens into a compact narrative setting. Pale tents, small figures and faint communal activity occupy the lower distance, with mountains and swirling clouds extending the scene towards the horizon. These elements are comparatively muted—beige, brown and softened blue-green—so that they function less as independent subjects than as a stage for the central figure. The abrupt shift from miniature background figures to the monumental person in front gives the advertisement much of its visual force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTypography is treated as part of the spectacle rather than as a simple caption. The product name curves across the upper section in large, decorative serif letters, echoing the rounded sweep of the clouds and headdress below. A border contains the abundance of colour and detail, while the curved lower margin gives the design a distinctive, almost label-like silhouette. In the lower-right corner, “W. GOODRICH. NEW YORK.” appears in decorative lettering, adding a further commercial identifier without challenging the dominance of the principal slogan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eContext and significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSarony, Major \u0026amp; Knapp was associated with the highly developed culture of nineteenth-century American commercial printmaking, in which technical finish served advertising as readily as portraiture, views or illustration. This poster demonstrates how thoroughly an everyday commodity could be surrounded by narrative: the product itself is displaced by costume, landscape and character, creating a memorable identity before the viewer has read the smaller details.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeen today, \u003cem\u003eOld Sachem Bitters – Wigwam Tonic\u003c\/em\u003e is visually compelling but also culturally revealing. Its bold palette and carefully organised hierarchy show the ingenuity of mid-century advertising, while its invented Indigenous imagery exposes the assumptions through which American commerce packaged ideas of authenticity and “natural” authority. The result is both a striking example of early consumer graphics and a document of the stereotypes on which that visual persuasion could rely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChoosing the right size and finish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArtwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop for advice\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this art print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. \u003ca href=\"\/es\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee examples of personalised artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChoose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/sepia-aged-maps\"\u003eSee examples of our Aged artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFramed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/custom-framing\"\u003especialist framing\u003c\/a\u003e are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/es\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact our workshop\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67630727594375,"sku":null,"price":227.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67630727627143,"sku":null,"price":543.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67630727659911,"sku":null,"price":633.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67630727692679,"sku":null,"price":227.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67630727725447,"sku":null,"price":543.0,"currency_code":"CNY","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed 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