Donald Trump's Vegetable Compound

Atlas Obscura, a website that features offbeat subjects, recently posted a piece about an 19th century Massachusetts woman who sold her mismash of vegetable tonic by featuring herself prominently on packaging and unabashed advertising.





Although popular among her female consumers (the stuff was for women's menstrual challenges), Lydia E. Pinkham's Herb Medicine (which apparently also contained booze) was far less effective than her own promotion. 

Her marketing of herself was so relentless that hate mail and jokes abounded throughout the U.S. 

Extant images of her consist of artwork and lithos,and Ms. Pinkham didn't get into the Herb Medicine racket until her Fifties.  As such, she looks like some kind of scary Victorian Aunty with a hawkish scowl.
 
Nonetheless, Lydia E. Pinkham created herself and herself as a brand. She was a marketing machine, flooding the country with images of herself and her bottles.

Cara Giaimo, the writer of this piece, offers up this quote:

"'You ought to feel solemn... that your face pervades the mind of the
nation like a nightmare,' wrote one early hater".

Here's the piece: http://bit.ly/1rRo7U4

What struck me was of course why she didn't get into steaks, wine, Pinkham University, golf courses, casinos, and have plenty of books written for and about her.  Back in those days, she couldn't have run for President or even voted for one, but she knew how to push herself.

The amount of national annoyance that her own self-marketing created kind of rang a bell.

For whom it tolls.

More education:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lydia_Pinkham