Medicine Bottle c. 1936

John Dana made this pencil and watercolor drawing of a medicine bottle sometime in the twentieth century, although the exact date is unknown. At first glance, it seems to simply depict a common household object, but it invites us to consider a moment of profound change in the social perception of health and medicine. By the twentieth century, the proliferation of mass-produced medicine bottles reflected the standardization of remedies and the shift from local apothecaries to large pharmaceutical companies. Dana’s artistic rendering elevates this everyday object, but does he critique the increasing dominance of corporate medicine? Or, is he celebrating the increased access to healthcare? To understand it better, we might research the artist’s biography, the history of pharmaceutical advertising, and the changing landscape of healthcare during that time. The meaning of this drawing lies not just in its aesthetic qualities, but in its relationship to the changing social context of medicine.