Pharmacy - Flavour Kings 1876 Invitation

Colourized photo from 1876 Original title: Hance Bros. & White's exhibit--Main Building Photographer: Centennial Photographic Location: 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA Isn't that a great display? We are in the Centennial 1876 Exposition in Philadelphia. It's a place where over 14,000 people, businesses and countries showed off their wares in the most decorative way possible. Hance Brothers & White were flavour chemists. Though they did have a small range of drug related products ranging from cough medicine, bronchitis, sore throat treatments, hearing and urinary problems. I assume it was a range of drugs and not a cure all for all of them, and they probably tasted really good. In the past soda was sold in pharmacies, usually as a way to deliver medicine or just as a tonic of some kind. And this company sold the flavours for those soda's. Drinks were sometimes sold as a tonic using mineral water, or if carbonation as added, a soda. They had a many flavours such as: Raspberry, blackberry, cherry, peach, pear, grape, strawberry, plum, quince, currant and more. They sold it as a liquid, syrup and as a powder. Many flavours came from actual fruit and others were simulated artificial flavours. Those devices on the bottom were called Conical plate drug mills, and the clear glass items on the bottom left shelf were some kind of filtration device. It's unknown if they sold or used these, or just needed interesting filler.