1899 Dr. Harter Medicine Co., St. Louis, Missouri Reply Cover

19th-century business reply envelope, or “advertising cover,” from The Dr. Harter Medicine Co. based in St. Louis, Missouri. The front of the blue envelope features an illustration of a bottle of “Dr. Harter’s Wild Cherry Bitters for Medicinal Use”. It includes the company’s address at 815-817 N. 17th St., St. Louis, MO, and has an unused red United States two-cent postage stamp (279B) affixed to the top right corner. The reverse side features two distinct dark advertisement blocks showcasing “The Only True Iron Tonic,” which claims to beautify the complexion and purify the blood, alongside “Little Liver Pills,” advertised not to gripe or sicken.

The business was originally established around 1868 by Dr. Milton G. Harter, his brother Samuel, and Thomas Boyer. The founders were originally from Ohio, but they moved the patent medicine operation to St. Louis to expand. By 1873, the firm officially incorporated as The Dr. Harter Medicine Company. The firm became highly successful by manufacturing and aggressively marketing over-the-counter home remedies, almanacs, and tonics across the country.