Antique Wm. Radam’s Microbe Killer No. 2 Stoneware Jug — c. 1890s Quack Medicine
A wonderful surviving example of late-Victorian patent medicine history. This salt-glazed stoneware jug once held William Radam’s famous “Microbe Killer” elixir — a notorious quack cure that claimed to treat virtually every known disease in the 1880s and 1890s, until the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act effectively ended the trade.
The No. 2 designation indicates the higher-strength formulation, and the bold black transfer-printed lettering on this example is crisp and fully legible:
KEEP JUG TIGHTLY CORKED. WM. RADAM’S ‘MICROBE KILLER’ No. 2”
Details:
• Approximately 12” tall with cork (replacement cork)
• Cream/buff salt-glazed stoneware body
• Crisp, dark, fully legible lettering
• Includes a later replacement cork for display purposes (not original)
• No cracks, chips, or hairlines noted on the body. Scuffs to the base but no chips noted.
• Light surface crazing consistent with age — does not affect display
• Holds approximately 1 gallon
Condition: Excellent antique condition for its 130+ years. Please review all photos as they form part of the description. Any minor wear is consistent with age and use.
A striking display piece for collectors of antique apothecary, patent medicine, quackery, primitive Americana, stoneware, or farmhouse/country décor. Equally at home on a bar, mantel, hutch, or apothecary shelf.
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