Antique 1898 Magazine Ad MELLIN’S FOOD Baby Milk Doliber-Goodale Co Boston MA For Sale

Original Antique 1898 magazine ad for Mellin’s Food, featuring a portrait of Erva Hartwell of Anacostia, D.C. This authentic Victorian-era advertisement promotes Mellin’s Food as an early milk additive and infant formula substitute. Beautifully designed with ornate borders and crisp text, this piece is perfect for framing, collecting, or display.

This ad comes from an original 1898 publication and reflects the late-19th-century evolution of infant nutrition marketing. A nostalgic piece that connects collectors to the history of early childcare products.

Size: Approx. 7 x 2.5 inches
Condition: Clean and well-preserved for age with light, expected toning.
All text from the ad is included below:

A Mellin’s Food Baby
Erva Hartwell. Anacostia, D.C.

MELLIN’S FOOD
Our little girl was raised upon Mellin’s Food and is certainly a prima facie testimonial of its merits. Mrs. Berta Hartwell.

Mellin’s Food, prepared with milk as directed, is a practical and satisfactory substitute for mother’s milk. Babies fed on Mellin’s Food grow to be strong, happy, rugged children.
Send us a postal for a free sample of Mellin’s Food.
DOLIBER-GOODALE CO., BOSTON, MASS.

AI-assisted description; may contain unintentional errors. Please message with any questions.

• Mellin’s Food was one of the earliest widely marketed baby formulas in America, sold as a scientifically produced supplement to milk.

• During the 1880s–1890s, Mellin’s was advertised heavily in women’s magazines and medical journals.

• Many Mellin’s ads featured real babies submitted by parents, such as Erva Hartwell in this ad.

• The product became popular due to Victorian trends toward “modern” science-driven nutrition for infants.

• Victorian baby ads like this one are highly collected for their striking portrait artwork.

The Doliber-Goodale Company of Boston manufactured Mellin’s Food from the late 1860s through the early 20th century. As medical science advanced and modern infant formulas were introduced, Mellin’s Food gradually declined in popularity. By the mid-1900s, the product and brand had disappeared from the market.

Mellin’s Food originated from the work of Justus von Liebig, a prominent German chemist whose early research influenced infant formula development. Mellin’s was one of the first commercially successful American adaptations of his formula concepts.