this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2026
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Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc.

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The company also claimed that it would cure "cripples, paralytics, the corpulent, the insane, and the blind."

This appears to be a modern photo of a surviving example.

oUS5fEvMG7cOhM0.jpg

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[–] EnmebaraGuesser@piefed.ca 18 points 6 days ago

On top of being the most important health mechanism ever produced, this ad might be the most important example ever produced of why you should pick a font and stick with that one for a little while.

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Searching "saddle horse" gives nothing of context. Especially not in curing the blind.

[–] calliope@retrolemmy.com 6 points 6 days ago

I think they literally mean it simulates the motion of being on a horse one rides, but I would like to be proven wrong!

[–] iturnedintoanewt@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

How was this supposed to work??

[–] EnmebaraGuesser@piefed.ca 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The ad's byline calls it a saddle horse substitute, and looking at the mechanism, it appears the part you sit on was sprung and could move somewhat independently of the base.

So I'm guessing, you would hold onto the handles and then move the seat back and forth a bit like a modern rocking chair perhaps? Maybe it could provide a small amount of exercise in the process. Even some upper body workout if you used primarily your arms on the handles to supply the force.

How that translates to the most important health mechanism ever produced is left as an exercise for the reader.

[–] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 5 points 6 days ago

I figured the springs were under great tension, and the handles are a release mechanism that ejection seats your ass up through the celing.

[–] _NetNomad@fedia.io 4 points 6 days ago

yeah i think this would cure me

[–] Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

For some reason, I read all of these in Robert Evans' (Behind the Bastards) Old-Timey voice lol