This was found in the Saint-Ouen flea market, near Jules-Valles. Phosphatine was apparently a soup for children, an all-around curative for growing bodies.
I've added two more that I picked up at the Jules-Valles stall. There are no dates, but the reference to Indochina as a French Colony could indicate the late 1940s, early 1950s... Could it be earlier? Don't know. Remember to left click to enlarge image.
Wow! Neat stuff. Phosphatine was a regular tool for the Commission for Relief in Belgium during World War I, the organization that launched Herbert Hoover's career. Makes sense that it would be popular in France.
ReplyDeleteI have a recipe for it -- it's a kind of halfway between a hot drink and a bowl of pudding. The important part is calcium phosphate, or lime, for building bones.
Not sure how to get calcium phosphate any more, though, except by the ton for spreading on the crops!
More info at www.herberthoover.us. (There are more. Google "relief in belgium.")
cheers!
--Finn
Thank you! Always interesting to hear the history behind ephemera of this kind. And the ads are so opaque, it was hard to figure out if it was a hot cereal or an Ovaltine-like drink.
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