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Quarantine signs, another ancestor of illustrated public health posters, were usually placed outside homes to warn citizens about the presence of deadly diseases. Quarantine posters were common sights in front of homes in towns and villages across the United States until the middle of the twentieth century. This poster, from the San Francisco Board of Health in the 1910s, prominently identifies the presence of diphtheria. The use of bold headlines with large fonts reflects an urgent and alarmist message. The viewer is ordered to keep out of the house bearing the poster and warned that removal of the sign will result in prosecution.
Original Repository. History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Collection. 11611. Free Text. This image may also be accessed from the Images from the History of Medicine (IHM).. URL. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/ihm/. IHM Order Number. A021141