Abstract
During the second half of the 19th century, Pittsburgh became one of the most important industrial and fnancial centers in America, fueled by iron, steel, coal, and natural gas and led by captains of industry like Carnegie, Frick, Westinghouse, Mellon, and Heinz. Barely remembered today, but just as well-known in his own time, was patent medicine magnate David Hostetter. Decades before H.J. Heinz’s ketchup became a sensation, Dr. Hostetter’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters was a self-care remedy known around the world. The success of this singular product, which would satisfy customers for more than 100 years, was due to the masterful marketing of Hostetter himself, whose many contributions to Pittsburgh and the surrounding region have been largely overlooked.