Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1860

Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor: Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth

J. Wright & Co. · c. 1860

A patent-medicine advertisement using the Molly Pitcher legend, falsely showing her husband killed at the battle.

This advertisement uses the legend of Mary Ludwig Hays, inaccurately depicting her husband's death at Monmouth.

Ask Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Color-tinted lithographic theatre poster titled Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor. A woman in a long dress and necklace stands at a cannon, holding a swab, while a soldier lies dead in the foreground beside an overturned barrel. A second soldier with a bandaged head peers from behind the gun. Smoke and troops fill the background. Text reads Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth, Avenging her Husband's Death, J. Wright & Co., New York & New Orleans.
J. Wright & Co., Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor: Molly Pitcher, the Heroine of Monmouth, c. 1860. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This color-tinted lithographic poster was made around 1860 by J. Wright & Co. as an advertisement for Dalley's Magical Pain Extractor, a patent medicine. It shows a woman at a cannon with a dead soldier nearby, labeled as her husband.

Why it matters

The advertisement borrows the Molly Pitcher legend—linked to Mary Ludwig Hays—to sell a product, but it gets the facts wrong by showing her husband as killed in battle. This shows how popular legends can be twisted and commercialized long after the real events.

Look closer

  • Why would a medicine company use a war heroine's story to sell its product?
  • What parts of this image do you think are historically inaccurate, based on what you know of the real story?
  • How does advertising change the way we remember historical figures?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) sources

Meet the AI Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) →
Black-and-white lithograph titled 'The Heroine of Monmouth' by Currier & Ives. A woman in a long skirt stands at a cannon, holding a long sponge staff. A soldier lies motionless on the ground in front of the cannon. A second gunner leans on the cannon, and an American flag flies behind.Painting

Secondary source

The Heroine on Monmouth. Molly Pitcher

Currier & Ives

Black-and-white engraving of a woman in a long dark skirt and fitted bodice, carrying a long rod or ramrod, standing beside a large cannon. Soldiers in tricorn hats are at the gun, one lying injured in the foreground, and a horse and rider are at left.Painting

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth (Armytage engraving)

J. C. Armytage, after Alonzo Chappel · c. 1859

Bronze statue of a woman in a long skirt and bodice holding a rammer or staff across her body, mounted on a stone monument in a cemetery. A tall American flag flies to the left, a brass cannon sits at the base, and red brick buildings and a grassy lawn with gravestones surround it under a partly cloudy sky.Sculpture

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Grave Monument, Carlisle

1876

Hand-colored lithograph titled 'The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth.' A woman in a blue bodice and red skirt holds a long sponge staff beside a gold cannon on a wheeled carriage. A man in a blue shirt with a bandaged head stands behind the cannon. A fallen soldier in blue lies in the foreground beside an overturned bucket. Smoke and troops fill the background. Two lines of verse appear below.Painting

Secondary source

The Women of '76: Molly Pitcher the Heroine of Monmouth

Popular Graphic Arts

Black and white engraving titled 'Molly Pitcher'. A woman in a long skirt and bodice, with a flower in her hair, holds a long rammer or swab at a cannon. Several soldiers in tricorn hats with plumes stand near the cannon, one on horseback at left, and a fallen soldier lies on the ground in front.Painting

Secondary source

Molly Pitcher Loading Cannon at the Battle of Monmouth

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions