About 1890, 38-year-old Maude Mayberg claimed she had found an elixir that she called Fruitcura which had transformed her from sickness to health after doctors had given up on helping her. Calling herself Madame Yale, she soon started marketing Fruitcura in newspapers and at personal appearances across the country. Her message also emphasized beauty in addition to wellness, as she claimed she had transformed herself from a "sallow, fat, exhausted woman" into one of the rare beauties of the period. In keeping with her emphasis on beauty, she introduced other skin care products such as "Blood Tonic," "Complexion Bleach," and "Blush of Youth." A forerunner to modern-day beauty gurus like Gwyneth Paltrow, Madame Yale preached her "Religion of Beauty" through a series of "Beauty Talks" all across the land. At a time when cosmetics were considered a "questionable moral choice" for women, Madame Yale claimed her products would "transfer women from the inside out" rather than just cover up imperfections with makeup.
In late 1894, Madame Yale was scheduled for an appearance at the Tootle Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri, on December 1. In the lead-up to the event, it was promoted in local newspapers. The St. Joseph Herald proclaimed that Madame Yale would "tell women all about health and beauty. She herself is her own best advertisement. At 41 years of age, she is as beautiful as it is possible for a woman to be." Her "beautiful rounded neck...is as white as the down on a swan's breast. Her hair is golden, and there is a gleam of sunshine in the hazel of her eyes." The Herald made it clear that the lecture was for women only, as men were not to be admitted.
The day after the lecture, the Herald was even more effusive in its praise of Madame Yale, emphasizing, however, that her extraordinary beauty had not come naturally to her. Her beauty and charm had, instead, been largely obtained through years of treatment and hard study. "The question of beautifying the female has been made a life study by her and that she has been most successful can be readily seen by a glance at her features and figure, which have all the plumpness and freshness of a miss 18 years of age" even though Madame Yale was 42. The newspaper also praised Madame Yale for her "admirable stage presence." She was "graceful in all her movements" and was "a ready and pleasing speaker." From the drop of the curtain, Madame Yale had the undivided attention of the audience, said the Herald. She was thoroughly informed and never paused or stumbled in her delivery. During her lecture, Madame Yale claimed, among other things, that the aging process held no terror for her and that she expected to retain her current beauty even if she lived to be 75. In addition to hawking her beauty products, she also emphasized exercise and diet. Madame Yale demonstrated some of her recommended exercises and was a gem of "delicate grace."
Madame Yale continued to be well known into the early 1900s and made a fortune from her beauty products, estimated at about $500,000 or 15 million in today's dollars. Her career finally fell off after the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906 and two years later the government sued Madame Yale for "misbranding of drug preparations." One critic observed that her "marvelous preparations" had been shown to be "marvelous humbugs." Madame Yale gradually faded into obscurity, although her products continued to sell on a smaller scale for another twenty years or so.
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