The sexy, aqua and tall Hierapicra Bitters

16 May 2014

The country around Sonora is largely whitewashed with a strange medley of medicinal recipes – all no doubt very good in their sway, but it cannot be said that the landscape is beautified by their repeated appearance. Our old friend “Bitters”, which had been with us ever since we first set foot in the New World, figured here in great prominence and in much variety. Some of the more frequent, yet withal useful announcements that we noticed, were the following:

“TRY FIG BITTERS;” “FIG BITTERS FOR INDIGESTION;” “WE TAKE WAHOO BITTERS;” “IF YOU HAVE AGUE AND FIND NO ENJOYMENT TRY HIERAPICRA BITTERS;” “TO PREVENT FEVER AND AGUE TRY HIERAPICRA BITTERS;” “USE MARSHALL’S COOKING EXTRACTS;” “TRY MARSHALLS HORSE LINIMENT;” “MARSHALLS HORSE LINIMENT GOOD FOR MAN AND BEAST.” And so on usque ad nauseam

There is a limit to everything, even to these hideous white paint advertisements. But on the road to the Yosemite Valley this limit is over-stepped, for one passes certain conspicuous white (and yellow) paint notices that are really not fir to meet the eye of the man or woman who has the least regard for any decency or propriety.

passage from Through America by Walter Gore Marshall in 1882

I like the passage above. Reminds me of all the reported Drakes Plantation Bitters signs that were painted on rocks, signs, fences and barns. Norman Heckler Auctions has a really nice example of a Hierapicra Bitters in their present Auction 110 which is now online. The photographs are quite nice, particularly the window example (pictured above). Also ex Gardner and MacKenzie collections which makes it even nicer.

Hierapicra means “Sacred Bitter” which is warming cathartic medicine, made of aloes and canella bark. Apparently, the bitters were sold out of Angels Camp, California. The embossed “Rs” have the curved leg indicative of San Francisco glasshouses of the time.

The Heckler write-up is as follows:

Lot: 14 “Hierapicra Bitters / Extract Of Figs / California / Botanical Society” Bitters Bottle, America, 1860-1880. Rectangular with beveled corners, medium blue aquamarine, applied sloping collared mouth – smooth base embossed “FIG”, ht. 9 5/8 inches. R/H #H-116 Listed as very rare. Fine condition. Ex Charles B. Gardner collection, ex Judge MacKenzie collection.

Hierapicra Bitters Extract of Figs California Botanical Society California – Heckler Auction 110

This is a pretty neat bottle that the western collectors like. Looks like Rick Simi picked one up at the FOHBC 2012 Reno Expo (see picture below).

From left to right: Hierapicra Bitters Extract of Figs California Botanical Society California (with curved R’s) Dr. Warrens Botanic Cough Balsam S.F. Cal Hall’s Sarsaparilla Shepardson & Gates Proprietors S.F.

The Robinson & Lord Figural Barrel – Baltimore

A figural barrel by broom makers?

17 May 2014

Seeing the Robinson & Lord figural barrel from Baltimore was a real surprise in the current Heckler Auction 110. I wasn’t aware of this piece from my home town and certainly was intrigued by the “Robinson & Lord” embossing, the “88 & 90 Lombard Street” address and curious if this was indeed a whiskey or bitters, or both. The Heckler write-up is below. The bottle pictures are from their auction.

Lot: 36 “Robinson & Lord / 88 & 90 / Lombard St. / Baltimore” Figural Whiskey Bottle, America, 1845-1860. Barrel form, medium yellowish amber, applied square collared mouth – iron pontil mark, ht. 10 inches; (light exterior wear, light interior haze, 3/8 inch by 5/8 inch mouth chip, two 1/8 inch chips from mouth). An extremely rare pontiled whiskey barrel. Estimate: $1,000 – $2,000

Robinson & Lord figural barrel, Baltimore – Heckler Auction 110

Robinson & Lord figural barrel, Baltimore – Heckler Auction 110

What is really curious about this figural barrel bottle is that it was made by George W. Robinson and Charles W. Lord who partnered in business as Robinson & Lord (or Robinson, Lord & Co.) from about 1851 to 1863 at 88 and 90 Lombard Street in Baltimore City. And guess what? They specialized in selling brooms, chairs, brushes, wood ware, cordage, matches, house keeping articles and fancy goods. I guess this barrel was considered one of their “Fancy Goods”. In 1864, Robinson would drop out of the picture and Charles would continue running things at the Lombard address. He would change the company name to Lord & Robinson, putting his name first and retaining the Robinson name. Never could find an advertisement for the product. The low resolution bottle picture to the left is from the Baltimore Antique Bottle Club web site. They call it a whiskey. Bet it was a bitters!

Read about another great Baltimore barrel - Barrel Series – Smith’s Druid Bitters

Select Listings

1814: John Robinson, chair maker - The Baltimore Directory and Register for 1814 and 1815.

1842: Tucker & Robinson, chair manufacturers - 1842 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1849-50: G. W. Robinson & Co., dealers in brooms, brushes, wood & c. - 1849 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1849-50: Murdoch & Robinson, brooms and wooden ware dealers, s.w. corner Lombard and Calvert (Charles Murdoch) (G. W. Robinson sucessor to J. Robinson & Son, chair manufacturers) - 1849 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1851: Robinson, Lord & Co., C. W. Lord and G. W. Robinson (see ad below) - 1851 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

Robinson, Lord & Co. advertisement – 1851 Matchettes Baltimore City Directory

1855: Robinson, Lord & Co., Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in Wooden Ware, Cordage & c., 88 & 90 Lombard street (see ad below) - 1855 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1860: Robinson & Lord, wholesale dealers in brooms, cordage, and woodware, 88 & 90 W. Lombard (George W. Robinson and Charles W. Lord) - 1860 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1864: Charles W. Lord, (see two ads below) Successor to Robinson & Lord, wholesale dealer in brooms, cordage, and woodenware, and importer of fancy goods, 88 and 90 w Lombard - 1864 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

Charles W. Lord, Successor to Robinson & Lord, wholesale dealer in brooms, cordage, and woodenware, and importer of fancy goods, 88 and 90 w Lombard – 1864 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

Charles W. Lord, Successor to Robinson & Lord, wholesale dealer in brooms, cordage, and woodenware, and importer of fancy goods, 88 and 90 w Lombard – 1864 Matchetts Baltimore City Directory

1876: The Fires of Sunday and Monday (see below). Two upper floors destroyed by fire at Lord & Robinson – The Baltimore Underwriter, April 13, 1876

The Fires of Sunday and Monday (see below) – The Baltimore Underwriter, April 13, 1876

1880: Lord & Robinson, Wooden and Willow Ware, 88 & 90 w Lombard – 1880 Wood’s Baltimore City Directory

Ezekial Porter Eastman and his Yellow Dock Bitters

It came as no surprise - to his sisters – that Ezekiel also decided to bottle a medicine made of yellow dock root. He arranged to have the bitters manufactured by Joseph P. Hill, a barber in Lynn.

An Old and Bitter Story Teller

17 May 2014

Wow, here is another fantastic bitters in the current Heckler Auction 110 that is online now. I’ve heard about this baby and here she is. How exciting. The Yellow Dock Bitters is a very early, pontiled, aqua medicine put out by Dr. Ezekial Porter Eastman in Lynn, Massachusetts. He patented the concoction in 1852. The Heckler write-up is as follows. All pictures are from the auction.

Lot: 49 “Dr. E. P. Eastman’s / Yellow Dock / Bitters / Lynn Mass.” Bitters Bottle, America, 1845-1860. Rectangular with beveled corners, aquamarine, applied sloping collared mouth – iron pontil mark, ht. 7 3/4 inches; (professionally cleaned to original lustre). R/H #E-14 Extremely rare. Whittled and crude.

Dr. E. P. Eastman’s / Yellow Dock / Bitters / Lynn Mass. – Heckler Auction 110

Dr. E. P. Eastman’s / Yellow Dock / Bitters / Lynn Mass. – Heckler Auction 110

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

E 14 DR. E. P. EASTMAN’S YELLOW DOCK BITTERS

f // DR. E. P. EASTMAN’S // YELLOW DOCK / BITTERS // LYNN MASS. //
L… Dr. Eastman’s Celebrated Yellow Dock Bitters
E. P. Eastman, M.D., Manufactured by J. B. Hill, Lynn, Mass.
7 3/4 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/8 (5 1/8) 7/8
Recangular, Aqua, LTC, Applied mouth, Metallic pontil mark, Extremely rare
Label: Prepared from Yellow Dock, thoroughwort & c. Made purely from vegetables. Patented in 1852.

Many times I must start from scratch to find out the story behind the bottles I enjoy so much. In this case, I was really pleased to find a wonderful article by Andrew V. Rapoza from Bottles and Extras in 2006. Well done Andrew. Click article to read.

Read: An Old and Bitter Story Teller

The California Herb Bitters from Pittsburgh

18 May 2014

Here is an extremely rare, bitters square with a phenomenal form and name. When I say rare, I mean like “only known example”. The California Herb Bitters is from Pittsburgh and has G. W. Frazier embossed on one panel. In a way, it reminds me of the California Bitters that was manufactured by J. G. Frisch in San Francisco. Also an only known example though there is a partial, reconstructed example that also exists. Such great bottles.

The California Herb Bitters is a “Fancy Square” and will be linked back to that series on Peachridge. The California Herb Bitters is pictured in Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham’s Bitters Bottles Supplement and is ex John Feldmann. A little bird told me that the bottle came from a private collection in California and then went into another California collection prior to being sent to Glass Works Auctions in 2000. At that point the bottle went to the great John Feldmann collection in New York. Most recently the bottle was auctioned again by Glass Works Auctions and the bottle now sits in Houston. The Glass Works write-up is as follows:

“G.W. FRAZIER – CALIFORNIA / HERB BITTERS – PITTSBURGH, PA.”, (C-20), Pennsylvania, ca. 1865 – 1875, yellowish amber semi-cabin, 9 3/8”h, smooth base, applied mouth, about perfect (two tiny open surface bubbles). We auctioned this bottle in the year 2000. At that time it was considered to be unique, we believe it still is today.

California Herb Bitters – Meyer Collection (Bitters Bottles Supplement photograph)

California Herb Bitters – Meyer Collection (Glass Works Auctions photograph)

The Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement is as follows:

C 20 CALIFORNIA HERB BITTERS

CALIFORNIA HERB / BITTERS // PITTSBURGH PA // sp // G. W. FRAZIER //
9 1/4 x 3 x 2 5/8 (7)
Amber, Rectangular and rounded inset corners, LTC, Applied mouth, 4 sp
Extremely rare

This is one bear of a bottle to figure out. The first clue I work with is from the book Pittsburg and Allegheny in the Centennial Year 1876. A listing reads, “California Herb Bitters is another distinctive proprietary medicine prepared by J. J. Speck & Co. This compound was established in 1868 by Dierker & Speck, and at present the firm uses 35,000 bottles putting up the preparation and some three tons of certain California herbs.” Wow, 35,000 bottles and only one surviving example?

OK, so they say that the California Herb Bitters got its start in 1868 by the wholesale liquor dealers, Dierker & Speck in Pittsburgh. That’s great, but how did G. W. Frazier get his name on the bottle? There is an important G. W. Frazier in Pittsburgh with Frazier Brothers who were in to timber and building towns. I doubt it was this guy.

The next clue comes by looking at regional advertising, which I only find in 1871, and seeing things like, “Millions Bear Testimony to their Wonderful Curative Effects, Dr. Frazier’s California Herb Bitters”. Now we may have a doctor that Dierker and Speck used to give their concoction some marketing punch. Something or another leads me to Cleveland, Ohio where I do find a George W. Frazier who was in to patent medicines. I suspect this is the guy. Cleveland it not too far from Pittsburgh. I just can not make a definitive connection. Maybe, Dierker and Speck meet up with Frazier in 1867 or so, and they work out a deal to buy the brand and sell the concoction from Frazier. They retain Frazier’s name and go on and sell it up until 1876 or so. Maybe for one year the bottle is embossed “Frazier”, say 1871, and thereafter, Jacob J. Speck drops the Frazier name and sells a labeled only, California Herb Bitters. Frazier still has the ‘itch’ so he makes up a Fraziers Root Bitters. There were quite a few advertisements for this bitters between 1874 and 1882. Jury’s still out on this one.

Some Potentially Important Listings

1852: Dierker, Henry, (probably John Henry Dierker) barkeeper, Cherry ay - Woodward & Rowlands’ Pittsburgh Directory

1856: The first regular drug store in the county was established by C. T. Frazer (not Frazier) in April, 1856, at the corner of Main and Franklin streets. Prior to that time drugs were kept in connection with such commodities as books, stationery and groceries. In those days the physicians kept their own drugs, and for some time after Colonel Frazer began the prescription trade was limited. It is also true that when he started the exclusive drug store on the corner of Main and Franklin streets it was out of the business district, the center of trade being on Clinton. He tried to get a room there, but it was out of the question, and he was forced to go to the other corner at an annual rental of $125. It is now the business center of a district of 100,000 people. – History of Cambria County, 1907

1857-58: Dierker, J.H. & Bro., (John Henry Dierker) liquor dealers, 498 Penn - Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity

1861: George H. Dierker, wholesale liquor merchant, 496 Penn - Pittsburgh City Directory

1862: George H. Dierker, liquor merchant, E. H. Dierker, salesman, 496 Penn - Pittsburgh City Directory

1862: Jacob J. Speck, bar keeper, corner Smithfield and Virgin ay - Pittsburgh City Directory

1863: G. H. Dierker & Bro., (George H. Dierker, prother probably John H. Dierker), liquor dealers, 496 Penn, E. H. Dierker, clerk, 526 Penn - Pittsburgh City Directory

1864-65: Dierker, Aberhard, of G. H. Dierker & Bro. 471 Penn, Dierker, G. H. & Bro., grocers & liquor dealers, 496 Penn, Dierker, Henry of G. H. Dierker & Bro., 496 Penn - Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities

1865: John H. Dierker, liquor store, 488 Penn - Pittsburgh City Directory

1867: Dierker & Speck, Liquors, 63 Smithfield - Pittsburgh Almanac & Business Directory

1867-69: Dierker & Speck, wholesale liquor merchants (J. H. Dierker and Jacob J. Speck), 63 Smithfield - Pittsburgh City Directory

1870: Speck & Morrow, wholesale liquors, 63 Smithfield - Pittsburgh City Directory

1871: Dr. Frazier’s California Herb Bitters advertisement (see below) - The Cambria Freeman (Ebensburg, PA), August 10, 1871

Dr. Frazier’s California Herb Bitters advertisement - The Cambria Freeman (Ebensburg, PA), August 10, 1871

1871: Dr. Frazier’s California Herb Bitters advertisement (see below) – The Wheeling (VA) Daily Intelligencer, July 29, 1871, 591 St. Class

Dr. Frazier’s California Herb Bitters advertisement - The Cambria Freeman (Ebensburg, PA), August 10, 1871

1871: George H. Dierker, saloon, 4 Main A - Pittsburgh City Directory

1874: A Sure Cure For Consumption notice (see below), George W. Frazier, 201 Ontario street, Cleveland, Ohio - Donaldsonville Chief, (Louisiana), May 30, 1874

A Sure Cure For Consumption notice, George W. Frazier, 201 Ontario street, Cleveland, Ohio – Donaldsonville Chief, (Louisiana), May 30, 1874

1874: Frazier’s Root Bitters advertisement (see below), George W. Frazier, St. Clair street, Cleveland, Ohio - Omaha Daily Bee, October 19, 1874

Frazier’s Root Bitters advertisement. Is this related? – Omaha Daily Bee, October 19, 1874

1875-76: Dierker & Thompson, Wines & Liquors, 21 Diamond - Pittsburgh & Allegheny business directory

1876: California Herb Bitters is another distinctive proprietary medicine prepared by J. J. Speck & Co. This compound was established in 1868 by Dierker & Speck, and at present the firm use 35,000 bottles putting up the preparation and some three tons of certain California herbs. ** J. J. Speck & Co., also manufacture, as a specialty, domestic cordials, in which they use 300 barrels of sugar, 11,000 bottles and produce blackberry, cherry and raspberry brandies. - Pittsburg and Allegheny in the Centennial Year, George H. Thurston, 1876

1875-76: George W. Frazier, patent medicines, 318 Erie – Cleveland, Ohio City Directory

1876: J. J. Speck & Co., Wholesale Liquor dealers, 145 Water Street, estab’d 1866 by Dierker & Speck - Pittsburgh and Allegheny in the Centennial Year by George H. Thurston, 1876

1877-78: Dierker, John H., liquors, 97 Roberts, Dierker, Wm. H., law student, 97 Roberts, Dierker, G. H., 4 Main, A. - Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities

1882: Dr. Frazier’s Root Bitters advertisement (testimonial from Cleveland) – Evening Bulletin (Maysville, Kentucky), May 15, 1882.

Dr. Frazier’s Root Bitters advertisement (testimonial from Cleveland) – Evening Bulletin (Maysville, Kentucky), May 15, 1882.

FOHBC 2015 Chattanooga National Logo Design

19 May 2014

“Choo-Choo to Chattanooga” will be our catch phrase for the FOHBC 2015 National Antique Bottle Show in Chattanooga, Tennessee hosted locally by veteran show chairs, Jack Hewitt and John Joiner. Yes, it is the Southern Regions turn to host a National so I thought I would give y’all a sneak preview of the ‘Choo-Choo” logo and what is behind it. I realize we could have looked at Civil War battles and Lookout Mountain but we will reserve that for our bottle competition, which has been tentatively called, “The Battle of Chattanooga”.

Info on 2014 National Antique Bottle Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

Chattanooga Choo-Choo: The Song and Story

“Chattanooga Choo Choo” is a 1941 song by Harry Warren (music) and Mack Gordon (words). It was originally recorded as a big-band swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie “Sun Valley Serenade”. The song was written by the team of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren while traveling on the Southern Railway’s Birmingham Special train. The song tells the story of traveling from New York City to Chattanooga. The inspiration for the song, however, was a small, wood-burning steam locomotive of the 2-6-0 type which belonged to the Cincinnati Southern Railway, which is now part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system. That train is now a museum artifact. From 1880, most trains bound for America’s South passed through the southeastern Tennessee city of Chattanooga, often on to the super-hub of Atlanta. The Chattanooga Choo Choo did not refer to any particular train, though some have incorrectly asserted that it referred to Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway’s Dixie Flyer or the Southern Railway’s Crescent Limited. [Wikipedia]

Terminal Station and the Famous Sign

Terminal Station in Chattanooga, is a former railroad station, once owned and operated by the Southern Railway, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The station opened in 1909 and was the latest and largest station in Chattanooga’s history. The original Chattanooga Union Station, built in 1858, (demolished in 1973) was outgrown by the rapid expansion in the railroad network serving Chattanooga. A second station, built in 1882, was outgrown in only six years. In 1888, an old freight depot was converted to a passenger facility, while three other depots handled commercial and industrial traffic.

The Beaux-Arts-style station designed by Donn Barber was one of the grandest buildings in Chattanooga, featuring an arched main entrance that is claimed to be the largest unsupported brick arch in the world. The building also has an 82-foot high ceiling dome with a skylight in the center section. Lighting was provided by large brass chandeliers. The 1941 Glenn Miller song “Chattanooga Choo Choo” told the story of a train trip from Track 29 at Pennsylvania Station in New York City through Baltimore, North and South Carolina, and terminating at Terminal Station. Atop the station is a grand old sign that lights up and is animated. Our show logo pays homage to this sign and the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

Initial Logo Design – Broken Glass?

The first logo design above simply replaced the logs in the tender with bottles. It was a quick study. Elizabeth said it looked like a bunch of broken bottles. She was right. I next used an industrial typestyle for the word “CHATTANOOGA” and changed a few colors. I wanted to stay red or magenta for the locomotive and tender to keep it playful and catchy. I wanted it to look like neon, and lightbulbs. Also wanted to stay away from Thomas the Train “blue”. To replace all of the hundreds of bottles in the tender, I created line art for a ladies leg, barrel, scroll flask, cabin, soda, and square bottle form. I simply placed the bottles in the tender in an upright fashion.

Some Southern Bottles

I have also started collecting some pictures of some great “Southern bottles” for art support. If you have some candidates, please email to me.

In honor of and in preparation for the upcoming FOHBC 2014 National Antique Bottle Show in Lexington, Kentucky, I thought it would be nice to look at the Top 25 Kentucky’s Rarest Bottles. I will try to add pictures if I have actual examples, file pictures or if I can obtain pictures. Please help if you have images of any of these great bottles. We can only hope that some of these examples will make an appearance in the regional display exhibit at the Lexington National Show. Info

Kentucky’s Top 25 Rarest Bottles

Compiled by Paul Van Vactor, Sheldon Baugh and Steve Keith

20 May 2014

Compiling top 25 lists is a favorite with sports fans, but there’s no rule against doing the same for a state’s antique bottles. So we got together and the following lists are what we came up with. Not all of them are bottles. Enjoy.

TOP 25 of Kentucky’s Rarest Bottles:

See list for Top 25 Rarest Kentucky Bitters

1. Large olive green lady’s leg, measuring approximately 12 by 3.5 inches and embossed Universe Bitters / Manufactured by / Aug. Horstmann / Sole Agent / F.J. Schaefer / 231 Market St. / Louisville, Ky.

2. Amber historical flask (GII-27), 2.5 quart size. Embossed on front is a large American eagle, head turned left, wings spread, embossed arrows in feet. On the reverse: FARLEY & TAYLOR / RICHMOND, KY. Corrugated sides, plain lip and pontil. (see below)

3. Cobalt blue pig-shaped bottle, DUFFY’S CRESCENT SALOON / LOUISVILLE, KY. Embossed rooster. Probably has a Jefferson Street address. Read: Figural Pig Series | Duffy Crescent Saloon Figural Pig Bottle (see below)

4. Large (one gallon) pottery pig bottle incised JOHN BERLING / COLUMBUS, KY. POTTERY. Here’s what the owner had to say: “The Columbus pig is very reminiscent of an Anna (Pottery) pig with the Mississippi River, railroads and the streets of Columbus, Ky. On one side is BACK STREET (backs up to the river) and JOHN BERLING / COLUMBUS, KY. POTTERY with an incising of his house and kiln.”

5. Cobalt blue ale or mineral water bottle shape embossed METCALFE BREWERY / LOUISVILLE, KY. Probably about a quart and with an iron pontil.

6. Aqua target ball embossed LOUISVILLE, KY. GLASS WORKS.

7. Olive amber whiskey barrel-shaped quart bottle embossed BLAKE & HALL’S / OLD BOURBON / WHISKEY / GREENUP, KY. Smooth base. (see below)

8. Aqua round bottle similar to a pickle with a smooth base and embossed SHAKER PRESERVES. (see below)

9. Green “John Bull Sarsaparilla-shaped bottle embossed GENUINE PHOENIX SARSAPARILLA / LOUISVILLE, KY. Pontiled.

10. Amber whiskey tall and about a 5th in size, six-sided with an iron pontil and embossed KEENE & CO. / FRANKFORT, KY. Bottle is full of seed bubbles.

11. Open pontiled medicine, probably a small rectangular bottle embossed AMERICAN OIL / BURKESVILLE, KY. Color is lighter than cobalt and darker than cornflower blue. (see below)

12. Amber bitters-shaped barrel bottle with a smooth base. Embossed J.A. CLARK / 219 THIRD ST. / LOUISVILLE, KY. (see below)

13. Amber triangular-shaped bitters bottle with embossed ribs on the sides. Embossed PASQUIER’S / FRENCH BITTERS / LOUISVILLE, KY.

14. Olive green whiskey-shaped barrel bottle with smooth base. Embossed NELSON’S / OLD BOURBON / MAYSVILLE, KY. Another rare color is honey amber. Read: Barrel Series – I. Nelson’s Old Bourbon (see below)

15. Amber octagonal lady’s leg bitters bottle embossed RIVAUD’S / COCKTAIL / BITTERS / LOUISVILLE, KY. A related bottle is very rare and is an amber square bitters embossed RIVAUD’S IMPERIAL BITTERS / VICTOR RIVAUD / LOUISVILLE, KY.

16. Aqua smooth base (just missing pontil era) embossed DR. BRUCE’S / INDIAN VEGETABLE / PANACEA / NEW CASTLE, KY. It’s similar in shape to a large John Bull Sarsaparilla-shaped bottle. (see below)

17. Deep emerald green bottle with iron pontil (slightly taller than most mineral waters) embossed T.E. JENKINS / PAROQUET / WATER / LOUISVILLE, KY. It has a tapered top with ring. Only one known in this color; one is known in teal.

18. Aqua umbrella ink with open pontil embossed WALKER’S / LOUISVILLE, KY.

19. Deep emerald green blob top soda embossed CRYSTAL PALACE / LUPE & EVANS / LOUISVILLE, KY. Base is smooth and bottle is loaded with tiny seed bubbles. (see below)

20. Green rectangular bitters bottle with smooth base, measuring approximately 9.5 x 3-3/8 x 2-3/8 inches and embossed O’MARRAS / FENIAN BITTERS / LOUISVILLE, KY. / J.B. WILDER & CO.

21. Half-pint deep green historical flask (GI-33) embossed LOUISVILLE, L KY. / GLASS WORKS on one side. The other side embossed with an American eagle with talons, five embossed stars.

22. Yellow to citron open pontil rectangular medicine embossed S & S / MAYSVILLE, KY.

23. Olive-green mineral water bottle with open pontil, embossed ARTESIAN WATER / LOUISVILLE, KY. On reverse is DuPONT lettered vertically. There is a series of 1-1/2-inch panels which are rounded off and embossed all around the side at base. Another example exists in olive amber. (see below)

24. Tall black glass bottle with seal embossed T. RUCKER / LOUISVILLE. Seal is placed on top just below shoulder. Probably one of the oldest known Kentucky bottles, it was dug in Louisville during the early 1900s.

25. Very large aqua bottle (John Bull Sarsaparilla-shaped) with iron pontil. Embossed J.T. RICKERSON’S / HOARHOPUND / & / SARSAPARILLA / CYNTHIANA, KY. All four sides are embossed. (see below)

Credits:

1. Carlyn Ring Collection – Glass Works Auctions Sale 2. Kentucky Online Arts Resource Blog 3. Glass Works Auctions. 6. Glass Works Auctions 7. Anonymous Collection 11. Anonymous Collection 12. Anonymous Collection 13. Anonymous Collection 14. Jerry Forbes Collection 16. Medicine Bottle Nexus 19. Glass Works Auctions 23. Glass Works Auctions 25. Anonymous Collection

Another Dewey’s Manila Bitters Pitcher

24 May 2014 (R•060114)

I received an email from a gentleman who was asking questions about a Dewey’s Manila Bitters pitcher (see above). The piece is from the private collection of Judy Milner, wife of Martin Milner and apparently the person is the administrator of their “downsizing” sale. A week from Sunday they will be conducting a series of eBay auctions, that will primarily feature some of Martin Milner’s memorabilia. As a hong teen, I remember Mr. Milner from Adam-12, the TV series.

Martin Sam Milner (born December 28, 1931) is a retired American film, stage, radio, and television actor. Milner is best known for his performances in two popular television series: Route 66, which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and Adam-12, which aired on NBC from 1968 to 1975. [Wikipedia]

I immediately recognized the piece as authentic as I had seen an example (see above) at the 2012 Houston Antique Bottle Show at Dan Cowman’s table. He had a healthy price on it so I shied away. He had obtained the piece years earlier from Houston bottle greats, Tom and Alicia Booth.

Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham list the piece in Bitters Bottles as a “Pitcher” reading, “Dewey’s Manila Bitters” saying that it is white china with a metal top. Maybe they had seen the Milner example? There is also a listing for a labeled, Dewey’s Manila Bitters (D63L) that is rectangular and clear. The label has a picture of Admiral Dewey and his battleship. I bet that is a neat bottle. Probably a bit late as 1899 or so as the Battle of Manila Bay took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish-American War.

Jeff Wichmann adds in correspondence, “It would appeal to a lot of different collectors. It’s really one of those neat items that would look good almost anywhere in your house or office. Admiral Dewey is a well-known name and you’d think the buyers would go way beyond just bottle collectors. It’s a wide margin but I could see a lot of interest. Plus the most important thing of all, you can drink beer out of it!”

George Dewey (December 26, 1837 - January 16, 1917) was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. The Battle of Manila Bay took place on 1 May 1898, during the Spanish-American War. The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey engaged and destroyed the Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo. The battle took place in Manila Bay in the Philippines, and was the first major engagement of the Spanish-American War. The battle was one of the most decisive naval battles in history and marked the end of the Spanish colonial period in Philippine history. He is also the only person in the history of the United States to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy, the most senior rank in the United States Navy. [Wikipedia]

Additional Pictures of the Milner Example

The great William Allen’s Congress Bitters

Charlie Gardner’s tag is still on the base with his code, which indicates that he paid $9.00 for this bottle.

26 May 2014

I have been looking for a reason for some time now to unveil a post on the great William Allen’s Congress Bitters. I now have one as John Pastor has a great labeled example (pictured above) in his current American Gallery Gallery Auction #12 that ends this Wednesday night, my birthday by the way. Hmmmm. John’s catalog write-up is as follows:

“WILLIAM ALLEN’S – CONGRESS BITTERS” (with original labels), America, 1865 – 1875. Emerald green, rectangular semi-cabin, applied sloping collared mouth – smooth base, ht. 10 1/8″, mint. R/H #A29. 95% complete front label, 85-90% complete rear label. “WILLIAM ALLEN / MANUFACTURER & PROPRIETOR, / FORT EDWARD, N.Y.” (on label). Beautiful color, extremely rare with original labels. Provenance: Ex. William Osgood, Ex. Charles B. Gardner collections. Interesting note; Charlie Gardner’s tag is still on the base with his code, which indicates that he paid $9.00 for this bottle.

In the 20th Century, Charles B. Gardner made an amethyst, 7 3/4 inch, William Allen’s Congress Bitters (A 30) with a tooled lip as a later commemorative piece

The listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement is below. Note that the bottles come in emerald green and aqua, which surprisingly is scarce, and amber and puce which is rare. Charles B. Gardner even made an amethyst, 7 3/4 inch, William Allen’s Congress Bitters (A 30) with a tooled lip as a later commemorative piece (see above). A dozen of these bottles were produced for Gardner who owned the mold. They were all in amethyst. There is no indication that this size was ever previously produced as Mr. Gardner bought the mold in perfect, unused condition. It is interesting that the example in the subject auction was once a Gardner piece.

A 29 WILLIAM ALLEN’S CONGRESS BITTERS

sp // WILLIAM ALLEN’S // sp // CONGRESS BITTERS //
L… *1865 William Allen, Allen’s Congress Bitters, Superior Tonic, William Allen, Fort Edward, N.Y.
10 x 3 3/4 x 2 (6 1/2) 3/8
Rectangular, LTC & LTCR, Applied mouth, 4 sp, Aqua and Emerald green - Scarce,
Amber and Puce – Rare

*Note that the American Glass Gallery label may be different from the label noted above in Bitters Bottles.

William Allen

William Allen was in business in Fort Edwards, New York. His great grandson remembers the use of walnut bark in a liquid preparation to treat rheumatism according to Ring & Ham. It is difficult to find information on the brands namesake.

Wells, Richardson & Company

Wells, Richardson & Co., Nos 125 – 133 College Street, Burlington, Vermont illustration

On the reverse label, you will see that Wells, Richardson & Co. is listed as Wholesale Agents located on Leavenworth Block on College Street in Burlington, Vermont (see illustration above). They occupied a four-story brick High Victorian Italianate building, one of several, within the Wells-Richardson Complex Historic District, which is bordered by Main Street on the south, College Street on the north, Pine Street on the west, and St. Paul Street on the east. In 1883, the Wells-Richardson Building was built at 127 College Street as the main laboratory and offices of this drug and medicine manufacturing firm.

Wells Richardson & Co. revenue stamp and card proof of the same – rdhinstl.com

In 1872 the Wells Richardson Company succeeded Henry & Company (see below) where William W. Wells was a partner.

William Wirt Henry was born on November 21, 1831, in Waterbury, Vermont, the eldest child of James Madison Henry (1809-1863) and Matilda Gale Henry (1811-1888). William Wirt Henry was married on August 5, 1857, to Mary Jane Beebe daughter of Lyman and Mary (Sherman) Beebe of Waterbury, Vermont. They had five children, Bertram (1858-1859); Mary (Mollie) Matilda (b. 1860), Ferdinand Sherman (1862-1884), who died while a student at the University of Vermont; Katherine (Katie) Beebe (1865-1897), who married the Reverend William Henry Hopkins and whose only child died in 1906; and Carrie Eliza (b. 1869). Mary Jane (Beebe) Henry died November 18, 1871. On December 3, 1872, William married Valeria (Lillie) Heaton, daughter of Timothy J. and Susan P. (White) Heaton of Waterbury.

William Wirt Henry was educated in the schools of Waterbury and spent one term at People’s Academy in Morrisville. William taught school for one winter (1849-50) in Wolcott, Vermont, and then caught “gold fever” and moved to California to seek his fortune. He returned to Vermont in 1857 and joined his father’s druggist business, J. M. Henry & Sons. In 1861 he sold his interest in the business and enlisted as a first lieutenant in Co. D of the Second Vermont Volunteers. He resigned November 5, 1861, and then reenlisted as a major in the Tenth Vermont Infantry. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in November 1862 and to colonel in June 1864. He resigned December 17, 1864, and was made brevet brigadier general on March 7, 1865. He was wounded in the battles of Cold Harbor and Cedar Creek.

After he returned from war, William rejoined the family business, then known as John F. Henry & Co., manufacturer of patent medicines. William served in the Vermont Senate from Washington County in 1865-1868, and from Chittenden County in 1888-1889. He was mayor of Burlington from 1887 to 1889. He served for seven years as U.S Marshall for the District of Vermont and was a U.S. Immigration Inspector. From 1897 until 1907 he was the American Consul in Quebec.

In 1872, William W. Henry and a group of friends traveled to the Laurentian Mountain region of Quebec, Canada, on a fishing trip. The trip was so successful, the group returned annually, eventually setting up a permanent camp and finally incorporating as the St. Bernard Fish and Game Club in 1899. Henry was considered the founding father of the organization and remained an honorary member of the club until his death in 1915. William W. Henry died August 31, 1915, at the age of 83. He is buried at Lake View Cemetery in Burlington, Vermont. [Vermont Historical Society]

Later, Edward Wells, A. E. Richardson, and W. J. Van Patten would join William Wells as members of the firm. Later, Henry Wells and F. H. Wells, Edward’s brothers, joined the firm. Today the Wells-Richardson Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is occupied by Bennington Potters and other renters.

Wells, Richardson & Co. advertisement – Burlington City Directory and Business Advertiser, 1881-83

Wells, Richardson & Company were Wholesale Druggists and Manufacturing Pharmacists who patented, manufactured and distributed analyne dyes under the name of Diamond Dyes, as well as butter dye, baby food and proprietary medicines such as Williams Allen’s Congress Bitters and the famous Paine’s Celery Compound.

Wells Richardson & Company Lactated Food trade card

William W. Wells

William W. Wells, Jr. (1837 – 1892) was a businessman, politician, and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War who received a Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. Wells was born in Waterbury, Vermont, the third of ten children (nine boys) of William and Eliza Wells. He began his education in the common schools of his native town, and mastered the higher branches in Barre Academy and Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire. While in Barre at the age of 17, he used an odometer in surveying for a county map of Caledonia County, a task which occupied him for two months. From the age of nineteen until the spring of 1861, he was his father’s assistant in his extensive business.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, William Wells and three of his brothers joined the Union army. Wells enlisted as a private soldier on September 9, 1861, and assisted in raising Company C of the 1st Vermont Cavalry. He was sworn into Federal service October 3, 1861, and was soon promoted first lieutenant and then captain in November of that year. He was in the thickest of the fight at Orange Court House, Virginia, August 2, 1862, and was promoted to major on October 30, 1862. Wells commanded the Second Battalion, 1st Vermont Cavalry, in the repulse of Stuart’s Cavalry at the Battle of Hanover during the Gettysburg Campaign. In the famous and desperate cavalry charge on Big Round Top on the third day at Gettysburg (July 3, 1863), he commanded the leading battalion, rode by the side of General Farnsworth, the brigade commander, and, almost by a miracle, came out unharmed, while his commander fell in the midst of the enemy’s infantry. A few days later, in the savage cavalry melee at the Battle of Boonsboro in Maryland, Wells was wounded by a sabre cut. At Culpeper Court House, Virginia, September 13, 1863, he charged the enemy’s artillery with his regiment and captured a gun, and was again wounded, by a shell. Congress later awarded Wells a Medal of Honor “for distinguished gallantry at the battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863.”

Upon his return from war, Wells became a partner in the firm of Henry and Company, wholesale druggists in Waterbury, Vermont. In 1868, the company moved to Burlington, where it became Wells, Richardson, and Company in 1872, and where Wells made his home.

Paine’s Celery Compound advertisement, Wells, Richardson & Co.

An active businessman, Wells achieved such influential positions as President of the Burlington Trust Co., President of the Burlington Board of Trade, and directorships of the Burlington Cold Storage Co., and the Rutland Railroad Co., and the Champlain Transport Co. He represented Waterbury in the legislature of 1865-66, being chairman of the military committee and an influential legislator. In 1866 he was elected adjutant general of Vermont, and held the office until 1872. He was succeeded by James Stevens Peck and accepted appointment as collector of customs for the district of Vermont, a position which he filled with efficiency and credit for thirteen years. At the end of that time, he resumed his active connection with the business house known the world over as the Wells Richardson Company, manufacturer of Paine’s Celery Compound. General Wells was married with two children - Frank Richardson and Bertha Richardson Wells (who later married Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson). [Wikipedia]

G A L L E R Y

William Allen’s Congress Bitters in a deep yellowish tobacco amber – Meyer Collection

William Allen’s Congress Bitters in a blue green – Meyer Collection

William Allen’s Congress Bitters in puce – Warne Collection

William Allen’s Congress Bitters in medium amber - Glass Works Auctions

William Allen’s Congress Bitters in emerald Green - Glass Works Auctions

Dorothy L. Martin’s, Bitters for Female Weakness, The Gravel, The Whites and For All Kidney Affections

26 May 2014

What an super series of photographs for Dorothy L. Martin’s, Bitters for Female Weakness etc. in the present American Glass Gallery Auction 12. Nice little package here with a label, two proprietary stamps and a great product name. I love it. Not much on Mrs. Martin other than she may have been born about 1826 and died on April 5, 1884 in Oxford, New Jersey. She would have been married to Phillip J. Martin (1823 - 19134). The brand reminds me of Dr. Dromgoole’s English Female Bitters & Yellow Fever.

John Pastor’s write-up:

“MRS. D. L. MARTIN’S / FAMILY MEDICINES / PAT. OCT. 25. 81″ (with complete, original label and proprietary revenue stamps), Whitall-Tatum Co., Millville, NJ, 1882 – 1890. Aquamarine, oval, tooled square collared mouth - “W T.& Co” (on smooth base), ht. 6 5/8″; (bottle is perfect, label has some stains). Label reads in part, “BITTERS, / FOR FEMALE WEAKNESS”…”DOROTHY L. MARTIN, / OXFORD, / WARREN COUNTY, / NEW JERSEY”. A very rare bottle, believed to be unique with label. A very unusual, historical bitters (medicine) bottle. It is interesting to note that there are very few early medicines or bitters intended for female disorders, and even fewer, that were put out by females proprietors.

Embossed side on a Dorothy L. Martin’s Bitters for Female Weakness – American Glass Gallery

Two one cent proprietary revenue stamps on a Dorothy L. Martin’s Bitters for Female Weakness – American Glass Gallery

Detail, wo one cent proprietary revenue stamps on a Dorothy L. Martin’s Bitters for Female Weakness – American Glass Gallery

1c Proprietary general issues revenue stamp plate proof (Scott Catalogue USA: RB111c) In October 1875, the Bureau of Internal Revenue awarded the printing contract for revenue stamps, previously held by Joseph R. Carpenter, to the National Bank Note Company. National Banknote prepared a new series of proprietary stamps, commonly referred to as the “second proprietary issue,” in 1-cent, 2-cent, 3-cent, 4-cent, 5-cent, and 6-cent denominations. Imposed to finance the Civil War, the proprietary taxes applied to items such as matches, proprietary medicines, and perfumes. – Arago

Dorothy L. Martin Medical Compound Patent 248, 594 dated October 25, 1881 – United States Patent Office

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

DOROTHY L. MARTIN, OF OXFORD TOWNSHIP, WARREN COUNTY, N. J.

MEDICAL COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,594, dated October 25, 1881.

Application filed August 4, 1881. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOROTHY L. MARTIN, citizen of the United States, residing at Oxford township, in the county of Warren and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful composition of matter to be used for the treatment of the chills and fever, the gravel, the kidney disease, the whites, and weakness of the womb, of which the following is a specification.

My composition consists of the following ingredients, combined in the proportions stated: bitter-root, one-half ounce; dogwood-blossom, one-half ounce; cayenne-pepper, one-quarter ounce; one pint the best rye whisky. These ingredients are to be thoroughly mingled by agitation.

In using the above-named composition the patient takes one table-spoonful before each meal if a person over ten years of age, and if under ten years of age one tea-spoonful before each meal If, however, the chill is coming on, the patient should take, if over ten years of age, two table-spoonsful immediately; if under ten years of age, two tea-spoonfuls immediately. If the chill is off then the patient does not take any until the fever has left him.

Of the remaining diseases specified above the patient takes one tablespoonful three times a day before meals.

In the ease of chills and fever this composition, if taken according to the above directions, will effect a permanent cure in one week’s time, and the patient in the other diseases above specified will be relieved in two days, and permanently cured in one month.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is -

The herein-described composition of matter, consisting of bitter-root, dogwood-blossom, cayenne-pepper, and rye whisky, in the proportions specified.

DOROTHY L. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

NICHOLAS HARRIS

JOSEPH M. RODEBURY, JR.

The only Martin’s Bermuda Bitters

27 May 2014

Oh, if I could only just see this bottle, let alone have it sit proudly in my collection. To my knowledge, the Martin’s Bermuda Bitters, is a one-of-a-kind, only example, residing in the legendary collection of Dick Watson (FOHBC Historian) in Medford, New Jersey. I was reminded of this bitters during the Martin’s Female Bitters post yesterday.

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

M 42 MARTIN’S BERMUDA BITTERS

MARTIN’S / BERMUDA / BITTERS / ESTABLISHED ( au ) / 1866 // motif logs // label panel // motif of logs // s // motif face of a sea captain /// motif of shingles // motif of shingles // motif of shingles //
10 1/4 x 2 3/4 (6)
Square log cabin, Amber, LTC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Unusual log arrangement
Martin was a British Admiral who participated in the Capture of Bermuda.

What an extraordinary bottle. I can only imagine. As a history buff, I am totally clueless as to what the statement, “Martin was a British Admiral who participated in the Capture of Bermuda.” means in the Bitters Bottles book? I mean, it can’t be a great battle or I would have heard of it or it would have been commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp or elsewhere. We don’t have a holiday for it and I can’t think of any movies or songs. Was it akin to our major (tongue in cheek) “Operation Urgent Fury” when the United Stated invaded Grenada (population 19,000) in 1883?

Like I do many times to help my cluttered and sometimes cloudy mind is to google or go to Wikipedia. Of course there is nothing on the “Martin’s Bermuda Bitters” brand including pictures, advertising etc. Next I try “Capturing of Burmuda” and get the USS Bermuda.

USS Bermuda (1861) was a large steamer captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a cargo and general transport ship in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways, primarily in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. However, despite being a valuable cargo ship, she proved very adept at capturing blockade runners as her record proves.

Ok, what about searching “British Admiral” and “Bermuda”. Has to be something here right? Already it seems odd that an American, Civil War era bottle would be commemorating a British General. I do find Admiral George Martin (Royal Navy officer).

Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Martin (1764 – 28 July 1847) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During his long naval career he took part in several significant battles, for which he was awarded a number of honours and promotions; he commanded ships at Cape St Vincent and Cape Finisterre.

Nothing in Admiral Martin’s biography mentions Bermuda so maybe it is another British Admiral? There were a couple. There was an Admiral Sir George Somers who colonized Bermuda for Britain. Then the bottle would be named “Somer’s Bermuda Bitters”. Nope, not that.

Could it possibly be Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin?

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin GCB (25 July 1773 – 25 October 1854) was a highly influential British Royal Navy officer who served at sea during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and then as a naval administrator until his death in 1854. Martin also sat in Parliament for 14 years and was an outspoken critic of government attempts to reduce the Navy budget which ultimately saw him dismissed in 1831 by his old friend King William IV.

During his many years of service, Martin was credited with reforming and modernising the Royal Navy and, for over fifty years after his death, having theretofore been its most effective administrator. Despite his entrenched conservative views, Martin was open to new technologies and worked closely with administrators, shipbuilders and serving officers to convert the fleet from the huge battlefleets of the Napoleonic era to and effective force for colonial and commercial expeditions and defence. He died in 1854 during the Crimean War, still working as a staff officer at Portsmouth.

Maybe Ring and Ham meant to say French Admiral and we should be looking at Admiral Pierre Martin who was a French Navy officer and admiral?

Admiral Pierre Martin (Louisbourg, on 29 January 1752 - Rochefort, 1 November 1820) who was a French Navy officer and admiral. Martin served on the Magnifique as a pilot, and took part in the Battle of Ushant, the Battle of Grenada, the Battle of Martinique, where he was wounded, and the Siege of Savannah. In 1781, he served aboard the Cérès, in Vaudreuil’s squadron. In 1782, he became an officier bleu, being fast-tracked for a career as a reserve Navy officer. After the Treaty of Paris, Martin stayed with the royal navy and served on a variety of ships in the Caraibs. In 1785, he received command of the corvelle Rossignol, and of the Cousine, based in Senegal, between 1786 and 1791. In 1788, reforms of the Navy initiated by Marshal Castries allowed him to be promoted to sub-lieutenant.

I don’t know. I’m still just as confused. Maybe it was just a barkeep in Philadelphia named Barney or Homer Martin who put out this bitters? My hunch is that more information will show up and that one of you may be able to straighten me out. Better yet, maybe I will get an example of the Martin’s Bermuda Bitters for my collection.

Bottle picture and illustration courtesy of Bitters Bottles.

Front: “LAFAYETTE” / BUST OF LAFAYETTE / “COVETRY / C-T” – STARS AND LIBERTY CAP / “S&S” Historical Flask – American Glass Gallery Auction 12

The Bust of Lafayette – Coventry Glass Works Mold

Mold Section Found in the River in Mansfield, Connecticut

28 May 2014

John Pastors, American Glass Gallery Auction #12 ends this evening and I sit here watching a few items of special interest. One is the extremely rare, aqua, GI-85a Bust of Lafayette historical flask. John’s pictures and auction lot description are reposted within. What caught my attention was his comment, “one half of the original 2-piece mold for this flask is on display at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. The mold section was found in the river in Mansfield, CT.”

“LAFAYETTE” / BUST OF LAFAYETTE / “COVETRY / C-T” – STARS AND LIBERTY CAP / “S&S” Historical Flask, Coventry Glass Works, 1825 – 1830. Aqua, sheared mouth – pontil, Pt; (professionally cleaned to original luster and near mint, but retains a little light oxidation, or fine graininess, between the ribs and a little on the reverse). GI-85a. Extremely rare, one of only three known in aquamarine (and with one of the other two examples having damage). Variant with two rivet impressions in the shoulder.

This is the same example that sold at auction, Nov. 2005, for $8,400 (including buyer premium). It is the only undamaged example to be offered at public auction, and as noted, displays near mint. However, it was professionally cleaned some time ago and if the buyer desired, it could possibly be improved just a bit with today’s perfected cleaning methods. Regardless, a great example and a great rarity!

Note; one half of the original 2-piece mold for this flask is on display at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. The mold section was found in the river in Mansfield, CT. (See CMOG video below)

Listen as curator Jane Shadel Spillman describes Flask with Mold produced by Stebbins and Stebbins. The manufacture and decoration of hand-blown tableware was a slow and costly process. Glassmakers soon sought ways to speed production and to decorate their wares more inexpensively. One way to do this was to blow the glass into a mold, which shaped the glass and decorated the surface in one operation.

The earliest examples of this molded glass imitated cut glass. A housewife’s book, published in 1815, suggested “those who wish for Trifle dishes, butter stands, at a lower charge than cut glass may buy them in moulds, of which there is a great variety that looks extremely well if not placed near the more beautiful article.”

The mold-blown flask shown here is decorated with a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette, a French soldier and statesman who served in the American Revolutionary Army. Half of the brass mold in which this flask was made is also illustrated.

Gift of Gladys W. Richards and Paul C. Richards.

Reverse: “LAFAYETTE” / BUST OF LAFAYETTE / “COVETRY / C-T” – STARS AND LIBERTY CAP / “S&S” Historical Flask – American Glass Gallery Auction 12

Base: “LAFAYETTE” / BUST OF LAFAYETTE / “COVETRY / C-T” – STARS AND LIBERTY CAP / “S&S” Historical Flask – American Glass Gallery Auction 12

The best Lady’s Leg in the Galaxy – Universe Bitters

31 May 2014

It was nice seeing the lady’s leg figural, Universe Bitters, from Louisville, Kentucky, at the top of the Top 25 Kentucky’s Rarest Bitter Bottles list. The bottle also placed first on the Top 25 Rarest Kentucky Bottles list. These lists were recently posted in preparation of the FOHBC 2014 National Antique Bottle Show in Lexington, Kentucky. The dark green example, pictured at the top of this post, could be the only intact example. It certainly is the only one that I have seen. The Carlyn Ring and W. C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

U 12 UNIVERSE BITTERS

UNIVERSE BITTERS ( au ) / MANUFACTURED BY / AUG. HORSTMANN / SOLE AGENT / F. J. SCHAEFER. / 231 MARKET ST / LOUISVILLE KY // c //
12 x 3 1/2 (5)
Round lady’s leg. Green, ARM, Applied mouth, Extremely rare

Top bottle picture from Bitters Bottles Supplement. Drawing from Bitters Bottles*. Courtesy Bill Ham.

Universe Bitters (left) and an E. Longs indian queen in the 1995 Carlyn Ring Collection Sale

This exact bottle was part of the Carlyn Ring Collection: First Offering of 143 Bottles – Part 1 sale in February 1995 (see above). From there it went to the great John Feldmann bitters collection in New York. Since then, after the dispersement of the Feldmann bitters collection in 2012 (see picture below), the bottle has joined the famous bitters collection of Bill Taylor in Oregon. Bill specializes in the lady’s leg form figural bitters.

Universe Bitters (left) – John Feldmann Collection

Johann Bernhard August Horstmann was a liquor dealer who was born in 1835 in Schweiburg, Oldenburg, Germany. His parents were Heinrich Horstmann and Anna Margarethe Friederike Graper. At 22 years old, Horstmann arrived in New York on June 12, 1857 aboard a steamer ship named Arago ready to start a new life. He did not know that the country he so adored so much would be divided so soon.

August (pictured above), at the age of 26, enrolled with the Union Army, 45th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (5th German Rifles), on August 29, 1861. He mustered in as a private in Company C on September 9, 1861. He was promoted to corporal on February 3, 1862 and transferred to Company G and promoted to sergeant, June 15, 1862. Next he mustered in as second lieutenant, February 6, 1863, then as first lieutenant and adjutant on May 3, 1863 and eventually as captain of Company H on August 27, 1864. He was discharged on consolidation on June 30, 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee.

August lived and married Amelia Gies on December 10, 1866 in Louisville, Kentucky. They had five children: August, Jr., Ida, Fredrick, Albert, William and George Horstmann. August Horstmann by trade, was a liquor dealer selling copper whiskies, wines and liquors in Louisville, Kentucky from 1871 to 1880 or so. He ran August Horstmann & Co. from 1872 to 1876 with Fredrick Weiss as his partner. They were located at 43 4th street, near main.

Eventually August and his wife and six children moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he continued his trade as a liquor dealer. He died relatively young at 57 years old in St. Louis on June 18, 1892.

Select August Horstmann Timeline Events

1835: Johann Bernhard August Horstmann was born on March 17, 1835 in Hessen, Germany.

1861-1865: Civil War: August Horstmann enlisted in 1861 in New York. He mustered out on June 30, 1865 as Captain at Nashville, Tennessee.

1866: August Horstmann marries Amelia Gies on December 10, 1866 in Louisville, Kentucky

1871: August Horstmann, Wholesale liquors and commerce, whiskies, wines and liquors, 27 4th. between Main and river - Louisville City Directory

1872 – 1876: August Horstmann & Co. (August Horstmann and Frederick Weiss), copper whiskies, wines and liquors, 43 4th, nr main – Louisville City Directory

1877: August Horstmann, copper whiskies, wines and liquors, barley and malt dealer, 45 4th, nr main - Louisville City Directory

1880: August Horstmann, Malsters, Distillers, and Brewers Agents, 105 Main nr 4th - Louisville City Directory

1887: August Horstmann, Wines, 420 to 426 Market - St. Louis City Directory

1890: August Horstmann, liquor - St. Louis City Directory

1892: August Horstmann died in St. Louis, Missouri on June 18, 1892.

The extremely rare Shurtleff’s Bitters from Bennington, Vermont

31 May 2014

I always like opening my well worn Bitters Bottles books by Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham. Even though I’ve looked at the two books a million times, I always find something new and interesting. Today it was the lady’s leg figural Shurtleff’s Bitters and reference to a letter from John Shurtleff’s granddaughter dated August 26, 1971, which is reposted below.

John Taylor Shurtleff was an apothecary in Bennington, Vermont. He attended the University of Michigan School of Medicine for two years. Also he attended a small medical college in Woodstock, Vermont. He apprenticed for a chemist in New York City. While in New York he heard of a drug store for sale in Bennington. He bought the store about the time of the Civil War. He made all of his own medicines including cough medicines, headache powders, etc. After his death in 1904, the new owner of the store destroyed all of the medicines and prescriptions, which were worth a great deal of money.

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

S 104 SHURTLEFF’S BITTERS

SHURTLEFF”S / BITTERS // c //
12 7/16 x 3 5/16 (5 5/8)
Round lady’s leg, Amber, LTCR, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Example dug in Iowa in 1997.

Top picture and bottle sketch from Bitters Bottles* courtesy of Bill Ham

“SHURTLEFF’S / BITTERS” – (identical embossing on shoulder), (S-104), American, ca. 1865 – 1875, yellowish amber ladies leg, 12 1/2”h, smooth base, applied mouth. A 7” long crack travels across the base and up into the bottle. Extremely rare, probably less than five known examples! Ex. Carlyn Ring Collection. – Glass Works Auctions

Further research shows that John Taylor Shurtleff was born in Williamsport (Tioga), New York on 31 December 1834 and was the son of Jonas B. Shurtleff and Elizabeth Mower. He was the grandson of Benoni Shurtleff who had a plantation near Trenton, New Jersey and furnished cattle for the Revolutionary army camp near Philadelphia. General Washington was godfather to the planter’s son. His grandfather, Benoni, also served in both land and naval battles of the Revolution.

Shurtleff received his early education in the public schools of Bridgewater and Phillipsbury, Pennsylvania, and afterward pursued a course of studies in the Waterville Institute in the state of Maine, and in St. Mary’s Academy, P.Q. In 1851, Shurtleff came to Woodstock, Vermont where he entered the Vermont Medical College until 1855. He subsequently found employment as a prescription clerk in the store of Hageman, Clark & Company in New York City, and later took medical courses in the Ann Arbor Medical College.

For two years Shurtleff was employed in drug stores at Ottumwa, Iowa, and Springfield, Illinois, and in 1859 he established himself in the drug business in Bennington, Vermont where he built up one of the largest trades in this line and patented several valuable remedies of his own. It was here and then that he put out Shurtleff’s Bitters.

Shurtleff filled many minor public positions and in 1886 was sent as a representative from Bennington to the Legislature, serving on the general committee and was a director of the Bennington County National Bank since first organized. He was also a trustee and treasurer of the Bennington County Savings Bank, and a member of the Bennington Monument Association, which organization he served as director and one of the finance committees. Shurtleff was also actively associated with the Masonic fraternity, for twelve years and presided over Mount Anthony Lodge, No. 13, for many successive terms and filled the positions of High Priest of Temple Chapter, No. 8, and past Grand King of the Grand Chapter of Vermont. He was also past commander of Taft Commandery, No. 8, and for many years acted as senior warden and treasurer of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church of Bennington.

On June 26, 1862, John Taylor Shurtleff was united in marriage to Maria Elizabeth Mower, daughter of Samuel and Julia Mower, of Woodstock. She departed this life in September, 1881, leaving two surviving children: George Henry, and Mary Elizabeth. John Taylor Shurtleff died on 11 April 1904 in Bennington, Vermont. Another great bitters bottle with a story.

The two Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters Variants

01 June 2014

In picking up the figural bitters lady’s leg series again with the fabulous Universe Bitters and Shurtleff’s Bitters posts, I thought it would be neat to follow up with Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters and look at two of the most exciting variants of the same brand that you will ever see. First of all, let’s look at the Carlyn Ring and W. C. Ham listings in Bitters Bottles and Bitters Bottles Supplement:

J 56.5 JULIEN’S IMPERIAL AROMATIC BITTERS

JULIEN’S IMPERIAL / AROMATIC BITTERS / N. Y. // c //
13 x 3 1/2 (5 1/2)
Round lady’s leg, Olive yellow, ARM, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Identical to J 57 except there is a very faint ghost of removed embossing where the WEAR, UPHAM & OSTROM embossing was removed from the mold.
Example was found in Connecticut.

J 57 JULIEN’S IMPERIAL AROMATIC BITTERS

WEAR. UPHAM & OSTROM / JULIEN’S IMPERIAL / AROMATIC BITTERS / N. Y. // c //
12 1/2 x 3 1/2 (5 1/2)
Round lady’s leg, Amber, ARM, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Dug in Connecticut.

Top picture and bottle sketch from both Bitters Bottles* books courtesy of Bill Ham. Below examples from Jeff Burkardt.

J 57 JULIEN’S IMPERIAL AROMATIC BITTERS, WEAR. UPHAM & OSTROM – Jeff Burkhardt

This is a tough safe to crack as there are few clues and little information on “Julien” or “Ware, Upham & Ostrom” in New York which is embossed on one or both of the bottles. I could not find any advertising, trade cards or stories to build a post. As noted in Ring & Ham, variant #1, J 56.5 read’s “Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters” with a faint ghosting where “Ware, Upham & Ostrom” once was. Variant #2, J 57, reads, “Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters” with “Ware, Upham & Ostrom”. You can see both examples in the picture at the top of the post. Only a few examples reside in collections. I have seen three firsthand myself but do not have an example gracing my shelves.

It is interesting to note that both variant listings in Ring & Ham mention that a bottle was found in Connecticut and one was dug in Connecticut. With “N. Y.” embossed on the bottle, this makes sense. A search of Connecticut and select New England cities reveal no hits for “Julien” or “Wear, Upham & Ostrom”, as these are rather unique names as “Wear” is usually spelled “Ware”.

I finally find “Wear, Upham and Ostrom” right where they are supposed to be in New York City in 1869 and 1870. They are listed as selling “essences” of all things.

1869-70: Wear, Upham & Ostrom, (Eugene L. Wear, Edward M. Upham, Edward Ostrom) essences, 344 G’wich – New York City Directory

Going on a hunch, I search the name “Julien” for the same years. “Julien” is also spelled different as most versions are “Julian” with an “a”. Another hit with Alexis A. Julien who was a very young chemist at the time. Actually, he was quite famous.

1870: Alexis A. Julien, chemist, E. 49th n Fifth av. - New York City Directory

Alexis Anastay Julien (13 February 1840 - 7 May 1919) was an American geologist who taught at Columbia University’s School of Mines for many years. Julien was born in New York City. He graduated from Union College in 1859, but continued as a student in the chemical laboratory a year longer. In 1860 he went to the guano island of Sombrero as resident chemist, and continued there until 1864, also making studies of its geology and natural history, especially of its birds and land shells. He sent his collections to the Smithsonian Institution, for which he also made meteorological observations, this island being the most southerly under its direction. In 1862 he made a geological survey of the islets around St. Bartholomew for the Swedish government, receiving in recognition of his services a gold medal from the king of Sweden.

Soon after the establishment of the Columbia School of Mines he became the assistant in charge of the quantitative laboratory, and in 1885 he was appointed instructor in charge of the department of microscopy and biology in the same institution. He was connected with the Michigan Geological Survey in 1872, making a special study of the crystalline rocks and ores of the Marquette district, and his lithological reports appear in the published volumes of the survey. In 1875 he began the study of the petrography of North Carolina for the North Carolina Geological Survey, and served for three successive summers in the field. He visited the islands of Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba in the West Indies (1881–1882), and investigated the guano deposits and geology of these islands. The degree of Ph.D. was conferred on him in 1881 by the New York University.

He was a member of scientific societies, and was vice president of the New York Academy of Sciences in 1884. Julien was one of the founders of the New York Microscopical Society in 1880, and in 1883 was one of the originators of the Society of Naturalists of the Eastern United States. He retired from the Columbia School of Mines in 1907.

Julien died at South Harwich, Massachusetts, in 1919 [Wikipedia]

I realize it is a stretch to tie Eugene L. Wear, Edward M. Upham, Edward Ostrom and Alexis A. Julien together. It is possible that these fellows could have gone to school together, met in chemistry class while making essences and said, “let’s make a buck” so they created Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters while using some of Julien’s bat guano as the main essence. This doesn’t explain the two variants, and I certainly don’t commit to a relationship here but one thing we do know for sure; these are two extremely rare bitters that were made somewhere between 1868 and 1871 in New York City. Something on my wish list.

The missing link Universal Bitters by Nicholas Kieffer

07 June 2014 (R•060814)

I have been monitoring some e-mails this past week or so between Frank Wicker and a person who had contacted him regarding a possible unlisted bitters. This person was seeking information on the bottle. Frank forwarded the pictures to me and I immediately recognized the bottle as a missing link related to Nicholas Kieffer in New Orleans. The initial email,

“Hello, my name is Steve and I dug a bottle here in my hometown of New Orleans 30 years ago and have been trying to find information on it ever since. Here is a description of the bottle. Gilka shaped. One side panel is embossed UNIVERSAL BITTERS. On another side panel is embossed N.- K. PATENT. The 2 front and back panels have no embossing on them at all. It is a BIMAL. I’ve attached 4 pictures of it for viewing. Hard to tell in the pics, but it is amber in color. I appreciate any information on it or any links to information you can share with me as to finding more out about it. Thank you most graciously” Steven T. Bauer

The “NK-PATENT” embossing leads us to a Nicholas Kieffer (parents Nicholas Kieffer and Elizabeth Fual) who was born in 1796 in Alsace, France. Nicholas eventually came to the United States and settled in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kieffer may have served as a Private 2nd Company in the 4th Regiment French Brigade, Louisiana Militia and was reported in business in 1866 as a manufacturer of wholesale liquors. That same year, on 18 September 1866, he received a patent for his “prize winning” Malakoff Bitters (or could it have been for the Universal Bitters?). Read: What about this New Orleans Malakoff Bitters?

The three bottle pictures used in the post courtesy Steve.

The new Ring & Ham catalog listing for the next Bitters Bottles Supplement will be U 11.2 according to author, Bill Ham.

U 11.2 UNIVERSAL BITTERS

// f // UNIVERSAL BITTERS // f // NK–PATENT //
10 ½ x 3 ¾ x 2 3/8 (7)3/4
Rectangular, amber, LTCR, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
N. Kieffer, New Orleans City Directory, 1868
References also to San Antonio, Texas
Found in New Orleans

In the mid to late 1870s, the brand was represented by Alphonse Walz of New Orleans and A. E. Neuberg of Chicago, which I find odd. It also looks like Kieffer moved to Texas and was manufacturing and marketing his bitters out of San Antonio, where he had family, in the 1880s. (see advertisement and patent below).

UniversalBitters_The_San_Antonio_Light_Sat__Jun_3__1882_

Universal Bitters and Malakoff Bitters by N. Kiefer (Kieffer) advertisement – The San Antonio Light, Saturday, June 3, 1882

1861 Photograph shows southeast corner of Main Plaza with French Building (left), on Dwyer Avenue, and U.S. Post Office (right). Sign for H. Mayer and Company, Grocers, on French Building. – The University of Texas San Antonio Digital Collection

Photograph shows an ox-drawn wagon train in front of the Hugo and Schmeltzer Wholesale Grocery Store at the corner of Commerce and Navarro Streets. Staffel and Vogel building in background. Circa 1870- 1875 – The University of Texas San Antonio Digital Collection

There were some major wholesalers and grocers in San Antonio at that time including Hugo & Schmeltzer, A. B. Frank & Co., H. Genet, George Dullnig, Sam C. Bennett, and others. Goods came in by the car loads, and were exported out by long wagon trains, and by rail according to one historical passage. The man who was making and selling the patented Universal Bitters in San Antonio was Honore Grenet. He probably was selling Universal Bitters from the Alamo as you will see!

Honore Grenet

Among the pioneers of our modern trade we must not forget the genial and enterprising gentleman whose name heads this article. Mr. Grenet is a native of La Belle, France, but is a thorough believer in the glorious future of San Antonio. Not only has he managed a very extensive business, which includes groceries, dry goods, hats, boots and shoes, crockery, beer, liquors and country produce, but he has always been prominent in all public enterprises in this city and is one whose name is always sought when any new enterprise is projected. His private enterprise is well known to every visitor of the Alamo, which he uses as a storehouse to relieve the claims for space made by his immense stock in his mammoth business, which adjoins the shrine of Texas. Of all our business men, none stand higher than Honore Grenet. – History of San Antonio Commerce

French merchant Honore Grenet purchased some of the Alamo property in June 1877 and used the chapel as a warehouse. – DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Jacob Weber & Co., Manufacturers of The Universal Bitters, San Antonio – The San Antonio Light, March 18, 1884

As noted in the above advertisement, Frank Krisch took over the brand after the death of Honore Grenet. He was a partner with Jacob Weber & Company and eventually went out on his own. Frank Frisch was a character who, with his brother Amand, ran a saloon under the business name Krisch & Brother at 203 N. Flores and the corner of Houston street. Other business concerns included Krisch & Heitgen (John A. Heitgen) where the two operated a bakery. He also was involved with a meat market that was run by his son, Frank Jr.

Nickola Kieffer, San Antonio, Texas. December 9, 1884 Patent 308,900 – Bitters

Select Timeline Events

1866: Kieffer & Co., and Nicholas Kieffer Special IRS Tax Assessment. Keiffer also patents his Makakoff Bitters.

1867: Kieffer, N. (Nicholas), wines and liquors, Poydras, b Rampart and Basin - New Orleans City Directory

1868: Kieffer N. & Co., (F. Hollander), liquor dealers, 255 Poydras - New Orleans City Directory

1870: Kieffer N. mnfr. of Patent Malakof Bitters, importer and dealer of Wines, Liquors, Ale and Lager Beer, 11 Rampart, 1st dist. res. same - New Orleans City Directory

1871: Kieffer & Hollander, (N. Kieffer and F. Hollander), mnfrs. Malakoff bitters, Western lager beer, ale and porter, 196 Canal, and 11 Rampart, 1st dist., - New Orleans City Directory

1872: Kieffer N. mnfr. of Malakoff Bitters, 72 Chartres, r. 11 Rampart, 1st dist., - New Orleans City Directory

1874 - 1876: A E NEUBERG & CO., Chicago, IL. (1874-1876) “Sole agents in the US for Malakoff bitters” (1876). Business continues as Ferdinand Neuberger. Business name timeline: A. E. Neuberg & Co.

1873 – 1875 F. Krisch, saloon, Bexar County, Texas - 1873 San Antonio Directory

1884: Nickola Kieffer, San Antonio, Texas. December 9, 1884 Patent 308,900 – Bitters (see patent above)

1877: In 1877, a Frenchman, Honore Grenet, bought the Convento building (the long annex of the original mission compound) and courtyard from the Catholic Church and built a two-story museum and grocery store complex with three wooden towers housing false wooden cannons.

1885 -1891: Krisch, Frank jr, 207 N Flores, meat market - 1885 San Antonio Directory

1891: Krisch, Frank sr, (J. Weber & Co.), Krisch Hall and saloon, 207 N Flores. 1891 San Antonio City Directory

1892 – 1893: Convention Hall, F. Krisch, proprietor, cor W Houston N Flores - San Antonio City Directory

1894: F. Krisch, lessee, San Pedro Springs, end San Pedro avenue - San Antonio City Directory

Lukach’s Hungarian Bitters - Truth is Stronger than Fiction

07 June 2015

HungarianBitters_Times_Picayune_Fri__Sep_8__1865_

Lukach’s Hungarian Bitters – Truth is Stronger than Fiction advertisement, 62 Common Street – The Times Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), Friday, September 8, 1865

Truth is really stronger than fiction as I opened an e-mail yesterday from across the pond from 2013 FOHBC Hall-of-Famer, Alan Blakeman (visit BBR) regarding a Hungarian Bitters Alan has come across. Alan was asking for information. Holy Moses, a Hungarian Bitters! What a great bottle in a classic semi-cabin form. Actually I had not even seen a picture of this bottle prior to this.

If you notice, the bottle is embossed, “A. LUKACH” on the side panel and “1848” on the front. I believe it is also embossed on the opposite side with the same Lukach name. The Lukach name, which is Hungarian, can also be “Americanized” to Lucas which leads me to a listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement by Carlyn Ring and Bill Ham.

H 208.9 HUNGARIAN BITTERS

HUNGARIAN (au) / BITTERS / 1848 // P LUCAS & CO // sp // P LUCAS & CO //
10 1/2 x 3 3/4 x 2 3/8
Rectangular semi-cabin, Amber, LTCR, Applied mouth, 4 sp, Extremely rare
Example was dug from a river bank about 10 miles north of New Orleans.

So, first of all, we now have an unlised bitters similar to one found near New Orleans. Unlisted because of the “A. LUKACH” listing opposed to the “P LUCAS & Co” listing in Bitters Bottles Supplement. What is going on here? Could the Lukach example be European? No, this is an American form. I suspect the Lukach example was first and then modified. This needs some exploration. I’m thinking New York and New Orleans and probably both because the advertisement above says, “to be the best and cheapest articles North and South”.

As an aside, earlier today, I also posted about another unlisted bitters from NOLA. Read: The missing link Universal Bitters by Nicholas Kieffer.

My first hit is for a Lukach’s Hungarian Bitters advertisement in The Times Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), on Friday, September 8, 1865 (see top of post). Lukach is located at 62 Common Street. My second hit is an 1866 United States Internal Revenue document (see below) noting a Adolphe Lukach, Manufacturer, 60 Common Street in New Orleans which runs somewhat parallel to Canal street in the downtown district. So we probably have a Adolphe Lukach or Adolph Lucas making a Hungarian Bitters in New Orleans.

Adolphe Lukach, Manufacturer, 60 Common Street – 1866 U.S. IRS Tax Assessment List

Next I find an advertisement for Genuine Hungarian Bitters (see below) in The Daily Phoenix (Columbia, South Carolina) on March 25, 1871. Could it be the same brand?

Genuine Hungarian Bitters – Rich, Rare and Ruby advertisement – The Daily Phoenix, March 25, 1871, (Columbia, South Carolina)

Here is where it gets weird. There is also an A. Lukach who is a manufacturer listed in New York City in 1866. Could this be the same guy? Believe me, there are very few A. Lukach’s in United States during that time period. Next I think, manufacturer of what? I next find another tax document from New York in 1866 saying that Adolph Lukach is a Retail Liquor Dealer. How could this guy be in two places at once?

A. Lukach, manufacturerer – 1866 United States Income Tax Document

Adolph Lukach, Retail Liquor Dealer – 1866 New York City Tax Document

I can only guess at this point and suppose that someone in the Hungarian Lukach family developed a bitters in 1848. Maybe oversees or maybe New York City. They sell it for a while to their Hungarian bretheren in New York and meet with some success. They change the name to Lucas and ship by steamer to the Carolinas and New Orleans with a similar clientele. Truth is Stronger than Fiction. Too many doors still open here.

Another idea ties directly back too the 1848 embossing on the bottle. Apparently, the first large wave of Hungarian emigration to the United States occurred in 1849-1850 when the so-called “Forty-Eighters” fled from retribution by Austrian authorities after the defeat of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Lajos Kossuth (see “Louis Kossuth” Historical Calabash Flask above courtesy Norman Heckler) gave a seven-month speaking tour of the U.S. in 1851-52 to great acclaim as a champion of liberty, thereby unleashing a brief outburst of pro-Hungarian emotions. He left embittered because his refusal to oppose slavery alienated his natural constituency, and his long-term impact was minimal. By 1860 there 2,710 Hungarians lived in the U.S. of whom at least 99 fought in the Civil War. Their motivations were not so much antislavery as a belief in democracy, a taste for adventure, validation of their military credentials, and solidarity with their American neighbors. [Wikipedia]

T. Bewick. “Gin and Bitters”. The Sportsman’s Cabinet, 1803. – A History of the Cries of London Ancient and Modern

Tracking Hodges’ Bitters back to London?

09 June 2014

Some of the earliest American bitters brands and formulas obviously came from Germany, England and other parts of Europe. We saw this the other day with the Hungarian Bitters which led me to Hodge’s Bitters from New York. I suspect this brand is English and was curious if I could find some roots in London.

“as useless as a Stoughton’s bottle”

Stoughtons Bitters label (RH S 207 L) – Bitters Bottles Supplement

Many bitters collectors have heard of the early and famous Stoughton’s Bitters as it appears on many old shipping and inventory lists on both sides of the Atlantic for over 100 years. This is the bitters that started it all. The brand is known to have many manufacturers and the label has been found on a number of bottles. You won’t find an embossed bottle in collections though, at least as far as I am aware.

1762: Stoughton’s Bitters by the gallon or smaller quantity. Made from tansy, orange and sukeron water. – Pennsylvania Gazette, March 29, 1762

Stoughton’s was first patented in England and was produced and sold around 1712. It was a mainstay of the medical community and over time, Stoughton’s gained popularity in the American colonies. Once the recipe was published, fakes flooded the market and eventually doomed the brand. Eventually there were so many poorly made Stoughton’s bitters knockoffs that the term “as useless as a Stoughton’s bottle” entered the lexicon in the mid 1800s. Thinking of Hostetter’s here now.

“From the Old to the New World” shows German emigrants boarding a steamer in Hamburg, to New York - Harper’s Weekly, (New York) November 7, 1874

Many great men, with bitters formulas, came with the The Forty-Eighters who were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights. Disappointed at the failure of the revolution to bring about the reform of the system of government in Germany or the Austrian Empire and sometimes on the government’s ‘wanted list’ because of their involvement in the revolution, they gave up their old lives to try again abroad. Many emigrated to the United States, after the revolutions failed. They included Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, and others. Many were respected, wealthy, and well-educated; as such, they were not typical migrants. A large number went on to be very successful as we know. This is when the first Ferdinand Meyer came to America as I have traced him to a ship arriving from Bremen to New York and then to Baltimore. No there wasn’t a Meyer’s Bitters but old Ferdinand was working within a block or two of some Baltimore bitters manufacturers in the mid 1800s. I’m sure he bent the elbow with a few. Read: Gouley’s Vegetable Bitters – Baltimore

Well, back to Hodges Bitters. I found a listing in an 1845 New York City Directory for a William Walford who was the sole agent for the sale of London Cordial Gin and Hodges’ Bitters. Thinking all-the-way English here. A quick look at Bitters Bottles by Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham reveal two listings with English inference:

H 129 Hodge’s Gin Bitters, Brooklyn Directory (N.Y.) 1836-37

H 130 Hodge’s London Bitters, New York Directory 1844-45

Here are a few other pieces of information from various newspapers in New york.

Thomas H. Redding & Co. advertisement in Brooklyn, New York selling Hodge’s Gin Bitters, Stoughton Bitters, Columbia Bitters and Essence of Peppermint. – Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 29, 1841

1841: Thomas H. Redding & Co. in Brooklyn, New York (see ad above) selling Hodge’s Gin Bitters, Stoughton Bitters, Columbia Bitters and Essence of Peppermint. - Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 29, 1841

William Walford, Sole Agent for the Sale of London Cordial Gin and Hodges’ Bitters – 1845 New York City Directory

1845: Advertisement for William Walford, Sole Agent for the Sale of London Cordial Gin and Hodges’ Bitters – 1845 New York City Directory

1850: S. Barnett, Hodge’s Bitters, Patent Medicines, 79 W. Broadway – New York County – The New York Mercantile Union Business Directory

1857: William Walford, late liquors, h 127 W. Broadway – New York City Directory

1859: A Distiller Wanted for Hodges Bitters advertisement (see above) – New York Herald

So with all of these different people selling versions of Hodge’s bitters, it is not difficult to imagine a fellow named Hodge who was probably from London. Could it be:

Nathaniel Hodges (1629–1688): The Plague doctor

Nathaniel Hodges was the son of Thomas Hodges (1605–1672), an influential Anglican preacher and reformer with strong connections in the political life of Carolingian London. Educated at Westminster School, Trinity College Cambridge and Christ Church College, Oxford, Nathaniel established himself as a physician in Walbrook Ward in the City of London.

englishhistoryGreat_plague_of_london-1665

Collecting the dead for burial during the Great Plague. The Great Plague (1665–66) was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in the Kingdom of England. Source: The Great Plague of London

Prominent as one of a handful of medical men who remained in London during the time of the Great Plague of 1665, he wrote the definitive work on the outbreak. His daily precautions against contracting the disease included fortifying himself with Théodore de Mayerne’s anti-pestilential electuary and the liberal consumption of sack, dining soon after, usually off roast meat with pickles or other relish. He drank more wine at dinner. Afterwards he saw patients at his own house, and paid more visits, returning home between eight and nine o’clock. He spent the evening at home, never smoking, but drinking old sack till he felt thoroughly cheerful. After this he generally slept well. He rose early, and took a dose of anti-pestilential electuary as large as a nutmeg. After transacting his household affairs he entered his consulting room. Crowds of patients were always waiting, and for three hours he examined them and prescribed, finding some who were already ill, and others only affected by fear. When he had seen all, he breakfasted, and visited patients at their houses. On entering a house he had a disinfectant burnt on hot coals, and if hot or out of breath rested till at his ease, then put a lozenge in his mouth and proceeded to examine the patient.

Twice during the epidemic he felt as if the plague had infected him, but after increased draughts of sack he felt well in a few hours, and he escaped without serious illness. In recognition of his services to the citizens during the plague, the authorities of the city granted him a stipend as their authorised physician.

Hodges’ approach to the treatment of plague victims was empathetic and based on the traditional Galenic method rather than Paracelsianism although he was pragmatic in the rejection of formulae and simples which he judged from experience to be ineffective. Besieged by financial problems in later life, his practice began to fail and Hodge was imprisoned in Ludgate Prison (debtors prison) for debt, and there died on 10 June 1688. He was buried in St. Stephen’s, Walbrook, and a bust and inscription were to be seen there. [passages from Christopher J. Duffin, Earth Science Department, The Natural History Museum, London, UK and Wikipedia]

Dr. Rufus F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters

“An Open Bottle on our Counter for Free Trial”

10 June 2014

I had long forgotten about my example of the extremely rare, Dr. R. F. Hibbard’s Wild Cherry Bitters until I came across and 1851 New York advertisement the other day. Time to give this bottle a little personality. I have to say, this little fellow really does have a story and again adds just a little more excitement to collecting antique bottles.

Dr. R. F. Hibbard’s Wild Cherry Bitters – Meyer Collection

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

H 111 DR HIBBARD’S WILD CHERRY BITTERS

DR R. F. HIBBARD’S / WILD CHERRY / BITTERS / C. N. CRITTENDON / PROPRIETOR N.Y. // c //
8 1/4 x 3 1/2 (5 1/2)
Round, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Drug Store Advertisement 1853: In use for 14 years. An open bottle on our counter for free trial.

Rufus Fuller Hibbard

Rufus Fuller Hibbard was born on June 11, 1804 in Rhinebeck, Duchess County, New York and lived in New York between 1830 and 1860 where he sold medicines with his son. Next, Hibbard lived in Brooklyn, New York in 1870 and then Kings County, New York in 1880. Dr. Hibbard was also a physician and druggist while being an agent for the Shakers of New Lebanon, New York. He was a Methodist and served in the Christian Commission, at the front, during part of the Civil War. His claim to fame was the Dr. R. F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters which he assigned to Charles Nelson Crittendon to sell in his drug empire.

Dr. Hibbard’s wife was Clemintina Mitchell (1805-1884). Their children were Kate I. Hibbard (1838-1909) and Rufus Jr. who would eventually partner with his father. His siblings were Wesley Hibbard (1798-1866)*, Asbury Hibbard (1800-1865)*, David R. Hibbard (1808-1865)*, Freeborn Garretson Hibbard (1811-1895)* and Harriet D. Hibbard Hatch (1818 – 1896)* Dr. Hibbard is burried at Drewsclift Cemetery in Brewster, Putnam County, New York (*assumed).

Reverend Billy Hibbard

Rufus Hibbards father was Reverend Billy Hibbard who was a minister in the Methodist-Episcopalian Church. Reverend Billy also served as a chaplin in the Berkshire Massachusetts Militia in 1814. His mother was Cybil Russ. Billy and his wife Sibyl had nine children. A few of them followed in his footsteps to become ministers also. He is credited with helping to start a number of churches throughout New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut as a Circuit Rider Minister. He died on August 17, 1844 from exhaustion due to his travels for the church. I suppose, in honor of his father, Rufus would later create the Rev. B. Hibbard’s Vegetable Anti-Bilious Family Pills (see below)

Charles Nelson Crittendon

If you notice, the bottle is also embossed C. N. Crittendon, Proprietor, N.Y. Charles Nelson Crittenton (February 20, 1833 - November 16, 1909) was a big time manufacturer and distributor of drugs and patent medicines, a Protestant evangelist, and a philanthropist, best known for his founding with physician Katherine Waller Barrett, the National Florence Crittenton Mission.

Florence Crittenton Home, 1899, formerly the Young Ladies Baptist University; image courtesy, Maida Miller Collection, Museum of History and Industry

Born in Henderson in Jefferson County, New York, Crittenton started what ultimately became a wholesale drug business in New York City, from which he accumulated a fortune. Notice the Hales Honey Horehound and Tar trade card below anchored with the C. N. Crittendon, New York name.

Crittendon suffered a grevious and devastating loss in 1882, when his four-year-old daughter Florence died of scarlet fever. He devoted his time and wealth to the establishment of the Florence Night Mission to “rescue” prostitutes, and later Crittenton homes for homeless and unfortunate girls and their infant children. In 1898 the National Florence Crittenton Mission received a federal charter to carry on this work. Of these mission homes more than 70 were organized in Crittenton’s lifetime in all the larger cities of the United States and in Marseille, Tokyo, Shanghai, Mexico City, etc.

Charles N. Crittendon Obituary – The New York Times, Wednesday, November 17, 1909

The drug-manufacturing company which bore his name was one of the first profit-sharing concerns in the United States. Crittendon was an active member of the Prohibition Party. Crittendon died in San Francisco while on a tour of his western facilities in November 1909.

R. F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters advertisement – W.W. Reilly & Co.’s Ohio State Business Directory for 1854-5

Reverend Billy Hibbard’s Pills advertisement by R. F. Hibbard & Son – W.W. Reilly & Co.’s Ohio State Business Directory for 1854-5

6 1/8“x 6.75” lithographic plate celebrated with scene of people doing planting in formal cloths and making statement of testimonial. Signed R.F. Hibbard, A Bitters Co. – Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts

Dr. R. F. Hibbard’s Wild Cherry Bitters advertising plate and ad. 3.5“x 4.25” gives name, manufacturer and claims and directions. – Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts

Hibbards_Brooklyn_Daily_Eagle_Wed__Oct_1__1851r_

Dr. Rufus F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters advertisement – The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Wednesday, October 1, 1851

Top picture courtesy Glass Works Auctions

Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters – Philadelphia

12 June 2014

Just a short post today to see if there is any relationship with E. H. Crittenden in Philadelphia and Charles Nelson Crittendon of New York. The other day we looked at Charles Nelson and his Dr. R. F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters. Charles Nelson Crittendon was a big time manufacturer and distributor of drugs and patent medicines, and was best known for his founding of the National Florence Crittenton Mission. Yes, I realize this Crittenden is spelled with and “e” instead of an “o”.

Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

Reverse: Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters advertising trade card – Joe Gourd Collection

I do see that the Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters is listed in Bitters Bottles Supplement as C 251 only noting the trade card pictured at the top of the post. No bottle is referenced though I suspect we are talking about a labeled bitters. I am surprised an example has not been found in great grandma’s pantry.

Erastus Henry Crittenden

Erastus Henry Crittenden was born in New York around 1838 and grew up in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Little is known about his family. Titusville was the epicenter of the Pennsylvania oil rush and boom in petroleum production which occurred in northwestern Pennsylvania from 1859 to the early 1870s. It was the first oil boom in the United States.

A Pennsylvanian oil field in 1862.

As noted above, the oil rush began in Titusville in the Oil Creek Valley when Colonel Edwin L. Drake struck “rock oil” there. Titusville and other towns on the shores of Oil Creek expanded rapidly as oil wells and refineries shot up across the region. Oil quickly became one of the most valuable commodities in the United States and railroads expanded into Western Pennsylvania to ship petroleum to the rest of the country. By the mid-1870s, the oil industry was well established, and the “rush” to drill wells and control production was over. Pennsylvania oil production peaked in 1891, and was later surpassed by western states such as Texas and California, but some oil industry remains in Pennsylvania.

Crittenden Hall on 113 – 121 Diamond Street was a public hall on the second floor of this building. The first floor was occupied by shops. It was build in 1862 by E. H. Crittenden. – Oil Boom Architecture: Titusville, Pithole, and Petroleum Center By William B. Moore, Joshua F. Sherretts

It was in this booming economy that E. H. Crittenden prospered. Setting up shop in Titusville, Erastus ran large, full column advertisements (see example below) in The Titusville Herald for many years selling liquor, glassware, cigars etc. He would also build the Crittenden Hall in 1862. He managed all this during the Civil War period though records show that he registered for the draft at 23 years old in 1863.

EH_Crittenden_The_Titusville_Herald_Sat__Apr_7__1866_

E. H. Crittenten full column advertisement – The Titusville Herald (Titusville, Pennsylvania), April 6, 1866

E. H. must have been doing very well business-wise, as I am sure Titusville was too with the oil rush. Flush with cash, Erastus would next build the grand Crittenden House Hotel (see below) in 1865 which consisted of three stories and a basement with $100,000, which was a lot of money at that time. There must have been financial problems, as Crittenden would lose the hotel, Crittenden Hall and a couple of other liquor properties at a sheriff’s sale in 1866. By early 1867, the furnishings were advertised for sale to the public.

Crittenden House Hotel, 207-209 East Central Avenue, Titusville, Pennsylvania. The Crittenden House Hotel was built in 1865 by E. H. Crittenden. – Oil Boom Architecture: Titusville, Pithole, and Petroleum Center By William B. Moore, Joshua F. Sherretts

With this failure, Erastus next moved to Philadelphia and from 1877 to 1880 sold liquor and patent medicines. It was here that he issued his advertising trade cards in 1880 for the Dr. Crittenden’s Dyspepsia and Cocktail Bitters. These trade cards are pretty cool as they presumably reference abstract scenes on Lake Erie which was just up the road from Titusville.

I see no record that he ever went to medical school nor do I see a relationship with Charles Nelson Crittendon. Maybe this post will scare up a bottle for inclusion. I also can not find any information on Crittenden after 1880 which is odd.

The other mystery here is the cockamamie “A Most Miraculous Escape From Being Buried Alive” banner that Erastus used in some of his advertising (see above). Maybe he was buried in debt.

Erastus Henry Crittenden

1838: E. H. Crittenden born about 1838 in New York.

1860: E. H. Crittenden, home Randolph, Pennsylvania – 1860 US Federal Census

1862: Crittenden Hall constructed in Titusville, Pennsylvania (see picture above)

1863: E. Henry Crittenden, Titusville, Pennsylvania – Civil War Draft Registration Record, age 25, unmarried.

1865: Crittenden House Hotel – build by E. H. Crittenden in Titusville, Pennsylvania (see above)

1865 – 1870: Various E. H. Crittenden advertisements in The Titusville Herald, Titusville, Pennsylvania (From Decenber 1865 to 1870 or so)

1866: E. H. Crittenten full column advertisement in Titusville, Pennsylvania “A Most Miraculous Escape From Being Buried Alive” (see below) – The Titusville Herald (Titusville, Pennsylvania), April 6, 1866

1877: E. H. Crittenden, liquors, 514 Vine - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1878: Erastus H. Crittenden, patent medicines, 1012 Columbia av- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

1880: E. H. Crittenden, liquors, 258 N. 9th. – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania City Directory

The Union Spring Bottle

Number 9 on the Bernhard Puckhaber list of the ‘Ten Most Wanted Saratogas’

19 June 2014 (updated with Union Spring info same day)

The other night, at the closing of Glass Works Auctions | Auction 102, I noticed this good-looking, Union Spring bottle with all of the other mineral water bottles from the Saratoga area of New York. What jumped out at me was the $6,000 hammer price (without 15% auction house premium). Seeing this, I had to find out why, so I checked the lot description:

161. “UNION / SPRING / SARATOGA. N.Y.” – (faint oval slug plate indentation), (Tucker, S-57), New York, ca. 1865 – 1875, emerald green pint, smooth base, applied double collar mouth.

CONDITION: Pristine flawless condition, hard to imagine a nicer one. In a 1973 publication by the Federation of Historical Bottle Clubs, the late Bernhard Puckhaber listed the ‘Ten Most Wanted Saratogas’. The Union Spring was number nine on that list. This example was in the collection of the late Stu Elman, which we auctioned in 1999. Since then, no other Union Spring bottle has come to auction. Ex. Stu Elman Collection.

I find it extremely interesting to see pieces like this and to see the provenance. Of course, now I need to track down the other nine bottles on the list! I guess I better start with finding that list. I did search for information on a spring specifically called the Union Spring and came up ~~empty handed~~ until Marianne Dow provided a clipping (see further below). There probably was a Union Spring but I bet this bottle was related to the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York.

The Grand Union Hotel

The Grand Union Hotel – Saratoga illustrated: the visitors guide to Saratoga Springs (1884)

The Grand Union Hotel was located on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, New York. The hotel began as a boarding house, built by Gideon Putnam in 1802, but grew into the world’s largest hotel, before it was demolished in 1953.

The initial draw to the area were summer vacationers attracted by the mineral spas. Over time this became a luxury hotel that catered to the wealthy elite. Renovations and expansions saw the hotel grow to serve over 2,000 guests as a destination resort. The Grand Union Hotel Stakes race was run at the Saratoga race track until 1958 and was named after this historic hotel. [Wikipedia]

Opera House at the Grand Union Hotel, Saratoga Springs, 1865

I can easily imagine bottles of Union Spring being served to guests at the Union Hotel in 1865. Timing is dead on.

UNION SPRING

Union Spring reference – American Chemist, 1873 & 1874

The spring is covered by a very tasteful pavilion, which will be noticed just east of the little stream, and in front of the large bottling house beside the grove. The Union Spring is a little northwest of the Excelsior, and but a few steps removed. This valley, in which these two springs are situated, was formerly known as the “Valley of the Ten Springs,” but the present owners, after grading and greatly beautifying the grounds, changed its name in honor of the spring to Excelsior Park. - Saratoga illustrated: the visitors guide to Saratoga Springs (1884)

Union Spring – Saratoga illustrated: the visitors guide to Saratoga Springs (1884)

The sexy, aqua and tall Hierapicra Bitters

16 May 2014

passage from Through America by Walter Gore Marshall in 1882

The Robinson & Lord Figural Barrel – Baltimore

A figural barrel by broom makers?

17 May 2014

Select Listings

Ezekial Porter Eastman and his Yellow Dock Bitters

It came as no surprise - to his sisters – that Ezekiel also decided to bottle a medicine made of yellow dock root. He arranged to have the bitters manufactured by Joseph P. Hill, a barber in Lynn.

An Old and Bitter Story Teller

17 May 2014

The California Herb Bitters from Pittsburgh

18 May 2014

Some Potentially Important Listings

FOHBC 2015 Chattanooga National Logo Design

19 May 2014

Chattanooga Choo-Choo: The Song and Story

Terminal Station and the Famous Sign

Initial Logo Design – Broken Glass?

Some Southern Bottles

Kentucky’s Top 25 Rarest Bottles

Compiled by Paul Van Vactor, Sheldon Baugh and Steve Keith

20 May 2014

TOP 25 of Kentucky’s Rarest Bottles:

Credits:

Another Dewey’s Manila Bitters Pitcher

24 May 2014 (R•060114)

Additional Pictures of the Milner Example

The great William Allen’s Congress Bitters

Charlie Gardner’s tag is still on the base with his code, which indicates that he paid $9.00 for this bottle.

26 May 2014

William Allen

Wells, Richardson & Company

William W. Wells

G A L L E R Y

Dorothy L. Martin’s, Bitters for Female Weakness, The Gravel, The Whites and For All Kidney Affections

26 May 2014

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

DOROTHY L. MARTIN, OF OXFORD TOWNSHIP, WARREN COUNTY, N. J.

MEDICAL COMPOUND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,594, dated October 25, 1881.

DOROTHY L. MARTIN.

The only Martin’s Bermuda Bitters

27 May 2014

Bottle picture and illustration courtesy of Bitters Bottles.

The Bust of Lafayette – Coventry Glass Works Mold

Mold Section Found in the River in Mansfield, Connecticut

28 May 2014

The best Lady’s Leg in the Galaxy – Universe Bitters

31 May 2014

*Top bottle picture from Bitters Bottles Supplement. Drawing from Bitters Bottles. Courtesy Bill Ham.

Select August Horstmann Timeline Events

The extremely rare Shurtleff’s Bitters from Bennington, Vermont

31 May 2014

*Top picture and bottle sketch from Bitters Bottles courtesy of Bill Ham

The two Julien’s Imperial Aromatic Bitters Variants

01 June 2014

*Top picture and bottle sketch from both Bitters Bottles books courtesy of Bill Ham. Below examples from Jeff Burkardt.

The missing link Universal Bitters by Nicholas Kieffer

07 June 2014 (R•060814)

The three bottle pictures used in the post courtesy Steve.

U 11.2 UNIVERSAL BITTERS

// f // UNIVERSAL BITTERS // f // NK–PATENT // 10 ½ x 3 ¾ x 2 3/8 (7)3/4 Rectangular, amber, LTCR, Applied mouth, Extremely rare N. Kieffer, New Orleans City Directory, 1868 References also to San Antonio, Texas Found in New Orleans

Honore Grenet

Select Timeline Events

Lukach’s Hungarian Bitters - Truth is Stronger than Fiction

07 June 2015

Tracking Hodges’ Bitters back to London?

09 June 2014

“as useless as a Stoughton’s bottle”

Nathaniel Hodges (1629–1688): The Plague doctor

Dr. Rufus F. Hibbard’s Celebrated Wild Cherry Bitters

“An Open Bottle on our Counter for Free Trial”

10 June 2014

H 111 DR HIBBARD’S WILD CHERRY BITTERS

DR R. F. HIBBARD’S / WILD CHERRY / BITTERS / C. N. CRITTENDON / PROPRIETOR N.Y. // c // 8 1/4 x 3 1/2 (5 1/2) Round, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare Drug Store Advertisement 1853: In use for 14 years. An open bottle on our counter for free trial.

Rufus Fuller Hibbard

Reverend Billy Hibbard

Charles Nelson Crittendon

Top picture courtesy Glass Works Auctions

Top bottle picture from Bitters Bottles Supplement. Drawing from Bitters Bottles*. Courtesy Bill Ham.

Top picture and bottle sketch from Bitters Bottles* courtesy of Bill Ham

Top picture and bottle sketch from both Bitters Bottles* books courtesy of Bill Ham. Below examples from Jeff Burkardt.

// f // UNIVERSAL BITTERS // f // NK–PATENT //
10 ½ x 3 ¾ x 2 3/8 (7)3/4
Rectangular, amber, LTCR, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
N. Kieffer, New Orleans City Directory, 1868
References also to San Antonio, Texas
Found in New Orleans

DR R. F. HIBBARD’S / WILD CHERRY / BITTERS / C. N. CRITTENDON / PROPRIETOR N.Y. // c //
8 1/4 x 3 1/2 (5 1/2)
Round, Aqua, NSC, Applied mouth, Extremely rare
Drug Store Advertisement 1853: In use for 14 years. An open bottle on our counter for free trial.