Household Bottles

This page is currently a work in progress with scheduled completion in 2010-2011.

This non-food related Household bottles page is one of two typology pages (in addition to the Miscellaneous & Foreign bottles page) which comprise the "catch-all" sections for bottle types not otherwise covered by the other major bottle type categories. Specifically, this page addresses non-food products clearly used in households across the United States and Canada. These products were also used, of course, by businesses, schools, government offices, and other non-household entities.

Large and small size Florida waters from ca. 1880.

The "household" (aka "personal") bottles category has been used by archaeologists - and collectors to some degree - for many years although the actual bottle types contained within the category varies significantly (Herskovitz 1978; Berge 1980; Univ. of Utah [IMACS] 1982; Felton et al. 1984; Jones & Sullivan 1989). For example, canning/fruit jars which are included by some authors in the "household" bottles category - or as an entirely separate category - are covered here on the Food Bottles & Canning Jars page (Herskovitz 1978; Berge 1980). Another example is that chemical and poison type bottles - which could have been covered on this page or the "Miscellaneous bottles" page - are discussed on the

Early American snuff or utility bottle in yellowish olive green; click to enlarge.

Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist bottles typology page which is consistent with what some other authors have also done (Herskovitz 1978; Univ. of Utah [IMACS] 1982).

In the end, there has never been total agreement on the categorization hierarchy of bottle types and probably never will be. The point behind these typology pages is not to establish a hierarchal classification system for bottle types but instead to help users identify what the most likely function or use was made of the specific bottle shape/type they are interested in determining such for. See the following "Organization & Structure" section for the specific bottle types that this website includes in the "household" category.

The other typology pages (e.g., "Liquor/Spirits bottles", "Food Bottles & Canning Jars", etc.) have larger introductory sections than this page or the "Miscellaneous & Foreign bottles" page. This is because the "household" and "miscellaneous" categories are much wider ranging in diversity and lacking the tighter or narrower "theme" of the other major categories. Instead, this page will have specific bottle type introductions incorporated into the opening paragraphs within each given section listed. Given this structural difference, the introduction for this page is considered complete; please scroll down to the "Organization & Structure" section below to begin.

NOTE: Attached to the "Bottle Types/Diagnostic Shapes" grouping of pages is a complete copy of a never re-printed, 280 page, 1906 Illinois Glass Company bottle catalog scanned at two pages per JPEG file. Click 1906 IGCo. Catalog to access the page that links to all the scans of this very useful catalog. Various household bottles are listed throughout this catalog including pages 36-43, 46-69, 74-77, 104-107, 278-287.

Ink Bottles & Inkwells

Glass containers intended for ink were produced in an amazing assortment of types/shapes, sizes, and colors. Ink bottles are typically divided into three major categories: ink bottles (small), bulk or "master" ink bottles (larger bulk containers), and inkwells (Munsey 1970). Within these sub-categories, this website breaks the small utilitarian ink bottles into several major body cross-section related groups - "cylindrical," "square/rectangular," "multi-sided (more than than 4 sides; see image to the left of 1865 ink bottles)," and a catchall category of "other shapes." (Photo to the left by George Salmon Photography, courtesy of Odyssey Marine Exploration.) Bulk/master ink bottles are are more simply divided into two categories - "cylindrical" (the large majority) and "other shapes" (Nelson & Hurley 1967; Covill 1971). Inkwells are briefly covered as a group since this sub-category is more of a specialty bottle group, where the various manufacturing based dating rules summarized on the Bottle Dating pages have more limited application. The categories used on this website greatly simplify those described by Covill (1971) whose book "Ink bottles and inkwells" is by far the best work done on the subject; consult that reference for more information on the subject. (Covill's book has almost 1800 different items pictured!)

The difference between an "ink bottle" and an "inkwell" is hard to define since they are both small bottles used as "containers for ink" from which a pen (or quill) was directly filled or dipped (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 2009). So what is the real difference? Although both were used in a similar fashion - to directly fill a quill or pen - according to Munsey (1970) an "...inkwell was a permanent and decorative container that was a relatively expensive item", i.e., a specialty bottle. An ink bottle was of a more disposable utilitarian nature and often - but certainly not always - thrown away after use of the commercially produced contents that were sold in the bottle (Nelson & Hurley 1967). Put another way, inkwells were more decorative, typically purchased empty (like many liquor decanters), intended to be retained permanently until broken or of no use, and were filled over and over again from bulk sources. Ink bottles were sold commercially filled with ink and often discarded after depletion of the contents although the frugality of the times often dictated that ink bottles were frequently refilled (from a bulk/master ink container) and used over and over again like an inkwell (Munsey 1970; Covill 1971). In the end, the line is blurred between the two although these two "types" are covered separately below.

Glass ink bottles and inkwells definitely date back to before the period covered by this website, i.e., prior to 1800, although they were not common before that time. In Europe, glass inkwells dating from the early 18th century have been noted (Van den Bossche 2001). Historically, it was not until the late 18th to early 19th century that ink was commonly available commercially in liquid form. Up until that time the most common commercial forms were as wafers, cakes, sticks, or as a powder from which the purchaser/user would add water to make ink. Druggists as well as printers, stationary and bookshop keepers often prepared, bottled, and sold ink during the 19th century and before in the New World (McKearin & Wilson 1978). An example from an Oregon "stationers" business is discussed later in this section.

Not all ink bottles or inkwells were made of glass, of course. Just about any and every compatible material was used for containing ink at some point including many different types of metal (e.g., iron, copper, tin, brass), various stone (e.g., soapstone, marble), various woods, horn, ceramics and stoneware, hard rubber, and other materials much less commonly (Covill 1971). Prior to beginning of the 19th century, virtually all ink came ceramic containers which were still commonly used throughout most of the 19th century also. The image to the right above is of three stoneware ink bottles (smaller) and three bulk/master ink bottles that date from the 1850s to 1880s era. The two larger stoneware bottles are English in origin, the smaller one being stamped or incised with VITREOUS STONE BOTTLE / J. BOURNE & SON, / PATENTEES / DENBY POTTERY / NEAR DENBY / (horizontal line) / P. & J. ARNOLD, / LONDON; the larger bulk ink has slightly different lettering. (Denby is about 150 miles NE of London.) All of the stoneware ink bottle styles illustrated above are commonly encountered on historic sites in the U. S. and Canada. In fact, all of the pictured examples were excavated in the United States. Coverage of non-glass ink bottles is, of course, beyond the scope of this website (another author can prepare a stoneware/ceramic bottle website!) although they are pictured here to show the major class of alternative vessels used for ink during the 19th to early 20th centuries.

Ink bottles (small)

As a general statement, ink bottles (and inkwells) were designed for stability while being used to fill a pen or dip a quill. To quote Munsey (1970), "...because (pens and quills) must be dipped into the ink container frequently during writing, ink bottles were designed to minimize tipping." Although there is no universally accepted size cut-off point, generally speaking the majority of ink bottles hold 3 or 4 ounces of ink or less, typically about 2 ounces. Anything above 3 or 4 ounces should probably be considered a bulk or master ink - a subject covered in the next major section (Covill 1971).

There was a immense variety of different small ink bottle made during the period covered by this website. This was probably due to there being a demand for ink bottles that were esthetically pleasing since they usually "...remained out on the writing table in plain sight" (Munsey 1970). The bottles and general types covered here barely scratches the surface of the variety produced during the 19th through mid-20th centuries, although does cover the most commonly encounter types. As noted earlier, Covill's (1971) book "Ink bottles and inkwells" is the best published source available to see the depth of variety of all types of ink bottles (glass and other materials) which is immense, surely numbering in the many thousands if not several tens of thousands of different types and/or variations.

This section divides the small cylindrical ink bottle category into four body shape related groups:
Cylindrical, Square/rectangular, Multi-sided (more than 4 sides),
and Other shapes.

Cylindrical: A large (though unknown) percentage of ink bottles were round or cylindrical in cross-section (Covill 1971). This is a very large grouping of ink bottles - undoubtedly numbering in the many thousands of different shapes and variations - of which only a few (of course) can be discussed here. The two main "classes" of cylindrical ink bottles covered here have body sides that are either conical (tapering distinctly inwards from the base to the shoulder like the example to the left) or vertical (no real taper from heel to shoulder).

Conical bodies: The conical ink style appears to have first originated in the U. S. during the 1830s and are typically called simply "cones" or "cone inks" by collectors (Covill 1971). Glass makers called this plain style (i.e., with no horizontal ring/rings at the shoulder) the "plain cone" style (Whitney Glass Works 1904). The aqua example pictured to the above left is an early example dating from the 1850s which is embossed with WOOD'S / BLACK. INK / PORTLAND and is from Portland, Maine. (Image courtesy of American Bottle Auctions.) These particular cone ink bottles are typically blow-pipe or "open" pontil scarred (like the pictured example), have a rolled finish, typically about 2.3" to 2.5" tall and 2.5" in diameter, were blown in a true two-piece "hinge" mold with no air venting (note the mold seam dissecting the base into two equal halves), and are attributed to Portland druggist Nathan Wood (druggists often bottled ink in the 19th century and before) who was in business from the early 1850s until at least the mid-1860s (McKearin & Wilson 1978). These bottles were also made in shades of amber glass.

The equally early amber conical or "cone ink" pictured to the right dates from the late 1840s or 1850s and was likely made by some New England glass house. (Image courtesy of American Bottle Auctions.) This example, like most of the early mouth-blown ink bottles, has a blow-pipe or "open" pontil scar, a crudely sheared/cracked-off and fire polished finish, and was blown in a two-piece hinge mold with no evidence of mold air venting. These early conical inks are relatively uncommon; the "umbrella" style ink (covered later in this section) was much more commonly made during the 1830s to 1870s era. Click base view to see the pontiled base of this bottle which also has an embossed "X" and some other vague embossing that is of unknown meaning today.

The very similarly shaped cone ink bottles in aqua glass pictured in the image to the left - although made 40-50 years after the previous example - are both embossed with L. H. THOMAS' / INK. These bottles (side view and base view) are 2.5" (6.3 cm) tall, were both blown in the same cup-base mold, have tooled patent finishes, and lack obvious evidence of mold air venting. There might possibly be some faint air venting marks integrated into the heel mold seam although such is usually hard to discern from normal mold seam irregularities. There are, in fact, differences in this mold seam "roughness" between these two bottles indicating that the mold seam bumps are not air venting marks.

(It should be noted here that small, mouth-blown ink bottles from the era of mold air venting - i.e., mid 1880s to the mid to late 1910s - very often lack mold air venting marks. Why? The author believes that the very small mold size and the quickness that a small parison could be expanded did not necessitate - or result in any substantive benefits - from mold air venting. The open mold top and/or mold seam joints likely provided adequate hot gas escape during bottle inflation.)

These L. H. THOMAS ink bottles date from the late 19th century, i.e., the mid-1880s to possibly the first decade of the 1900s based on the manufacturing related diagnostic features noted above. Limited history was found by the author on this particular company (i.e., the company was located in Reading, MI. and later in Chicago, IL.) although the company used an assortment of ink and bulk ink bottles during the last third of the 19th century into at least the mid to late 1910s as machine-made bottles have been observed by the author (Covill 1971; empirical observations). (The machine-made Thomas ink bottles observed by the author were very similar in manufacture to the two machine-made, cylindrical inks discussed in the "mold seam anomalies" box later in this section.) Of additional interest in regards to this company is the labeled L. H. Thomas ink bottle listed further down the page which dates firmly from between 1862 and 1871 due to a particular makers mark on the bottle base.

One of the most commonly encountered cylindrical ink bottle styles are the "ring shoulder cone inks" like the typical example pictured to the right (with base view to the far right). Bottle makers called this style a "cone ink", "ring cone", or "cone carmine" - and likely by other names also (Hagerty Brothers & Co. 1898; Illinois Glass Co. 1898, 1911; Whitney Glass Works 1904).

This style is typified by a body that tapers distinctly inwards from the heel to the base of a flaring shoulder ring. This distinctive style appears to be a natural evolutionary extension of the earlier non-ring shoulder cone inks discussed earlier. Although probably American in origin, virtually identical ink bottles were also produced in England (Covill 1971). The capacity was typically around 2 oz. with a height of about 2.5". The ring shoulder cone ink style seems to have originated by at least the mid to late 1870s and continued in use into at least the 1920s with the bottles made mostly by machines by the mid 1910s. By the mid-1920s the style tended towards having an external screw thread finish instead of being cork sealed; they are not commonly seen in catalogs after the 1920s (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1879; Illinois Glass Co. 1911, 1925; Obear-Nester Glass Co. 1922; empirical observations).

The ca. 1890s (most likely) amber cone ink pictured to the right above (far left in the group image to the left) is embossed on the base with CARTER'S / 87. The "87" was a mold number of unknown meaning today and was probably simply for mold cataloging and/or tracking at the unknown glass company which made these bottles. This ink has a tooled double ring finish, was blown in a post-bottom mold, and lacks evidence of mold air venting (an observation discussed with the previous cone ink and at the bottom of this section).

The group of five cylindrical ink bottles pictured to the left above are also very typical cone inks most likely made by an assortment of bottle makers (although none have makers markings). This image shows just a few of the color variations possible in cone inks which were made in just about any color imaginable including various shades of olive green, cobalt blue, emerald green, and more. These bottles basically share the same manufacturing features as the amber cone described above (except the four on the right have one-part "bead" finishes instead of the double ring) and all date from the 1880s to 1910s era. A couple of the inks (second and fourth from left) were made in post-bottom molds and likely date from the 1900 to 1910s range; the fourth ink (amber) also has two small air venting marks on each side of the outside edge of the shoulder ring. Ring shoulder cone inks were probably the most common single ink bottle type made during the noted era and particularly between 1890 and the late 1910s. Prior to that time the "umbrella ink" was probably the most common small ink bottle type; after that era, cylindrical and square ink bottles with vertical body sides were most common. (These types are discussed shortly.)

The following cylindrical ink bottles have vertical body sides instead of the inwardly tapering (towards the shoulder) bodies of the cone inks discussed above.

Vertical bodies: The cylindrical, non-conical ink bottle with the label pictured to the right is an English made bottle (the label notes that the ink was Made in Gt. Britain) from the 1890s to 1910s range. This bottle is 2" (5 cm) tall and 1.75" (4.5 cm) in diameter. These (and similar) type inks were commonly imported into the U. S. and Canada and are often found on historic sites of that era. The close-up image shows the rough "burst-off" type finish (which is almost a non-finish finish) which is very commonly encountered with English made ink bottles though was also used in U. S. ink bottle manufacture also (see the "school house" ink bottle later in this section). Click the following link to see an amazing film clip from the early 20th century showing glass blowers using the burst-off method of detaching the blowpipe: Early 20th century mouth-blown bottle making film clip. Film clip is compliments of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. (Many thanks to Phil Perry, engineer with that company.) Click base view to see such.

The light green, cylindrical ink bottle pictured to the right is an early (ca. 1900 to 1910s) and quite crude machine-made example that likely was made by a semi-automatic bottle machine, although such is impossible to say for sure. This example is 2.5" (6.3 cm) tall and 1.9" (4.9 cm) in diameter (about 2 oz. capacity), was blown in a post-bottom type mold, has crude (wavy, bubbly) glass, and no vertical mold seams visible in the finish. There is, however, a sharp horizontal seam encircling the base of the finish that the vertical side seams terminate at. Click on the following links for more images of this bottle: base view ; close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish. The finish and manufacturing method of this ink bottle is further elaborated on in the box below.

The image to the left is of a 2 oz. (capacity embossed on the neck), machine-made ink bottle of colorless (very faint straw tint) glass which is very similar in shape to the previously discussed ink. The base of this typical sized (2.75" [6.8 cm] tall) ink bottle is embossed with SHEAFFERS / (an Owens-Illinois Glass Co. makers marking and numbers) / SKRIP. Skrip was a proprietary name for a line of inks made by the Sheaffers Ink Co. which began business in 1913 in Fort Madison, Iowa. Skrip ink was first produced by the company in 1922 and was particularly suited for use in fountain pens; it is still in production today. (Information source: http://www.sheaffer.com/about/story.shtml) The Owens-Illinois Glass Co. marking on the base includes a "22" (very faint but discernable) to the left of the "diamond O-I" mark which should indicate production by plant #22 (San Francisco, CA.) and a date code of "0" which indicates manufacture in 1940. The Owens-Illinois San Francisco plant closed in 1937 with the mold likely transferred to some other Owens-Illinois plant and used there until at least 1940 and probably later (Lockhart 2004d; Lockhart pers. comm. 2009). This also explains the observation that only the embossed plant code - which appears to have been purposefully (though not completely) obliterated - is not sharply defined on the base. Click on the following link for a base view of this bottle showing the embossing and Owens Automatic Bottle Machine induced suction scar (pointed out). This style of ink bottle was called a "round ink," "cylinder ink," "round mucilage" (the shape was also used for glue), and likely other terms (Illinois Glass Co. 1903, 1924; Cumberland Glass Co. 1911; Fairmount Glass Works ca. 1930). The finish and manufacturing method of this ink bottle is also further elaborated on in the box below.

Machine-made ink bottles: A vertical side mold seam anomaly discussion

There are some interesting mold related features on the last two machine-made cylindrical ink bottles discussed above (the medium green glass ink and the Sheaffers ink bottle) that are very often observed on machine-made ink bottles produced during the first half of the 20th century. Similar features are also occasionally encountered on some relatively wide mouth bottles used for other products, like shoe polish. (Note: This discussion is also pertinent to some of the other noted machine-made ink bottles discussed further down the page.)

The image to the right is a close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish of the noted Sheaffers ink bottle (click to enlarge for more detail). The image shows the vertical side mold seam ending on the outside edge of the one part bead finish at a "ring" mold (the upper portion of a parison or "blank" mold) induced horizontal mold seam that encircles the extreme outer edge of the finish. The side mold seam does not extend onto the top surface of the finish, i.e., does not cross the rim and in fact, does not extend the full length of the outside edge of the bead finish. These features are pointed out - and much more readable - on the larger hyperlinked image; click to view.

The image to the left is a close-up of the medium green, machine-made ink bottle also discussed earlier. It has similar ring/blank mold related mold seam features except with this earlier (1900-1910s) ink, the side mold seam ends distinctly at the base of the finish, not within the finish itself like the example above. Click on the image to view a larger and much more readable version with the various features pointed out.

The termination of the side mold seam within (Sheaffers ink) or at the base of (green ink) the finish - though well short of the finish rim - on both bottles make it appear upon casual glance that these are mouth-blown bottles having either an improved tooled finish (Sheaffers) or an applied finish (green ink). However, both bottles are most certainly machine-made. The Sheaffers ink was made on the "blow-and-blow" Owens Automatic Bottle Machine as indicated by the previously noted makers marking for the Owens-Illinois Glass Co., a distinct base suction scar, and a date code for 1940 which is well after the end of mouth-blown production of these type utilitarian bottles. There is also no neck ring mold seam immediately below the finish like found on most Owens machine produced bottles (and on a majority of all machine-made bottles). Instead, there is a mold seam located near the base of the neck indicating that the neck ring mold portion of the parison mold produced the finish, neck, and a portion of the shoulder. (This is also pointed out on the image; click to enlarge.)

The earlier green glass ink bottle is also certainly machine-made, most likely on an early semi-automatic, blow-and-blow machine based on its crudeness and lack of a suction scar. It also has no neck ring mold seam immediately below the finish on the extreme upper neck like found on most Owens machine produced bottles (or on the majority of all machine-made bottles). Instead, there is also one located near the base of the neck indicating that the neck ring mold portion of the parison mold produced the finish, neck, and a portion of the shoulder. (This is also pointed out on the image above; click to enlarge.) Both these ink bottles also exhibit no sign of the concentric, horizontal lipping tool induced marks that would be present on a mouth-blown bottle finish that was tooled to shape.

A somewhat analogous phenomenon is noted on many press-and-blown, machine-made milk bottles produced during the first half of the 20th century. Click Food Bottles & Canning Jars to view a discussion of this exception which has some differences in the mold seam orientation compared to ink bottles, but does share the horizontal ring-mold induced mold seam on the outside edge of the finish and vertical side seams that do not even reach the base of the finish.

Other images of cylindrical ink bottles are available by clicking on the following links:

L. H. Thomas labeled cone ink - The aqua, body unembossed, cone ink pictured to the right is labeled as having been used for "Black Ink" by the L. H. Thomas Company of Reading, MI. It is 2.3" tall (2.6" diameter at the base), was blown in a post-bottom mold, has a cracked-off and ground finish/rim, an unusual molded ring at the base of the neck (see image), and lacks evidence of air venting. It is, however, embossed on the base with L & W which is the makers marking for Lorentz & Wightman - a Pittsburgh, PA. glass maker of some note - who used that marking during the period from 1862 to 1871 (Toulouse 1971). The L. H. Thomas Company apparently moved to Chicago, IL. sometime after this bottle was made and used (Covill 1971).
BILLINGS / MAUVE INK - That is embossed on the 1880s to 1890s era ink bottle pictured to the right that is of a cylindrical style called a "domed" ink by collectors, though referred to as a "flat ink" or "flat domed carmine" by some bottle makers (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1879; Hagerty Bros. 1898). More specifically it is a "domed central neck ink bottle" to differentiate it from the "domed with offset neck ink bottles" which are often called "igloo" inks and are covered further down the page (Covill 1971). It has a tooled bead finish although the other manufacturing details of this bottle are unknown (photos from eBay). "Mauve ink" was a type of ink produced by Billings that apparently went on mauve but turned black when it dried (Covill 1971). Click on the following links for more images of this bottle: close-up of the tooled finish and neck; image of this ink bottle with a BILLINGS embossed master/bulk ink.
"Drape pattern" cone style ink (blue bottle) - These early, decorative, non-ring shoulder cylindrical cone inks date from the 1850s or 1860s. The embossed, downward arching loops on the body are reminiscent of hanging drapes to collectors giving the style its name (Covill 1971). The cobalt blue example pictured (they were made in different colors) has a blow-pipe pontil scar on the base (type of mold conformation is unknown though would likely be a true two-piece hinge mold given the era), has a crudely applied double ring finish, is almost 4" tall, and would certainly lack evidence of mold air venting. Click on base view to see such showing the blow-pipe pontil scar. (Photos courtesy of American Bottle Auctions.)
Swirl body cone ink (colorless bottle to the far right) - This is an interesting cone ink variation in that it has a very decorative body but is machine-made, probably dating from the 1920s or 1930s (70-80 years after the blue ink next to it above). This is much more decorative than the typical machine-made cone or cylindrical ink. Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view; side view showing the design well; finish view where the machine induced ring mold seam is just visible (pointed out with arrows) encircling the outside edge of the rim.
More to come in the future...

Square/rectangular: The next most abundant shape group for ink bottles are probably those that are square/rectangular in cross-section. This is also a very large group of bottles - undoubtedly numbering in the many thousands of different shapes and variations. Square ink bottles first appeared in any quantities around the time of the American Civil War, after cylindrical inks were well established; square pontiled ink bottles are very unusual. (Note: Square inkwells appeared earlier with some of the first American made examples [pattern molded] reportedly produced by the Pitkin Glass Works (East Hartford, CN.) around 1810 to 1820 [Covill 1971; McKearin & Wilson 1978; Buckley 1985].) Later ink bottles (late 19th century through most of the 20th) were commonly made with square bodies, rivaling cylindrical shapes in popularity. Rectangular pontiled ink bottles are a bit more common than square pontiled ones though still unusual. Conversely to square ink bottles, rectangular inks largely disappeared in the early 1900s in American bottle makers catalogs; rectangular machine-made ink bottles are uncommon (Illinois Glass Co. 1903, 1911, 1920, 1924; Cumberland Glass Co. 1911; Covill 1971). In England, rectangular "boat" inks were still commonly made until at least WW1 (covered below).

The blue aqua square ink pictured above left is what is referred to as a "school house" or "cottage" ink bottle for obvious reasons - it is actually shaped like a little house with six embossed windows and a door (Haggerty Brothers & Co. 1898). It is embossed on the four sides of the beveled "roof" with NE - PLUS - ULTRA - FLUID. (NE PLUS ULTRA is Latin for essentially "the best.") This ink bottle is 2.4" (6.1 cm) tall and 2" (5 cm) wide on each side, has a crudely cracked-off and slightly ground down rim "straight" finish, smooth non-pontiled base (embossed dot in the center), and was blown in a post-bottom mold with no evidence of mold air venting. These particular ink bottles are believed to have been produced at the San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works in the 1870s or early 1880s (empirical observations) since they are frequently excavated in the West (an identical example was dug in Old Sacramento - see the California State Parks website) and are of a deep blue aqua color commonly associated with that glass company. In addition, virtually identical bottles (although in amber glass) are known that are embossed on the "roof" with S. F. - CAL. - INK - CO. (Covill 1971). Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view; view of the other two sides of the bottle. There were an assortment of house ink bottles made during the 19th century making them a very esthetic addition to ones desk and very likely increasing the sales of the users (ink vendor) of such bottles (Covill 1971).

The square, colorless "house" or "school house" ink (popular collector terms for these more generic "roofed" - beveled or flat sloped shoulder - ink bottles) pictured to the right is embossed with CAW'S INK / NEW YORK on one side panel as shown in the image (Nelson & Hurley 1967; Covill 1971). Ink bottles with this type of distinctive beveled shoulders were usually called "square carmines" (carmine = red ink), "beveled shoulder square carmines" or just "carmines" by bottle makers. The general style was commonly made by many makers as mouth-blown items during the period beginning in the 1860s and continuing through the 1910s (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1880; Hamilton Co. 1898; Whitney Glass Works 1904; Illinois Glass Co. 1903, 1911; Covill 1971). The carmine style also made the leap onto automatic machines with a very similar look (and name) being made until at least the 1940s (Fairmount Glass Co. ca. 1930; Lucas County Bottle Co. ca. 1940s). Although the style was called a "carmine" by bottle makers, they were also used for other ink colors (Covill 1971).

Back to the pictured bottle...Caw's Ink & Pen Company (they also made fountain pens) began business with that name in 1886 and continued at least until World War 1. This company's trademark was a crow sitting on an ink bottle similar to this example (Information source: http://www.kamakurapens.com/Caws/Caws.html). This bottle has a tooled patent style finish, was blown in a cup-base mold, is 2" (5.1 cm) tall, and appears to lack evidence of mold air venting. Given the company begin date noted, the evidence (except for a lack of air venting) points towards a likely manufacturing range of 1890 and 1910. Click base view to see the cup-base mold produced base. An illustration of the "carmine" style ink bottle being offered by the Illinois Glass Co. in 1906 is available at this link: IGCo. 1906 catalog pages 104-105. They offered four sizes ranging from 1/2 to 4 ounces. An example of a very large (10 oz.) carmine style ink bottle of unknown origin is covered further down the page.

The colorless (faintly manganese dioxide induced "pink") ink bottle pictured to the left is embossed on three sides with C. HIRSTEL & Co / STATIONERS / PORTLAND, OGN. "OGN" was an abbreviation for Oregon which was vogue during the 1870s to mid 1890s (empirical observations). This rounded shoulder type square ink was referred to as a "round shouldered carmine" ink bottle by bottle makers, although like the beveled shoulder example listed above, the style was used for more than just red ink (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1880; Covill 1971). This bottle (which is commonly encountered as an unembossed bottle also) is 2.5" (6.7 cm) tall, had a tooled patent (almost prescription) finish, was blown in a cup-base mold, and has no obvious evidence of mold air venting. Click on the following links for more images of this bottle: base view; the other two sides of this bottle. No history is available about Hirstel & Co. stationary shop although the bottle likely dates from the 1875 to 1885 based on the diagnostic features (listed below), the OGN abbreviation, and the context it was found. (The company and this bottle could be further researched via Portland/Oregon business directories which are available at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland - http://www.ohs.org.) As noted in the introduction to this section, stationary shops (aka "stationers") were common purveyors of bottled ink.

The commonly encountered ink bottle pictured to the right is a machine-made square ink that is fairly decorative in design. It is embossed on the base with SANFORD'S / 276. It also has embossing on three of the body sides: 2 OZ. - SMCo (intertwined monogram) - 2 OZ. Click base view to see such showing the noted embossing. This bottle has some manufacturing similarities to the two machine-made cylindrical ink bottles discussed in the box above. Specifically, it has a vertical side mold seam that ends at a horizontal seam that encircles the outside of the bead type lip as well as a horizontal mold seam encircling the bottle shoulder where the lower ring below the neck base meets the upper edge of the shoulder (these are pointed out in the larger image one gets by clicking on the image to the right). This indicates the unusual machine-mold conformation that formed the finish, neck, and upper shoulder in the ring (parison) mold, as discussed above. This bottle most likely dates from between 1910 and 1930. Click 1928 Sanford's Ink advertisement to see such which shows a very similar ink bottle in one of that companies ads.

The Sanford's Manufacturing Company (aka Sanford's Ink Co.) began in 1857 (MA.) as an ink and glue manufacturer and is still in business today. For more information, see the company's history page at this link: Sanford history. Sanford's produced a very wide variety of machine-made ink and bulk/master ink bottle types and shapes during the first half of the 20th century, though did produce some mouth-blown ones prior to the 1910s (Covill 1971). Various types of square, machine-made ink bottle similar to this with one or two rings at the base of the neck (though certainly not all embossed like this example) were commonly produced from the 1910s to the 1940s although later ones were also made with external screw threads (Illinois Glass Co. 1924; Fairmount Glass Co. ca. 1930). For scores of images of Sanford's ink bottles visit the Sanford's Ink bottles page of the website 1001 Ink Bottles.

The cobalt blue, square ink bottle pictured to the left is also a machine-made example Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view; straight on view of one side; close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish.

Other images of square/rectangular ink bottles are available by clicking on the following links:

Large "carmine" style ink bottle - This is a large (3.8" [9.8 cm] tall and 2.5" [6.5 cm] to a side) carmine style (aka "schoolhouse") ink bottle that holds a full 10 ounces (the author measured it) which puts it into the bulk ink category although of an ink bottle shape. The bore was ground on the inside to fit a matching glass stopper (stopper missing) indicating its a possible use as a reusable ink well. The bottle is of colorless (faint straw tinted) glass, has a tooled bead type finish, and was blown in a cup-base mold which appears to have not been air vented. It was most likely produced between 1890 and 1905. Click on the following links for more views of this bottle: base view showing the absence of embossing or mold seams; close-up of the distinctive beveled shoulder typical of the carmine style. This image shows the frosted appearance to the inside of the neck indicative of the bore having been ground for a glass stopper. Carmine inks with glass stoppers were a common offering of bottle makers during the last quarter of the 19th century into the early 20th (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1879,1909; Haggerty Bros. 1898).
English burst-off finish rectangular ink - These are a commonly encountered ink bottle type which are sometimes referred to by collectors as "boat ink" bottles although the resemblance is vague. There are many variations of this largely English-made style though they are usually rectangular (sometimes square) in shape, typically have a crudely burst-off straight finish (sometimes with cursory grinding to smooth out the sharpness of the rim - like the pictured example), blown in cup-base molds, and have distinctive grooves on two opposite sides of the body to set a pen upon (Covill 1971; empirical observations). The majority of the bottles are either aqua glass although colors can range from colorless to many shades of green and amber, to cobalt blue. Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view; end view; side view.
More additions in the future...

Multi-sided (more than four sides): This a large and varied class of ink bottles bound together by having more than four flattened body sides or panels. Typically the body panel conformations are either "conical" (picture to the left; bodies narrowing dramatically from the heel to the shoulder) or "vertical" (examples further below; bodies roughly equal in diameter at the heel and shoulder). Once again, there are hundreds of not thousands of different and often subtle variations of multi-sided ink bottle theme (Covill 1971) with only a few of the more common shapes covered here.

Conical bodies: Probably the most commonly encountered members of this group - particularly from historic sites dating before 1890 - are the "umbrella" ink bottles (image above left). These were also called "pyramid," "fluted pyramid," or "fluted cone stands" by glassmakers (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1879; Hagerty Bros. & Co. 1898; Robert Alther 1909). "Umbrella ink" is probably a collector term from more recent times although it is so ubiquitous that it will be used here also. The group pictured above are typical having eight equal sides - the most common configuration - though examples with 6, 10, 12, and 16 sixteen sides have also been recorded (Covill 1971). The pictured bottles are known to date from 1865 as they were recovered from the Steamship Republic� which sank off the coast of Georgia during late October of that year. (Photo by George Salmon Photography, courtesy of Odyssey Marine Exploration.) This is an interesting group in that they all date from the same time (none are pontiled scarred) but were finished in three different fashions: the two on the left have rolled finishes, the dark amber in the back has a cracked-off or burst-off finish, and the aqua example to the far right has an applied finish.

Umbrella inks were made for a very long time starting at least as early as 1840 to as late 1909 (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1879; 1902, 1911; Haggerty Brothers 1898; Robert Alther 1909; Cumberland Glass Co. 1911; McKearin & Wilson 1978). In the Whitall Tatum & Co. catalogs the "fluted pyramid" umbrella ink bottles disappear sometime between the 1902 and 1909 catalogs, although they were significantly waning in popularity to the cone ink and other styles beginning by the 1880s. By the late 1890s they were an insignificant minority of ink bottles produced (empirical observations). The author has never observed a machine-made umbrella ink (except some modern reproductions some of which are marked JAPAN on the base) and the style is thought to have disappeared prior to the introduction of bottle machines capable of produced narrow neck bottles (Covill 1971).

The typical height for most umbrella inks is around 2.3" to 2.5", though ranges from about 2" for the smallest size up to a bit over 3" for the largest ones (Covill 1971). Umbrella inks were made in a myriad of glass colors - essentially any color that a bottle was blown it during the 19th century. Aqua is by far the most commonly used color, though the spectrum is very wide as indicated by the image at this link - umbrella ink color variety - which shows examples ranging from colorless to various shades of amber and green to cobalt blue.

The umbrella ink pictured to the right is an early American example dating from the 1840s or early 1850s. It was most likely made by a New England glass house, although it could also have been produced by a Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York maker. It is 2.5" tall, was blown in a "key base" mold, has a blowpipe type pontil scar, and no evidence of air venting. It has a straight finish that was likely cracked off from the blowpipe then re-heated and tooled a bit to make a smoother finish. Click on the following links to see more images of this ink bottle: base view which shows the "key" mold base seam (squared notch in the vicinity of the pontil scar); close-up of the upper shoulder, neck and finish showing more clearly the vague ridge that indicates the point where the top of the mold ended.

The aqua umbrella ink pictured to the left is a much later version dating most likely from the 1890s though could be from the very first years of the 20th century. This dating estimate is based in part on the context it was found as well as some manufacturing related diagnostic features, i.e., the later tooled one-part finish, production in a cup-base mold, limited crudeness to the glass and a "sharper" appearance to the lines of the glass as compared to the earlier (pre-1870s) examples. This example also has some light patination to the surface of the glass from being buried for over 100 years. Click on base view to see the base of this bottle which has the absence of mold seams typical of cup-base mold produced bottles. This example also has part of the original cork closure and some dried contents visible - and what appears to be dried black ink.

The following multi-sided ink bottles have vertical body sides instead of the inwardly tapering (towards the shoulder) bodies of the umbrella inks discussed above.

Vertical bodies: The other major grouping of multi-sided inks are those with more or less vertical sides, where the diameter of of the base and the shoulder are about the same. This style was most popular during the mid-19th century, i.e., from about 1835 to 1865 (Covill 1865) though there are many exceptions one type of which is covered below (empirical observations). Some multi-sided, vertical body ink bottles were also made by automatic bottle machines but most inks of that era are cylindrical or 4-sided (square and rectangular).

The twelve sided ink bottle pictured to the right is an early (1840s or 1850s) example that has a blowpipe pontil scar, a cracked-off/sheared finish that was rolled or folded inwards, is about 2" tall, and has a crudeness to the glass supporting its early manufacture. Most multi-sided inks of this general shape and age were made in aqua glass, though examples can be found in a multitude of colors, like the deep blue-green of the illustrated example (Covill 1971; McKearin & Wilson 1978). (Photo courtesy of American Glass Auctions.)

The octagonal ink bottles pictured to the left are English in origin. These bottles were burst-off from the blowpipe and received no additional finishing which resulted in the very crude and sharp finish visible in the image (click to enlarge). This method of "finishing" a bottle was common with cheap, mouth-blown, utilitarian bottles made in England in the late 1800s to as late as 1920 (Boow 1991:60). Click labeled English ink to view an identical example from the same era (around 1900) with the original label indicating its use by an English ink producer for rubber stamp ink. These bottles also have a vague makers mark on the base (not visible in image) that resembles the goal posts on a football field. This mark is certainly one used by a yet unknown English glass company as bases with this mark are documented to have been found in the Ravensbourne River at Deptford, Wiltshire, England (Toulouse 1971:557). Although English-made, these type bottles are commonly encountered in North America and are one of most typical bottles to be found with a burst-off finish.

Other images of multi-sided (more than four sides) ink bottles are available by clicking on the following links:

Green umbrella ink with distinct shoulder (near right image) - The pictured eight-sided umbrella ink is from around 1845 to 1860, has a blowpipe pontil scar on the base, a rolled or folded finish, and is quite crude as most bottles of this era were. This style of umbrella ink is a variant with a more distinct shoulder ridge than the others pictured here. Click on base view to view the distinct blowpipe pontil scar and fairly distinct "key base" two-piece mold seam which arches towards the bottom of the bottle in this image.
Early amber umbrella ink (far right image) - This is an 1850s umbrella ink was made by an unknown glass company east of the Mississippi River. How do I know it was made east of the Mississippi? Because there weren't any glass companies west of that great river until the 1860s. It has a cracked-off/sheared and re-fired straight finish, blow-pipe pontil scar, a very crude though glossy body that indicates the entire bottle was likely fire polished - probably when the finish was re-heated. This generally smoothed out the lines of the bottle as is visible in a comparison of the green umbrella with the amber example. Click on base view to see the blowpipe pontil scar and a close-up of the glossy surface appearance to the base also.
Labeled and pontiled umbrella ink (far right image below) - As the label of this bottle shows, it contained "Jet Black Ink for School Use." This is an 1850-1860 umbrella ink with a rolled finish, has a blowpipe pontil scar, was blown in a true two-piece mold, and is deep aqua in color. It of the style - an umbrella which is a bit more compact in the body making it appear taller - very popular during the mid-19th century. (Photo courtesy Glass Works Auctions.)
HARRISON'S / COLUMBIAN / INK (image to the immediate right) - This is a grouping is of three different colors of the Harrison's Columbian Ink - a fairly popular ink during the mid-19th century given the number examples that are seen today. They all have vertical 8 sided bodies, blow-pipe pontil scars, cracked-off/sheared and rolled finishes and date from the late 1840s to early 1860s period. These bottles were made for Apollos W. Harrison who was a Philadelphia dealer in "books, maps and ink" from about 1847 to 1877 (McKearin & Wilson 1978). For close-up images of two of the pictured bottles (which were most typically made in aqua glass) click on the following links: blue example; blue example base; light green example; light green example base which also shows the distinct mold seam equally dissecting the base indicating production in a true two-piece mold. (Photos courtesy of American Bottle Auctions.)
HARRISON'S / COLUMBIA / INK (image to immediate right) - Another common example from the same producer discussed above, this bottle may well be a very small "bulk" or "master" ink (covered below). These ink bottles come in many sizes ranging from 2.5" (1 oz.) up to a gallon size at a large 11.5" tall (McKearin & Wilson 1978). The pictured example is aqua in color, 3.6" tall, 2" in diameter with eight equal vertical sides, a crudely applied two part collared ring finish (the closest fit to the finish styles described elsewhere on this site), a very distinct blowpipe style pontil scar, and was blown in an apparent (hard to say for sure) two piece post-bottom mold with no evidence of mold air venting. Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view showing the protruding and very tubular blowpipe pontil scar; view of reverse side showing the word PATENT embossed on the shoulder. It is not known as to what the patent was for, though likely the ink itself not the bottle. These bottles are known to have been made at several South New Jersey glasshouses including Whitney Brothers and Isabella Glass Works (Covill 1971).
Vertical 8-sided ink with flared finish (image to far right above) - This is an unembossed, small (under 3"), glass-tipped pontiled, octagonal paneled ink bottle that likely dates from the 1860s. It is unusual in that it was apparently blown in a cup-base mold as there is no evidence of a mold seam across the base. Click base view to see the base and the pontil scar. Some significant use of cup-base molds in ink bottle production has been noted by the author at a much earlier era - 1860s - than virtually any other bottle style.
...more to come in the future including some additional non-pontiled, later examples...

Other shapes: There were, of course, many other types and shapes of ink bottles. Distinctive or attractive packaging seemed to have been a common theme in the production of ink bottles, driven by customer demand and glass company ingenuity. A quick look through Covill (1971) indicates categories such as "barrel shaped," "cabin & House shaped," "domed with central neck," or simply "odd shaped" ink bottles. Some commonly encountered or interesting types will be covered briefly in this section.

One of the most commonly encountered "other" styles of ink bottles are the "domed with offset neck" style (Covill 1971) which are simply called an "igloo" or "turtle" ink by collectors - names which are suggested by the shape (Nelson & Hurley 1967). Period glass companies called this general shape the "fountain," "monitor" (after the Civil War ship), or "fluted fountain" for those with a faceted lower side like the examples pictured above (Whitall Tatum 1880; Robert Alther 1909; Freeman 1964; Covill 1971). I'll just call them igloo inks here. Igloo inks were very popular and extensively used for at least 35 to 40 years - 1865 through into the early 1900s - particularly in schools. Since this distinctive style is unknown with either pontil scars or as machine-made bottles, this supports the noted date range well (Covill 1971; empirical observations).

The two ink bottles pictured above and again to the right are typical - and the most commonly encountered - examples of igloo ink bottles (empirical observations). These are embossed on the paneled lower sides with J & I E M which are the initials for the J. & I. E. Moore - a large ink producing concern located in Warren, MA. This firm allegedly first patented the shape on October 31st, 1865; the earliest examples have that patent date - but not number - embossed on the domed portion of the body. A check of Google Patents� did not, however, locate any patent for any ink bottle being issued on that date. Be that as it may, the J&IEM igloo inks are thought to be the first of the style with scores of imitations (example below) being produced through the end of the 19th century and a bit beyond as noted earlier (Alther 1909).

The pictured bottles are around 1.75" tall and 2" to 2.25" in diameter; click base view to see such. Both examples pictured were blown in cup-base molds and lack evidence of mold air venting which is a common feature of , though they were each finished differently. The example on the right above, which is probably the earliest of the two, has a rough burst -off finish which received only the slightest amount of rim grinding to remove some of the sharp edges. The other example (left) has a standard tooled finish. These bottles are by far most commonly seen in aqua color, though they can range widely from colorless to various shades of green and amber to even cobalt blue (Nelson & Hurley 1967; empirical observations). Click amber J & I E M ink to see a dark amber example that also has a tooled finish.

Other images of "other shapes" of ink bottles are available by clicking on the following links:

DAVID'S igloo ink - This is a subtle variation on the igloo ink theme though not from J. & I. E. Moore. It is embossed DAVID'S on the front which was certainly for the Thaddeus Davids Co. of New York, N. Y. (Covill 1971). It also has a burst-off finish, probably blown in a cup-base mold (unknown for sure), an dates from the 1865 to 1885 period. Click reverse view to see the backside of this same bottle. (Photos courtesy of American Bottle Auctions.)
Barrel ink bottles - Another somewhat popular genre of ink bottles were barrel shaped. The style was reportedly first marketed during William H. Harrison's' presidential campaign in 1840 (a barrel of hard cider being part of his campaign imagery) with various barrel versions made up until around 1900; no machine-made versions are known (Covill 1971; empirical observations). Probably the most successful inks producers to use a barrel shaped bottle (aqua bottle to the far right) was William E. Bonney of South Hanover, MA. This bottle is embossed with W. E. BONNEY and were used from establishment in 1865 (pontiled examples are known but uncommon) up until the late 1800s in at least four sizes up to one quart (Covill 1971; empirical observations). Click another Bonney ink bottle to see a similar sized example close up. Both bottles are about 2" tall, smooth base, probably blown in a true two-piece mold, and have both a rolled finish (image to right; ca. 1865-1875) and a tooled patent finish (link above; ca. 1875-1885). (Images from eBay�)
The colorless example left of the Bonney ink is a commonly encountered barrel shaped ink, though with the barrel lying on its side instead up upright like the Bonney ink. The style was apparently first patented in 1865 with a later patent in 1870. This example has a tooled patent type finish, smooth base, and dates from the 1870s most likely. It is embossed with PAT OCT 17 1865 on the underside. Click 1870 barrel ink patent to see the original March 1st, 1870 patent which was granted to Alonzo French of Philadelphia, PA. who also owned the 1865 patent, according to the patent narrative. (The 1865 patent could not be located.) The improvement of the 1870 patent was to replace the 1865 patented base ridges or "feet" with a flat bottomed pedestal for more stability. It is not known if both styles were made concurrently, but it is likely.
...more add later...

Dating summary/notes: Generally speaking, the dating of these type bottles based on manufacturing related diagnostic features follows most of the guidelines presented throughout this website and summarized on the Bottle Dating page; see that page for more information. A few ink bottle specific manufacturing related diagnostic features and dating trends have been noted by the author and are discussed as follows:

Small ink bottles were one of the earlier bottle types to have tooled finishes in relatively common usage - a consistent featured noted for relatively small bottles. Similar to druggist and some small medicine bottles, ink bottles appear to have been first completed with the tooled finishing method by the early 1870s. The transition from applied to tooled finishes is covered in more depth in a section of the Bottle Finishing main page.
Small ink bottles were finished with the ultra-simple burst-off/cracked-off finishes (which is largely an "unfinished" mouth-blown finish) for a lengthy period of time from at least the early 1860s until the 1920s (Covill 1971; Boow 1991; empirical observations). For example, the bottles pictured above are known to date from 1865 as they were recovered from the Steamship Republic� which sank off the coast of Georgia during late October of that year. (Photo by George Salmon Photography, courtesy of Odyssey Marine Exploration.) This is an interesting group in that they all date from the same time (and none are pontiled scarred) but were finished in three different fashions: the two on the left have rolled finishes, the dark amber example in the back has a cracked-off or burst-off finish, and the aqua example to the far right has an applied finish (Gerth pers. comm. 2009). Given this wide range of use, this finishing type is not very useful for specific dating.
Small ink bottles are among the earliest bottles to be blown with some regularity in cup-base molds. Cup mold bases are seen on ink bottles from the 1860s onwards, particularly on igloo inks and some other sided inks (Covill 1971; empirical observations).
Small mouth-blown ink bottles seem to lack mold air venting marks on bottles that date from the period when other larger mouth-blown would exhibit air venting, i.e., the late 1880s to through the 1910s (empirical observations). Why? Possibly because the mold to produce small ink bottles were also small and the need to have air venting diminished due to little air needing to be vented from these very small mold.
Early machine-made ink bottles have a side mold seam idiosyncrasy which is often confusing to people, i.e., the upper side mold seam sometimes ends short of the finish rim making the bottle appear as though it might be mouth-blown with a tooled or even applied finish, depending on the mold configuration. See the Machine-made ink bottles: A vertical side mold seam anomaly discussion earlier on this page for more information.
Small machine-made ink bottles are a type (along with druggist/pharmaceutical bottles) which commonly utilized cork closures a bit later than many other bottle types, i.e., into at least the mid 1930s. By the early 1920s, external screw thread finishes were probably the dominant finish on ink bottles with cork designed finishes largely disappearing by the late 1930s (Illinois Glass Co. 1920, 1926; Fairmount Glass Works ca. 1930; Munsey 1970; empirical observations).

Ink bottles (bulk sizes)

Bulk ink bottles are also referred to as "master inks" and are differentiated - somewhat arbitrarily - by being 5" or more in height. There are definitely bulk ink sizes which are under 5" in height (like this 3.6" tall HARRISON'S / COLUMBIA / INK), though 5" makes a fairly good breaking point as far as height is concerned for the majority of bulk inks (Covill 1971). One other consideration is that bulk ink bottles tend to have narrower bores than ink bottles since they were not intended to be used to directly fill fountain pens or dip ones quill into (empirical observations). Bulk inks were generally made in half pint, pint and quart sizes although other sizes within this range are not uncommon; sizes larger than a quart are extremely unusual but exist (Covill 1971).

Bulk ink bottles were used to fill inkwells and, to some degree, ink bottles ("economy" ink wells). These bottles - especially those without a pouring spout of some type (as shown in the image to the right) or without embossing indicating the use by an ink producer or seller - are often referred to as "utility" bottles since they could have been used for a wide array of non-carbonated liquid products. The only way to tell if a "utility" bottle was used for ink is if the bottle is still labeled indicating such use or it has a pouring spout which is a strongly indicative diagnostic feature of a bulk ink (Covill 1971; empirical observations). Utility bottles are covered later on this page.

Cylindrical: A large majority of bulk ink bottles are cylindrical in cross-section (Nelson & Hurley 1967; Covill 1971; empirical observations).

The pictured bottles to the left at the beginning of this section above are known to date from 1865 as they were recovered from the Steamship Republic� which sank off the coast of Georgia during late October of that year. (Photo by George Salmon Photography, courtesy of Odyssey Marine Exploration.)

The two small (approximately 6" tall) bulk ink or utility bottles to the left... Click on the following links to see more images of these bottles: base view... ; close-up of the shoulder, neck and finishes...

The small (4.25" tall, 1.5" in diameter) olive green bottle pictured to the right is a commonly encountered utility bottle type (usually in aqua glass, less commonly in other colors like olive green) that was also commonly used for ink, as well as medicines and other liquid products. This particular bottle dates from the 1840s or 1850s, was blown in a true two-piece "hinge mold," Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view showing the blowpipe style pontil scar over a true two-piece mold seam (aka "hinge mold"); close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish showing the very thin and delicate flared finish which was formed by re-heating and tooling (with some simple tool like a jack) the glass remaining after blowpipe removal.

The medium blue-green bulk ink bottle pictured to the Click to view more images of this bottle:

The tall ( ") deep cobalt blue bottle to the right is a likely bulk ink bottle, though once again it is not embossed or labeled to such an effect and could have contained other non-ink (and non-carbonated) liquid products. Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view (post bottom or base mold production though the seams may not be visible); close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish showing....

Another general form seen in early to mid-20th century machine-made bulk ink bottles is the amber bottle to the left. It has a slightly bulging shoulder and lower body and several makers used similarly shaped bottles during the noted era. This bottle is 6" tall and 2.4" in diameter, machine-made with a crown type finish, and is embossed with SANFORD'S INKS / HALF PINT / & LIBRARY PASTE. Click on the following links to see more examples of this bottle: base view showing (faintly) the diamond makers mark which probably indicates production by the Illinois Glass Co. (Alton, IL.); close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish...

Other shapes: The most common non-cylindrical shape for bulk ink bottles are those with vertical, equal-sided paneled bodies; 6, 8 and 12 sides being most observed. Bottles which are square or rectangular in cross-section are very unusual; those that are oval are unknown (Nelson & Hurley 1967; Covill 1971; empirical observations).

A very commonly seen bulk ink bottle from the 1920s is the very decorative cobalt blue bottle pictured.... (Munsey 1970). Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: view of three sizes of these gothic style ink bottles; view of the bases of the three sizes.

Dating summary/notes: The dating of these type bottles based on manufacturing related diagnostic features very closely follow the guidelines presented throughout this website and summarized on the Bottle Dating page; see that page for more information. There are no significant bottle type specific, manufacturing related diagnostic features or dating trends that have been noted by the author.

Inkwells

Inkwells were produced in a wide - almost dizzying - array of designs....

The inkwell pictured to the left above was produced by the Coventry Glass Works (CN.) during the 1820s to 1830s period (McKearin & McKearin 1941). This ink was blown in a three-piece leaf mold, has a blow-pipe pontil scar on the base, and is 1.4"/3.7 cm tall and 2.25"/5.8 cm in diameter. This - and similar inkwells - have a design that is referred to as a "geometric" pattern and were an imitation of English or Irish cut glassware of the period (McKearin & Wilson 1978).

The very small (about 1.1"/2.9 cm tall and ) early aqua cylindrical inkwell pictured to the right dates from the 1830s or 1840s based on the context of where it was uncovered in New Orleans, LA. Specifically, this ink bottle was produced without the aid of a mold (i.e., free-blown) and has a glass-tipped pontil scar on the base. It has a very cheap utilitarian look to it as compared to the geometric inkwell shown above, but has the same basic configuration... Click on base view to see the noted pontil scar.

The cobalt blue ink well pictured to the left is what is known as a "teakettle" ink well. It dates between about 1875 and 1890. (Photo courtesy of Glass Works Auctions.) These type ink wells usually had burst-off finishes which was variably ground down, though as shown, was usually covered by the ring and cap (cap missing on this example) that sealed the bottle when not being used to inhibit evaporation of the contents.

This style has been called an "igloo and spout" style by collectors (Nelson & Hurley 1967). It is covered in Covill (1971) under "Fountain Inkwells (misc.)" and there were numerous similar versions made by various manufacturers. The bottle pictured to the right is a Morgan's Patent July 16th, 1867 example.... Click to view more images of this inkwell: base view showing the shape of the bottle and the patent date; finish view showing the ground rim.

Again it must be stated that the category of bottles covered on this webpage (Household Bottles [non-food related]) is very large and diverse. Like all of the bottle "typing" (typology) pages connected to the main Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes page, this page just scratched the surface as to the total diversity of these bottle types. It does, however, cover the primary styles that were most commonly used and encountered within an archaeological context. This page has also somewhat emphasized mouth-blown bottles since that subject is of more familiarity to the author of this website than later 20th century, machine-made items. However, though the automated bottle production era also had incredible variety, it was not as diverse as the mouth-blown era since shape standardization and simplification was typical of machine manufacturing. Also, bottle body embossing became much less frequent on machine-made bottles and a significant amount of the diversity of the mouth-blown production era was the different proprietary embossing on essentially the same shapes of bottles.

This website created and managed by:
Bill Lindsey
Bureau of Land Management (retired) - Klamath Falls, Oregon
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Copyright � 2010 Bill Lindsey. All rights reserved. Viewers are encouraged, for personal or classroom use, to download limited copies of posted material. No material may be copied for commercial purposes. Author reserves the right to update this information as appropriate.