Medicinal Bottles

Medicinal bottles are probably the largest and most diverse group of bottles produced during the era covered by this website - the 19th through mid 20th centuries. To quote Fike (1987) on medicine bottles - "Literally hundreds of thousands of brands and variations of vessels were manufactured..." during the noted era. This variety is not too surprising since one's health was (and still is) probably the most important personal issue of all time, made even more important during the era of primitive medical knowledge and practices and universal ignorance about hygiene and even the causes of disease. As noted in the opening line of Odell (2000), "Medicine is as old as man, no doubt born of necessity and wrought by trial and error." Self-medication was often all that could be had by most people and the ability of doctors to help a person - if they were even available - was very limited and their training and/or backgrounds often suspect. Thus, the allure of patent or proprietary medicines (Young 1961).

The picture at the top of the page shows just a tiny bit of medicinal bottle diversity which is frankly staggering in depth and variety as virtually any shape imaginable was used at some point. The bottle pictured to the left is a mid-19th century medicine with a general shape (rectangular with indented panels) that was used for tens of thousands of different medicinal products from the mid-19th century until at least the Depression in the 20th century. Though intimidating in its immense diversity there are some useful trends in shapes that mark a bottle as very likely to have been used primarily or originally as a container for some type of medicinal product. The breadth of variety within the medicinal bottle category is indicated by Fike (1987) dividing his classic book (The Bottle Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Historic, Embossed Medicine Bottles) into over 40 different "product" chapters, ranging from "bitters" to "cures" to "purifiers" and many more. Within each chapter is a listing of hundreds of different embossed bottles with many times more embossed ones not addressed by Fike's book. Add in the fact that most bottles were not embossed with product or company names (probably less than 40% as late as 1890) and one can understand how this website can not cover but a sampling of the medicinal bottles one could find.

Owl Poison bottle from the early 20th century; click to enlarge.

This section also includes druggist bottles (aka pharmacy, drugstore, or prescription bottles) due to their close connection to the other types of medicinal bottles. Most of the many thousands of local druggists during the 19th and early 20th century typically concocted their own medicinal compounds to sell from their stores utilizing proprietary druggist or prescription bottles, i.e., bottles with the druggist or store name, address, city/state, and/or other information or a graphic feature (Feldhaus 1987). There were likely ten's of thousands of different embossed druggist bottles made between the 1870s and 1920s - the heyday of the proprietary druggist bottle. This section also includes chemical and "poison" bottles which, of course, contained liquids that were not for human consumption but were sold and/or distributed by some of the same companies as medicinal bottles (e.g., The Owl Drug Company - example to the right). Poisons could have been covered also under the "Household (non-food related)" or "Miscellaneous Bottle Types" sections below, but are covered here because since some "poisons" were used for external human use (e.g., witch hazel, denatured alcohol).

Medicinal bottles were similar to liquor bottles (another very diverse category) in that bottle design was not inherently constrained by some quality of the contained product, i.e., the contents were not typically carbonated which demanded heavier glass and typically a round body shape. (One exception was citrate of magnesia which was usually carbonated and bottled in heavier almost soda-like bottles.) Generally speaking the glass thickness of medicinal bottles is distinctly less than for soda/mineral water, beer, champagne, and most wine bottles. That is a diagnostic feature that can be useful in bottle fragment identification at times. Most medicinal bottles also had a narrow neck and mouth (aka bore or throat) since this conformation was most useful for pouring out the typically liquid contents. A narrow neck and bore likely limited evaporation through or around the cork also. (Note: Various medicines were made in ointment form for external use so these type bottles had wide mouths for accessing the contents.) Beyond the glass thickness and neck attributes - which are of course not medicinal group unique characteristics - there is little else that physically differentiates the extremely diverse medicinal bottle group from other groups. The added strength inherent in a round (cross section) body was rarely an issue with medicinals so the limitations on overall shape were much reduced and the possible variety multiplied many fold.

Drakes Plantation Bitters from the 1870s; click to enlarge.

The history of the patent and proprietary medicine industry is an exceptionally interesting subject though beyond the scope of this website, which covers primarily just the bottles - like the cabin shaped "bitters" bottle to the left which dates from the 1860s or 1870s. If interested, users are directed to consult some of the various publications noted below or check some of the references mentioned throughout this page. However, a few notable early 20th century historical events have some relevance to the dating and typing of medicinal bottles, as follows:

The Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 (effective January 1, 1907): The Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 imposed regulations on the labeling of products containing alcohol, morphine, opium, cocaine, heroin, alpha or beta eucaine, chloroform, Cannabis indica, chloral hydrate, or acetanilide. It required that products containing any of those substances be labeled with the substance and quantity on the label. Use of the word "cure" for most medicines was nominally prohibited, though there were little teeth in the law and enforcement was rare. However, the word "cure" began to be replaced by "remedy" and other terms about this time, though "cure" was still used at least up to the passage of the next discussed law in 1912 - the Sherley Amendment (Fike 1987).

NOTE: From implementation of the above Act (1907) until the early to mid 1910s, virtually all patent medicines were required to meet the requirements of the law and be labeled with the following notation - "This product guaranteed under the Pure Food and Drugs Act, June 30th, 1906." Thus, labeled bottles (it was never embossed on bottles to the knowledge of the author) with this notation do not date prior to 1907 and appear to not date after - or much after - the passage of the following act in 1912 (Fike 1987; empirical observations).

The Sherley Amendment to the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1912): The Pure Food & Drugs Act was considerably strengthened with passage of the Sherley Amendment in 1912. According the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) website - Congress enacts the Sherley Amendment to prohibit the labeling of medicines with false therapeutic claims intended to defraud the purchaser, a standard difficult to prove. The use of the word "cure" was largely curtailed and this is for all intents and purposes the end date for patent medicine bottles for human use that are embossed (or labeled) with "cure." However, enforcement was still not complete and some use of the term most likely did occur after 1912-1913, although not likely embossed on bottles after this point. One of the first patent medicine producers to be prosecuted in 1913 was William Radam's Microbe Killer (pictured and discussed later on this page) whose bottles claimed boldly to "Cure All Diseases." The company lost their case and the Microbe Killer - and most other "cures" - faded quickly from the market (Young 1967).

Early 20th century proprietary citrate bottle; click to enlarge.

This "Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles" page is divided somewhat arbitrarily into the categories and subcategories listed below, with the "Patent/Proprietary Medicinal Bottles" easily being the most diverse group of shapes. Some bottle groupings naturally fall out as separate - milk bottles, fruit jars, liquor flasks, Hutchinson sodas, and many others. However, many of the most recognized and accepted categories of medicinal bottles have been established primarily because someone wrote a definitive book on that grouping. Though not all of these medicinal bottle categories or types are addressed as separate categories on this page, examples of this phenomena include Blasi's book on "balsam" bottles, Watson and later Ring/Ham on "bitters" bottles, Jensen with "Owl Drug Company" bottles, Agee on "cures", Nielsen and later Odell for "pontiled medicines", Shimko and later DeGrafft for "sarsaparillas", and others which are noted and referenced on this page (and for that matter, throughout this website relative to other types of bottles). No author has written a reference book on "Citrate of Magnesia" bottles, like The Owl Drug Co. example pictured to the right, though there was at least one book on that company's array of medicinal bottles (Jensen 1967).

A user must be cognizant of the fact that the number of exceptions to this or any medicinal bottle classification is so large that it defies any systematic organization system; there simply was too much variety. Instead, the point of this webpage is to cover major stylistic bottle types that are at least somewhat closely identified with a particular product and to just provide a general overview on the universe of medicine bottles. When referring to the collective grouping of categories covered on the "Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles" page, they are usually just referred to as "medicinal bottles" unless a distinction is necessary.

There have been published numerous books on the subject of the patent medicine era and/or bottles which are very informative and often quite entertaining. Some particularly interesting ones are listed here, all of which are out of print though most are available via used book websites on the internet:

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. Medicinal bottles are listed primarily on pages 22-35, 42-53, 94-103.

Patent/Proprietary Medicinal Bottles

The general group of patent and proprietary medicine bottles certainly includes the largest number of different shapes within the massive group of bottles covered by this webpage. Very few 19th and early 20th century medicines were actually formally patented; thus, the use of the term "proprietary" as most of these products were simply the proprietary product of a particular individual or company (AMA 1912). Although technically incorrect, the generic term "patent medicine" was and continues to be the most commonly used name applied to remedial agents sold without prescription and the term is still associated with this group of bottles (Munsey 1970; Fike 1987). Incidentally, the first patent issued for a medicinal product in the U.S. was in 1796 to Samuel Lee, Jr. of Windham, CN. for his "bilious pills" (Young 1962; Fike 1987).

Patent & proprietary medicines can be divided into an assortment of functional groups, i.e., divided into categories based on what class of medicinal product the bottle was likely used for. Dozens of "categories" that could be covered separately are not simply because there are too many. Fike (1987) used over 40 categories in his classic medicinal book! This webpage will only cover a few common categories and a few variations within those categories to show a sampling of the bottle shapes and designs that were used for patent/proprietary medicines. Other references, like those noted above and on the References page, must be consulted to get a more complete picture of the scope of this group of bottles and the history behind them.

Bitters & Tonics

During the period from the 1840s through the first several decades of the 20th century, "bitters" and "tonics" were very common medicinal products that almost always contained alcohol, very often in a high proportion. For example, Hostetter's Bitters was 39% alcohol (78 proof) in the early 20th century and at one point ranged as high as 47% (Fike 1987). Click Hostetter's label to view an original label noting the alcohol content of that product and the "reasons" why it was that high. Bitters and the related "tonics" were presumably originated during the 18th century in England as way to avoid the heavy taxes on liquor by adding various harsh tasting herbs to gin, claiming medicinal qualities, and calling it "bitters." Even though these taxes were eventually reduced or eliminated, the bitters industry found a niche in England and continued to expand in popularity, including in the U.S. during the 19th century. The popularity of these products in the U.S. was also boosted by taxation, including the Revenue Act of 1862 which taxed the alcohol in liquor more onerously than medicines (Heetderks 2002). As that author noted - "The celebrated claims of a specific remedy and cure were always more enjoyed when one experienced a reassuring warm glow. Also, for many years women as well as men regarded whiskey as essential for health."

Bitters and tonics as a group, like many patent/proprietary medicines, claimed to cure or treat virtually every disease known at the time with some individual products claiming to cure/treat just about every malady in one bottle! The use of the word "tonic" in the name of these products was likely an enhanced attempt to imply medicinal qualities to basically the same product. Many used both terms in their name (e.g., "tonic bitters") during the heyday of these products (Ring & Ham 1998). One example was the mid-19th century product named Old Sachem Bitters and Wigwam Tonic which came in an attractive ringed "barrel" shaped bottle. By the 1910s and beyond, driven by the increasing regulations prompted by the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act, bitters as a medicinal product diminished and the product became more of a flavoring for mixed drinks which is the primary use today (e.g., Angostura Bitters). A few tonics continue as medicines to this day, though they are not common (empirical observations).

Since the variety of shapes used for bitters and tonic bottles was almost unlimited (Ring & Ham 1998), these bottles typically must be dated using manufacturing based diagnostic features and/or through research of the historical record. Some distinctive shapes (like the cabin shape bitters pictured above) had a fairly well established period of popularity; others, like the relatively typical shaped (for a bitters/tonic) square Hostetter's Bitters (black glass example pictured below right) was bottled in virtually the same shape bottle from the late 1850s until the machine-made bottle era of the 1920s (Wilson & Wilson 1969; Schulz 1980).

The cabin shaped bottle pictured above was also a very popular product during the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s. It was made in an attractive log cabin shape (early marketing savvy) and is embossed on the different levels of the roof with S. T. / DRAKES / 1860 / PLANTATION / X / BITTERS. Click on close-up view for an image of the upper half of the bottle and the embossing. These bottles were always mouth-blown in post base molds, have applied finishes (tooled finishes are possible but never observed by the author), and are not air vented - all consistent with the era of popularity. Hundreds of different molds were used to produce very subtly different versions of these bottles in an array of colors, though by far the most common glass color are various shades of amber. The product was produced until at least 1910 (Fike 1987), though the cabin shaped bottles appear to not have been used after the 1880s.

Plantation Bitters reportedly contained 33% alcohol which likely accounts - along with the uniquely shaped bottle - for its high popularity during the era noted. Dozens of cases were found on the Bertrand and the Republic, which were both steamships that sank in 1865 in widely separate areas of the country (Switzer 1974; Gerth 2006). However, the company avowed its medicinal qualities in its advertising by stating: "Let it be therefore be distinctly understood that PLANTATION BITTERS is an ALCOHOLIC RESTORATIVE. But mark this, it is strictly a MEDICINE not a BEVERAGE. It is to be taken in LIMITED QUANTITIES at its STATED TIMES, like other remedies and antidotes, and therefore its use is in accordance with temperance law, as well as with that 'higher law' which renders it incumbent upon every being gifted with reason to resort to the best possible means of accomplishing a salutary end" (from an 1870 Plantation Bitters Almanac section interestingly entitled "Stimulation Sanctioned"). Plantation Bitters are a very commonly found bottle on historic sites active during the era noted and also very commonly seen today in perfect condition since many of these bottles (like most figural bitters) were not discarded, but instead kept as decorative items for a window or china cabinet.

The small aqua bitters bottle pictured to the right above is embossed on four sides with PHOENIX / BITTERS - JOHN / MOFFAT - NEW YORK - PRICE $1,00. It is relatively representative of the earlier style bitters bottles though there was a fair amount of variety even then to the shapes. This bottle has an applied rounded "bead" finish, was blown in a two-piece hinge mold, has a blowpipe pontil scar on the base, and lacks evidence of mold air venting. (Note the large air bubble in the picture.) This product was first produced at least as early as 1836 and continued as late as 1906, though most embossed bottles appear to date from the late 1830s into the early to mid-1860s (shades of olive green, amber, and aqua; virtually always pontiled) through at least the 1870s to early 1880s. The later bottles from after the Civil War are aqua in color with a smooth base (Odell 2000; Ring & Ham 1998; Ham 2006). As a side note, having embossing on four sides is relatively unusual (the label was most likely applied right over some of the embossing) but is somewhat more commonly seen on "earlier" medicinal bottles, i.e., 1870 and before (empirical observations). Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view showing the blowpipe style pontil scar; reverse large side; one narrow side; the other narrow side; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish.

The bottle pictured to the left is embossed on two sides with WEB'S / A No 1 CATHARTIC (herb sprig) TONIC - THE BEST / LIVER, KIDNEY (herb sprig) & BLOOD / PURIFIER. It has a general shape and color that was very commonly used for packaging bitters and tonics - square with a long body and relatively short neck and amber in color. The base is also embossed with P. C. G. W. for Pacific Coast Glass Works (San Francisco, CA.) which operated from 1902 to 1924 (Toulouse 1971). These particular bottles date from the first decade or so of that date range, i.e., 1902 to 1912-1914 though the product was made until at least 1923 (Fike 1987). These bottles are mouth-blown in a cup base mold with a tooled finish with air venting marks on each shoulder. It was a product of T. M. Lash (Sacramento, CA.) who used an ornate label claiming multiple times around the edge that "Health is Better Than Gold." Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: view of the embossing on the reverse side; base view showing the glass manufacturers mark; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and oil finish.

The "typical" square bitters bottle in black glass (very dark forest green) pictured to the right is embossed vertically with DR. J. HOSTETTER'S / STOMACH BITTERS whose home office was in Pittsburgh, PA. (Wilson & Wilson 1969). This particular bottle is a very crude earlier (1860-1870) example having been blown in a key base mold (true two piece mold) without a pontil scar, a very crudely applied oil finish, and lacks any evidence of air venting which in hand with the color indicate the noted date range (Switzer 1974). However, a very large majority of embossed Hostetter's Bitters were made in shades of amber glass from the 1870s into the 1920s (and beyond in apparently other types of bottles). Click Hostetter's Bitters to see a typical amber example made about 1907-1912 (tooled finish, multiple air venting, cup base mold produced) which has the original labels noting "The Food and Drugs Act of June 30th, 1906" which gives an earliest possible date (terminus post quem or TPQ) for this bottle. Click Hostetter's label to see one labeled side; click second Hostetter's label to see the other label. The high alcohol content of this product undoubtedly contributed to it being one of the most popular bitters in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th and early 20th century, though the product was actually produced until 1958 (Fike 1987). (Note: this bottle is also used as a dating example on the Examples page.)

A few other images of bitters and tonic bottles, many of which are used elsewhere within this website, are available by clicking on the following links. This helps show a bit of the diversity of shapes found in this broad class of bottles:

LACOUR'S BITTERS - (Left image.) The embossing, which is vertical on two sides, is LACOUR'S BITTERS - SARSAPARIPHERE. Bottle is round and 9.1"/23 cm tall and was an stylized imitation of a lighthouse. Ca. 1866-1875 (Wilson & Wilson 1969).
HUTCHINGS DYSPEPSIA BITTERS - (Middle image.) The embossing on three sides is HUTCHINGS - DYSPEPSIA / BITTERS - NEW YORK. Bottle is rectangular, 8.3"/21 cm tall, and has a square iron pontil scar on the base. Ca. 1850-1857 (Odell 2000; Ring & Ham 2004).
OLD SACHEM BITTERS - (Right image.) The embossing on this ornate "barrel" shaped bottle is OLD SACHEM BITTERS / AND / WIGWAM TONIC. It was a very popular - and undoubtedly high alcohol - product during the 1860s and 1870s.
PERUVIAN BITTERS - (Left image.) These two bottles, which were blown in the same mold, are embossed with PERUVIAN / BITTERS with a monogram on the back. They date from the early to mid-1880s and were likely made (and used) in San Francisco, CA. The are covered in more depth as examples on the Bottle Finishes page.
THE IMPERIAL BLOOD & LIVER TONIC - (Right image.) The embossing is on the two narrower sides as follows: THE IMPERIAL / BLOOD & LIVER TONIC / THE KING / OF ALL TONICS - DR. DRAKE / SOLE PROPRIETOR / LA GRANGE, IND. The bottle is rectangular with the narrower sides rounded, 8.75"/22 cm tall, was blown in a post-base mold, lacks any evidence of mold air venting, and was made with both applied and tooled oil finishes indicating production during the changeover period for those finishing methods during the first half of the 1880s.
ROSS'S AROMATIC TONIC - (Left image.) The embossing on this typical square amber glass tonic is ROSS'S AROMATIC TONIC vertically on one side with J. R. R. & CO. on the reverse. This product was made by the Jas. R. Ross Company of Indianapolis, IN. - a wholesale liquor and cigar dealer - and dates from the early to mid 1880s as it has a crudely applied finish, was blown in a post base mold, but does appear to have one of the early "blob" type mold venting marks on one side panel. It claimed on its trade cards that it "Will Cure any Case of Indigestion or Malaria."
JOHNSON'S CHILL TONIC - (Right image.) The embossing on this small tonic bottle is JOHNSON'S CHILL / AND FEVER TONIC and was produced in Savannah, GA. This bottle dates from the 1890s or more likely the early 20th century as it has a tooled double ring finish, blown in a cup base mold, and has numerous air venting marks. It has also turned a dark amethyst indicating the glass was decolorized with manganese which was common with mouth-blown colorless glass bottles made in the 1885-1915 era.
BARK-ROOT TONIC - (Left image.) This is a label only tonic bottle from Portland, OR. that is machine-made by the Illinois Pacific Glass Company (San Francisco, CA.) and dates from the late 1910s or early 1920s. The label claims the product to be a "Liver, Bowel and Stomach Stimulant" averaging 25% alcohol.
CLA-WOOD MALT TONIC - (Right image.) This bottle is embossed horizontally with "CLA-WOOD" / MALT TONIC / CLARKE-WOODWARD / DRUG CO. / PORTLAND, OREGON. It is a malt (i.e., beer) based medicinal tonic bottle that was blown in a cup-base mold, has a tooled crown finish, and mold air venting marks; it dates from about 1906 to 1916 (White 1974).
THORN'S HOP TONIC - (Left image.) This bottle is vertically embossed with THORN'S / HOP & BURDOCK / TONIC / BRATTLEBORO, VT. and dates from the 1880s most likely as it has a tooled prescription finish, was blown in a cup base mold, but has no evidence of mold air venting.
DR. GREEN'S BLOOD PURIFIER & NERVE TONIC - (Right image.) The embossing is DR. G. S. GREEN / CO. (the following inside a shield) DR. GREEN'S / BLOOD / PURIFIER / & NERVE / TONIC (then below shield the following) ENOSBURGH FALLS / VT. Bottle is rectangular and 8.3"/21 cm tall., was blown in a cup-base mold, has a tooled patent finish, but appears to lack evidence of mold air venting though there are some suspicious, though non-uniform, "bumps" along both body mold seam lines that may indicate purposeful air venting. It likely dates from the 1885 to 1895 era based on these diagnostics features.

Dating summary/notes: The dating of bitters and tonic bottles can not be done based on shape alone, but instead, must be done based on manufacturing based diagnostic features or through research of the historical record. Dating of these type bottles follows quite well the guidelines presented throughout this website and summarized on the Bottle Dating page; see that page for more information.

The best books on the subject of bitters is the two volume set "Bitters Bottles" and the "Bitters Bottles Supplement" by Ring & Ham (1998 & 2004, respectively). Tonic bottles are not covered specifically in any one book, though the author of this website has a personal website that has a listing of known, embossed tonic bottles available at this link: http://webpages.charter.net/blindsey8952/toniclist.htm (A book or more comprehensive website with additional information and history on this class of bottles is likely in 5 to 7 years.)

Sarsaparillas

Sarsaparilla was a very common category or "type" of medicine sold in the 19th century and continuing well into the 20th. The main ingredients for making sarsaparilla were the roots from an assortment of plant species of the genus Smilax which are found throughout the world. The specific species primarily used for making the medicinal product were native to the Western Hemisphere, including the U.S., though it appears that the plants from Mexico and Central and South America were most valued. Mexican, Honduras, and Jamaican sarsaparilla roots were very commonly used and sold under those names as were East Indian products (Frederick Stearns 1886). Sarsaparilla root extracts (the "active" ingredients were extracted with alcohol), which were often mixed with the extracts from other plants of reputed medicinal value, were recognized as of value for blood related diseases and for blood "purification" - as well as a host of other ailments including syphilis - during the 19th century.

Sarsaparilla medicines were so popular during the mid-19th century that a period treatise on pharmacy noted that druggists called the era of the 1840s (when the dark olive green Dr. Townsend's Sarsaparilla pictured below right was at its zenith of popularity) the "sarsaparilla era." The medicinal slant of the product seemed to wane somewhat during the last third of the 19th century while its use as a beverage increased, though it is likely that the beverage was also popular because of the medicinal inference. By the early 20th century sarsaparilla was more well known as a soda water flavor than medicine, though many or most sarsaparilla beverages did not actually contain any sarsaparilla root extract. Instead, the flavoring was provided by a mixture of oil of sassafras, methyl salicylate or oil of wintergreen or sweet birch (Shimko 1969).

Like with most of the types of patent medicines covered on this page, sarsaparilla bottle shapes were very diverse and few shapes are strongly identified with this product. One that is identified fairly strongly with sarsaparilla is represented by the first two bottles pictured here though this shape was also used occasionally for other medicinal products including tonics, bitters, and various other cures and remedies. Glassmakers catalogs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries did often call this type rectangular bottle with indented panels and variably sloping shoulders a "sarsaparilla" bottle (Illinois Glass Co. 1903 & 1920; Cumberland Glass Co. 1911; Obear-Nester 1922). Since bottle shape has limited diagnostic utility for dating within this category, these bottles typically must be dated using manufacturing based diagnostic features and/or through research of the historical record. A few examples are discussed below.

The sarsaparilla bottle pictured to the left above contained one of the most popular sarsaparilla brands produced during the last quarter of the 19th through the first half of the 20th century. It is embossed HOOD'S / COMPOUND / EXTRACT / SARSA / PARILLA - C. I. HOOD & CO - LOWELL MASS. This bottle most likely dates between late 1890s to early 1900s as it has a tooled double ring finish and multiple mold air venting marks on the beveled edges opposite the mold seams, though it was produced in a post base mold - an attribute that is somewhat commonly seen on larger medicinal bottles up until the very early 1900s. Earlier (1880s and 1890s) examples of the Hood's are almost identical except that they do not have the COMPOUND EXTRACT embossing on the front and are embossed vertically with APOTHECARIES on the back. Later examples (mid to late 1910s into the 1930s) are identical to the pictured example but machine-made, with a cork accepting double ring and later external screw thread finishes (Shimko 1969; DeGrafft 1980). This product was first produced in the mid-1870s and continued until at least 1948 (Fike 1987). The distinctive look to the bottle with the separate horizontal and curved indented panels was imitated by other patent medicine producers including the much less popular Brown's Sarsaparilla. Click on the following links to view more images of the Hood's Sarsaparilla: base view which is embossed with "30" (a mold number of no meaning now); view of the "C. I. Hood & Co." side; view of the" Lowell, Mass." side; view of the back showing the indented panel for the label.

Hood's Sarsaparilla competed fiercely with the older cross-town rival Ayer's Sarsaparilla (originated in 1848) produced by the J. C. Ayer & Co.; both companies were located in Lowell, Mass. (Holcombe 1977). Ayer's Sarsaparilla - which was bottled in a similar shape and size bottle - was also a very popular product from the mid-19th century (some Ayer's bottles come with pontil scars) to at least the mid-20th century (Fike 1987). Both companies were pioneering - and prolific - advertisers which may help explain their popularity (DeGrafft 1980). The Ayers company boasted that their advertising almanac was second only to the bible in circulation (Heetderks 2002). They also imply in the 1880s trade card pictured to the right that the discovery of their product was on a par with Columbus discovering the New World. (Or maybe Columbus discovered the New World and a billboard for Ayer's Sarsaparilla at the same time!)

The sarsaparilla bottle pictured to the left is similarly shaped to the Hood's and a relatively popular brand during the same era. It has the original label and contents, which look unappetizing to say the least. It is embossed DALTON'S SARSAPARILLA / AND / NERVE TONIC - BELFAST - MAINE U.S.A. It was blown in a cup base mold, has a tooled double ring finish, and single mold air venting marks on each of the shoulders opposite the mold seams. These features in combination indicate an approximate production range from the 1890s to possibly the early 1910s. The label does note that "when cured" to communicate with the company (no doubt for testimonial advertising purposes) and notes nothing about the 1906 Pure Food & Drugs Act, indicating production no later than 1906. Research indicates that the company was founded in 1893 with the product produced at least as late as 1910 (Shimko 1969; Fike 1987). Given the above, we can reasonably conclude that this bottle dates between 1893 and 1906. Click on the following links to view more images of the Dalton's: base view; view of the "BELFAST" side; view of the "MAINE U.S.A." side; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish; view of the label side. (This bottle also illustrates some of the problems with categorization of the different medicinal bottles as it is both a sarsaparilla and a tonic bottle. In a wide open, "anything goes" age with no required standards for much of anything, one would not expect standardization of medicine naming. It is common for medicines to have a mixture of naming classes for the same product, e.g., Old Sachem Bitters and Wigwam Tonic and endless other examples.)

The dark olive green ("black glass") bottle to the right is embossed with DR. TOWNSEND'S - SARSAPARILLA - ALBANY, N.Y. NO. 1. It was blown in a two-piece hinge mold, has a crudely applied variation of an oil finish, is very crude in the body lacking any evidence of mold air venting, and has a sand pontil scar on the base. Samuel Townsend first introduced his product in 1839 and it appears to have been among the most popular sarsaparillas of the pre-Civil War era. At least several dozen different molds were used to produce these common early bottles up until embossed bottles were discontinued in the 1870s; the product was apparently paper labeled after that time and produced until at least 1910 (Fike 1987). This bottle is another example of the "early medicinal bottles" covered earlier on this page and is at least 50 years older than the two sarsaparilla bottles discussed above. Click on the following links for more images of this bottle: base view showing the "hinge mold" base and a faint sand pontil scar (most sand pontil scars are faint); close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish; view of the "SARSAPARILLA" side; view of the "ALBANY, N.Y." side.

More images of sarsaparilla bottles, many of which are used elsewhere within this website, are available by clicking on the following links:

DR. TOWNSEND'S SARSAPARILLA - (Left image.) Another olive green example of a Dr. TOWNSEND'S bottle with the same basic embossing as the bottle noted above and dating from the same era, i.e., 1845-1860.
OLD DR. TOWNSEND'S SARSAPARILLA - (Middle image.) An example of the knock-off competitor to the Dr. Townsend's Sarsaparilla with the "OLD" added to differentiate and presumably make it sound like the originator (Shimko 1969). It dates from the same era as the bottles noted above (1845-1860), but was made in a deep emerald green color and has very heavy whittle marks.
E. CARROLL'S SODA & SARSAPARILLA - (Right image.) This is an example of a classic "blob" style soda water bottle that was used for the type of sarsaparilla that was more beverage than medicine. It is embossed with E. CARROLL'S / SODA & SARSAPARILLA DEPOT / 272 WASHINGTON / 7 / 133 & 35 MIEL ST. / NEWBURGH NY. It is 7 3/8" tall, was blown in a post base mold (most likely), has an applied blob finish, no evidence of a pontil scar or mold air venting, and likely dates from the 1860s to mid-1870s. (Picture courtesy of Glass Works Auctions).

Dating summary/notes: The dating of sarsaparilla bottles can not be done based on shape alone but instead must be done based on manufacturing based diagnostic features or through research of the historical record. Dating of these type bottles follows quite well the guidelines presented throughout this website and summarized on the Bottle Dating page; see that page for more information.

The best source of information on this class of medicinal bottles is in Phyllis Shimko's 1969 book entitled "Sarsaparilla Bottle Encyclopedia" which includes extensive histories on hundreds of different sarsaparilla bottles produced throughout the U.S. (and Canada to some extent).

Cures, Remedies & related products

There were literally tens of thousands of different remedies, cures, and related products marketed in different product identified embossed bottles during the era covered by this website, i.e., the 19th through mid-20th centuries. Add in the larger number of these products that were identified by label only and the number of proprietary cures, remedies and related medicinal compounds produced during the noted era was staggering. Like all of the portions of this Patent/Proprietary Medicinal Bottles section, the differences between this huge general medicinal category and the others discussed above (e.g., bitters/tonics, sarsaparilla) are hard to differentiate. This section is primarily directed at the other patent/proprietary medicinal products that were specifically intended to treat various aliments, or in the case of the Radam's Microbe Killer discussed below, claimed to absolutely cure ALL diseases!

As noted in the introduction to this page, the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act was the beginning of the end for the worst excesses of the quackery that was rampant throughout the 19th century. That Act required that products containing any of a list of potentially dangerous or addicting substances be labeled as to the substance and its quantity Use of the word "cure" for most medicines was nominally prohibited (unless it could be scientifically proved) though there were little teeth in the law and enforcement was rare (AMA 1912). However, the word "cure" began to be replaced by "remedy" and other more vague terms about this time, though "cure" was still used to some degree at least up to the passage of the Sherley Amendment in 1912 (Fike 1987). Practically speaking, medicine bottles using the word "cure" in the embossing or on the label date prior to 1913 (empirical observations).

As with many types of patent/proprietary medicines covered in this section, cure and remedy bottle shapes were very diverse and no one shape is absolutely identified with the product. Since bottle shape has little diagnostic utility, these bottles typically must be dated using manufacturing based diagnostic features and/or through research of the historical record. A few examples are discussed below though users must be aware that this discussion is not even the "tip of the iceberg" relative to the variety that exists in the patent/proprietary bottle world.

The aqua (and aqua was by far the most common glass color for mouth-blown medicinals during the 19th and early 20th centuries) patent medicine pictured above contained a medicinal product very popular during the mid to late 19th century continuing well into the 20th century. It is embossed on all four sides in indented panels with AYER'S - CHERRY - PECTORAL - LOWELL MASS; the label was pasted below the "AYER'S" on the front. The product was first introduced in 1841 as the initial offering from the J. C. Ayer Company of Lowell, Mass. and was produced at least as late as 1948 (Holcombe 1977; Fike 1987). The 1880s era trade card for the product pictured to the right notes on the reverse side that it "rapidly cures Colds, Coughs, Sore Throat...Whooping Cough and Consumption..." Other advertisements note that the Cherry Pectoral treats "...various disorders of the breathing apparatus" (Fike 1987). The pictured bottle dates from approximately 1870 to 1880 and has an applied double ring finish, blown in a post base mold, and shows no evidence of mold air venting. Identical examples are found with pontil scars dating back to at least the 1850s and tooled finish examples that date as late as the 1910s; similar machine-made examples have not been noted. Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view showing the post base mold conformation; view of the CHERRY side; view of the PECTORAL side; view of the reverse side of the bottle; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish.

The unembossed bottle pictured to the left is an example of a bottle style that was referred to by glassmakers as "panels", "short neck panels", "straight neck panel", and similar terms (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1880; Illinois Glass Co. 1903 & 1920; Reed Glass Co. 1910; Obear-Nester 1922). The basic features of this general style are that it is narrowly rectangular in cross-section with indented panels on two to all four sides; thus the "panel" type names. One or both of the two larger paneled sides were used to contain a label identifying the contents and makers. These bottles also have body heights that are distinctly taller than the shoulder, neck, and finish in combination (though there are inevitably exceptions) and necks and finishes that are narrow in diameter.

This conformation of bottle is fairly strongly identified with a wide array of medicinal products as well as castor oil (a medicinal product), flavoring extracts (though those often had a ring molded on the neck), and any liquid product that was sold in relatively small quantities; the pictured bottle only holds a couple ounces. This basic shape was produced in subtle variations and many sizes for upwards of a century (Whitall Tatum & Co. 1880; Illinois Glass Co. 1899; Reed Glass Co. 1910; Lucas County Bottle Co. 1940s; empirical observations). Dating of various examples would follow the guidelines found elsewhere on this website; see the Bottle Dating pages. Bottles of this shape are commonly found with embossing identifying them as medicinal products (see next bottle), though a majority are unembossed like the pictured example. This bottle is very early for the style as it exhibits more "primitive" manufacturing based diagnostic features including a blowpipe pontil scar on the base, crudely applied oil finish, blown in the two-piece hinge mold, and lacks any evidence of any mold air venting. It almost certainly dates from the mid-1850s to mid-1860s era based on these features as well as the context of where it was excavated (with a large number of almost totally pontil scarred bottles). Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view showing the round blowpipe pontil scar which is close to the diameter of the neck; side view; close-up of the shoulder, neck and finish.

The deep cobalt blue bottle pictured to the right is another example of a "straight neck panel" bottle similar to the one described above in shape, though with a patent instead of an oil finish, three indented panels instead of four, and of course in a more brilliant color. It is embossed on the two narrow sides (both indented) with SANFORD'S - RADICAL CURE. The wider sides of the bottle, of which one is indented (shown in picture) and one not, are not embossed. This medicine was probably introduced about 1871 by Weeks & Potter (Boston, Mass.) which was later (1883) called Potter Drug & Chemical Co. (Wilson & Wilson 1971; Holcombe 1977). This particular bottle most likely pre-dates that renaming since bottles that are obviously later produced (i.e., have tooled finishes and mold air venting) are base embossed with POTTER DRUG & CHEMICAL COMPANY, BOSTON USA (Fike 1987). The pictured bottle has no base embossing (besides the mold number "1") though some other earlier examples do have WEEKS & POTTER / BOSTON USA embossed on the base. (Click Weeks & Potter base view to see an example with this base embossing [photo courtesy of Joel Williams].) Considering these facts together with the primary manufacturing related diagnostic features (applied finish, no evidence of mold air venting, post base mold), this bottle can quite reliably be estimated to have been made between 1871 and 1883. Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view showing the post base mold conformation; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish; view of one narrow side with the embossing SANFORD'S; view of the other narrow side with RADICAL CURE.

The medium amber bottle pictured to the right is one of the most notorious quack medicines of the early 20th century in that it was one of the medicines singled out by Samuel Hopkins Adams in his Collier's Weekly articles entitled the "Great American Fraud" which help lead to the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act in 1906. This bottle is profusely embossed on one side with the following: GERM, BACTERIA, OR / FUNGUS DESTROYER at the top of the side; (the following is in an embossed shield) Wm RADAM'S / MICROBE KILLER / (man beating a skeleton with a spiked club) REGISTERED TRADE MARK DEC. 13, 1887; then below the shield - CURES / ALL / DISEASES. Click Radam's Trade Mark illustration to view an image of the trade mark as illustrated on the company's billheads. According to company information, the product was "composed of pure water charged with the Gases Generated" from a handful of chemicals including sandalwood and "flowers of sulphur" using a "secret process" that Mr. Radam perfected in his greenhouse in the 1880s (Radam 1912). These ingredients were intended to kill the relatively recently discovered "microbes" that Radam (and others) thought responsible for all diseases. Chemical analysis published by the American Medical Association in 1910 noted that "Radam's Microbe Killer' is a mixture of sulphuric acid and sulphurous acid dissolved in ordinary hydrant water" (99.4% water to be precise) and that the nostrum was a "hoary fake" (AMA 1912). Regardless of the lack of efficacy, the product was popular judging from the number of bottles and gallon sized ceramic jugs (which it was commonly packaged in) in evidence today. The pictured bottle was blown in a cup base mold with ample mold air venting - including on the base - and has a tooled straight finish that appears similar to the sheared or cracked-off finishes of bottles that are typically half a century older. These bottles appear to date primarily from the late 1890s into the 1910s. Click here for a close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish.

Another "subclass" of patent/proprietary medicine bottles were the "balsams." Balsams were just another of the plethora of recognized medicine types or genres that were common in the 19th century and gradually disappeared during the first quarter of the 20th century due to increasing regulation and enforcement. What differentiated "balsams" from other classes of patent/proprietary medicines was that the formulas for balsams were based presumably on the "healing" resins collected from the balsam trees of Central and South America (Blasi 1974). The bottles pictured to the right are both embossed in an indented panel on the front with HALL'S BALSAM / FOR THE LUNGS. The lighter aqua example on the right is also embossed on the two narrow side panels (both indented also) with A. L. SCOVILL & CO. - CIN'TI & N.Y. These particular (and common) bottles are discussed in more depth as "Example #3" on the "Examples of Dating Historic Bottles" page which is a sub-page to the Bottle Dating page and available by clicking the following link: Hall's Balsam - Example #3. These two bottles date between about 1865 and 1885. Balsams were singled out for comprehensive treatment in Betty Blasi's excellent 1974 book "A Bit About Balsams - A Chapter in the History of 19th Century Medicine" which includes an extensive section on the wide variety and history of the Hall's Balsam bottles.

Another small but interesting subclass of patent/proprietary medicines that actually were strongly identified with a specific bottle shape were the Jamaica Ginger bottles, an example of which is pictured to the left. This was another "cure-all" type medicinal product that was distinctive in that it was exceptionally high in alcohol (75-90%!) but typically came in bottles that only held a few ounces. Scores of different embossed examples are known, though it was likely that most producers bottled them in unembossed labeled bottles (empirical observations). Abusers of this medicine type, which was particularly popular during National Prohibition and in "dry" areas of the nation, were prone to physical problems known as "Jake leg" which was a type of paralysis induced by the excessive use of Jamaica Ginger (Moss 1967; Munsey 2006). The pictured example is a typical size and shape for the majority of Jamaica Gingers produced during the period from the mid-19th century (some Eastern brands had bottles with pontil scars) into the first few decades of the 20th century (a few machine-made bottles of this shape have been observed by the author). It is embossed within a plate with J. A. FOLGER & CO. / ESSENCE OF / JAMAICA GINGER / SAN FRANCISCO. This company began a "coffee, tea, and spice" business under this name in 1866 or 1867 and went on to become one of the most familiar names in the coffee business which continues to the present (Wilson & Wilson 1971; Zumwalt 1980). This particular bottle likely dates from the early to mid 1880s having a tooled oil type finish and was blown in a cup base mold, though has no evidence of mold air venting which contributes to the crudeness of the glass. Click on the following links to view more images of this bottle: base view; side view showing the compressed cross-section of these bottles; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish showing the relatively crude tooled finish.

Another of the most notorious patent/proprietary medicines of the 19th and early 20th centuries was the product packaged in the bottle pictured to the right. It is embossed around the bottle vertically with MRS. WINSLOW'S / SOOTHING SYRUP / CURTIS & PERKINS / PROPRIETORS. This product was intended for soothing the discomfort of teething babies though it was also used to sooth adults as it contained sulphate of morphia (an opium derivative) from its initial marketing in 1849 until the public and regulatory pressures during the early 20th century (Wilson & Wilson 1971). The famous 1887 trade card to the right shows mother coyly dangling the product just beyond the frantic reach (so one can imagine) of the baby opium addict. Similar to many of the most popular patent medicines of the early 20th century, the Soothing Syrup continued to be sold well into the 20th century (at least 1948) though with more subdued medical claims (Fike 1987). The pictured example dates - based on manufacturing based diagnostic characteristics and the context of where it was found - from the between 1865 to 1875 as it has a crudely rolled in finish (see close-up at link below), is very crude in the body with no evidence of mold air venting, and was produced in a post base mold. Later bottles (late 19th and early 20th century) are embossed with JEREMIAH CURTIS & SON / SUCCESSORS TO / CURTIS & PERKINS (Fike 1987). Click on the following links to see more images of this bottle: base view; view of the embossing on the reverse side; close-up of the shoulder, neck, and finish.

The small cobalt blue bottle pictured to the left contained one of the most popular medicines sold in the 20th century - Bromo-Seltzer - which continues to be popular today as a headache and stomach medicine. This is a typical early 20th century Bromo bottle and is embossed horizontally with BROMO-SELTZER / EMERSON / DRUG CO. / BALTIMORE, MD. The product came in many different sizes of similar shaped bottles which were mouth-blown in the earlier years (1890s to about 1911), machine-made in identically shaped cork stoppered bottles beginning about 1911, and most likely completely machine-made by about 1915. Between 1911 and 1915 it appears that the bottles were both mouth-blown and machine-made. The cork as a closure began to disappear by 1920 with total disappearance by 1928 when the bottles were sealed by a metal seal or cap; the finish for the metal seal looked about the same as the cork bead finish. The bottles switched to external screw thread finishes in 1954 and went to plastic bottles in 1986 (Easton 1965; Fike 1987). Click