DEMIJOHNS from Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine for collectors of antique bottles ebay

ANOTHER "GREAT FEATURE ARTICLE" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

As an antique bottle collector I can only wince and be aghast at what took place in Rockport, Massachusetts one hot day in July 1856. This was the town where Hannah Jumper led a larger group of women in a hatchet assault on the illegal liquor establishments. According to the book Hannah and the Hatchet Gang, written by Eleanor Parson (no relations), a 75 year old seamstress and

200 other women, mostly wives, were fed up with all the drunk men in town. Their liquor bills were driving many families into debt. Hannah planned her raid and for five hours her gang of women wielded hatchets as

they attacked 13 taverns, houses, barns and shops where illegal rum and spirits were sold. They smashed kegs of rum and bottles of liquor to the tune of approximately 250 gallons. In one particular shop that was hiding liquor, 10 to 15 demijohns met their fate. The rum, liquor, and hard cider flowed down the streets, and they say you could smell the rum and liquor for weeks after. This was the start of 141 years of being a dry town and it remains so today.

It is hard to imagine all of the good old bottles that were lost that day. Ten years ago I ran across a demijohn that I believe survived the hatchet gang. It came out of a cellar in Rockport and was covered with dirt; the wicker had dried and fallen off revealing a heavy, round 3 gallon, orange amber bottle loaded with bubbles, globs and strings with a 4 inch diameter pontil. Its age is circa 1840 and the residue caked inside on the bottom was from hard cider. It is one of my favorite bottles.

I have been collecting demijohns for over twenty five years and still get a thrill when I ran across one in my travels. Demijohns are intriguing bottles and their size shape and color will quickly catch your eye. The workmanship that went into blowing and handling this type of bottle in the old days was extraordinary. One had to admire those craftsmen, the glass blowers of old, because of the skill needed in producing these sizable bottles.

Whey you pick up a demijohn you really know you have a bottle in your hands. Most are large, rich in color, and the older they are, the cruder the glass with excellent examples of applied lips and pontil scars. I have always said that if you want to see a sheared lip, ring around neck, rolled lip, applied sloping collar, or a rough pontil, re-fired or polished pontil or an iron pontil, just pick up a big old demijohn and these features will confront you in great detail. Many were free blown, others blown into a dip mold, 2,3 or 4 piece mold, turn molds or just on a plate base. The shapes are eye catching; ovoid, kidney, cylindrical, round, teardrop, apple and heart shaped. Sizes vary from a few ounces to twenty gallons or more. These very large ones are called carboys. As you can see the variety of demijohns is seemingly endless.

The purpose of the demijohn was for transport and storage of bulk liquids. Glass is impervious to most chemicals as well as alcohol and most common fluids used by our forefathers in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. Demijohns played an important role in businesses and households during the early development of our nation.

An Italian olive oil demijohn imported by the Alberti Importing & Exporting Co. of Boston.

There are still a number of older black glass demijohns that have survived from the late 1600s and 1700s. These primarily came from England and Europe which supplied the colonies with much needed glassware and bottles until the colonies started producing their own in the middle to late 1700s.

One of the first demijohns that caught my eye and I purchased was coated inside with dried molasses. It was a 5 gallon size with a short neck, wide mouth and was a two piece mold ovoid in shape. After a good cleaning, I was happy to discover a nice greenish black glass bottle. Other demijohns I have collected contained, wine, olive oil, cider, whiskey and chemicals. In several I have found dried skeletons of mice who were lured by the smell, fell in and couldn't escape.

Most all demijohns were wrapped or encased in wicker to protect them from breakage during shipping. This was the case in Stoddard New Hampshire glass factories where at times the general population was so involved in glass making women and children in nearly every home were engaged in gathering saplings, willow and other materials used in weaving a protective covering for the demijohns. One can only imagine these bottles being hauled on an ox driven wagon over ruts and mud holes to a town or city many miles away. Today, however, most demijohns have had their wicker removed to better reveal their color and shape for display and collectable purposes.

My method of cleaning these bottles is to take them outside to the lawn and lay them on a towel to prevent possible stone scratches. I pour some dish washer detergent and fine sand into the bottle. I then add warm water and allow it to soak, first on one side and then the other. After a good soaking, I roll the bottle around on the towel to agitate the mix and continue to do so until it appears clean. After a rinsing with the hose, it is surprising how nicely the bottle sparkles.

Demijohns are bottles that have somewhat been ignored over the years and are now becoming popular especially as the colors and shapes become known. They are ideal focal points and attention grabbers for enhancing

furniture and room settings. Like many other antique bottles placed on a table, shelf, or on a window sill they are very attractive. Interior decorators have shown interest and are starting to incorporate them in their business.

Collecting demijohns takes up a lot space in the house and requires care in handling and dusting. Fortunately, I married a woman who also is fascinated by these big old bottles.

By the way, the word demijohn was taken from the French, Dame Jeanne, meaning Lady Jane. I am having a job trying to figure out how Lady Jane became he name of a bottle. If you have the answer, please send me a note.

Bob Parsons has been digging and collecting antique bottles for over 35 years. He is a member of the National Bottle Museum and currently the President and Treasurer of the 90 member Violin Bottle Collectors Association.

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