Antique Medicine Bottles Dr Cannon's Medicine Chest

ANOTHER "PATENT MEDICINE ARTICLE" FROM THE PAGES OF

ANTIQUE BOTTLE AND GLASS COLLECTOR MAGAZINE

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANTIQUE BOTTLE COLLECTING HOBBY

antique bottles THE MEDICINE CHEST --- BY DR. RICHARD CANNON old bottles

We usually collect antique medicine bottles by category and look for the name embossed in the glass, or at least an embossed Indian name in the case of Indian medicines. Balms, Balsams, Bitters, Bloods, Cures, Indians, Liniments, Sarsaparillas, Specifics, and Tonics are among the magic words on our want lists. If more than one of these words is embossed the bottle can be considered to be a bonus medicine. I find twenty-five examples of this in my collection.


Geo. C. Goodwin / Boston / Indian Vegetable and Sarsaparilla Bitters, o.p.	Winans Brothers Indian Cure For the Blood.	Label for Winans Brothers Cure For The Blood (Dan Cowman Collection)

Brant's Indian // Pulmonary Balsam // T.M. Wallace / Proprietor, 6 3/4 inches tall, aqua, 8 sided, o.p.

Brown's / Celebrated / Indian Herb Bitters (shield shaped panel), 12 1/2 inches tall, amber, Indian female figural.

Brown Boston / Sarsaparilla / & / Tomato / Bitters, 9 inches tall, aqua, oval, o.p.

Brown's / Sarsa / Parilla // For The Kidneys / Liver and Blood, 9 1/2 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Burdock / Blood / Bitters // Fostre Milburn & Co. // Buffalo, N.Y., 8 1/2 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Dr. DeAndries // Sarsaparilla / Bitters // E.M. Rusha / New Orleans, 10 inches tall, amber, rectangular.

Emerson's Sarsaparilla / 3-Bottles Guaranteed to cure-3 / Kansas City, Mo., 8 1/2 inches tall, clear, oval.

Goffs // Indian Vegetable / Cough Syrup / & Blood Purifier // Camden, N.J., 6 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Geo. C. Goodwin // Boston // Indian Vegetable / And / Sarsaparilla // Bitters, 8 inches tall, aqua, rectangular, o.p.

Healy & Bigalow's / Kickapoo / Indian Cough Cure, 5 1/4 inches tall, aqua, round.

Dr. Kilmer's / Cough Cure / Consumption Oil (embossed lungs) / Catarrh / Specific // Dr. Kilmer & Co. // Binghamton, N.Y., 8 5/8 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Dr. Kilmer's / Indian / Cough Cure Consumption Oil / Binghamton / N.Y., U.S.A., 7 1/8 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Dr. Kilmer's / Swamp / Root / Kidney / Liver & / Bladder / Cure (embossed kidney) / The Great / Specific // Dr. Kilmer & co. // Binghamton, N.Y., 8 1/4 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Lash's Kidney and Liver Bitters // The Best Cathartic / And Blood Purifier, 9 1/2 inches tall, amber, square.

Louden & Co.'s // Cherokee // Liniment // Philad. A, 5 1/4 inches tall, aqua, 12 sides, o.p.

Old Dr. // Jacob / Townsend's / Sarsaparilla // London // The Blood Purifier, 7 1/2 inches tall, aqua, rectangular with beveled corners.

Dr. Geo Pierce's // Indian / Restorative / Bitters // Lowell, Mass., 7 1/2 inches tall, aqua, rectangular, o.p.

"Wyanolce" Dr. Park's Indian Liniment, S.B.

Goff's Indian Vegetable Cough Syrup & Blood

Purifier, and Healy & Bigalow's Kickapoo

Indian Cough Cure.

Old Sachem Bitters & Wigwam Tonic

and Brown's Indian Herb Bitters.

Brant's Indian Pulmonary Balsam, Dr. Geo. Pierce's

Indian Restorative Bitters and Louden's

Cherokee Liniment.

Wait's Kidney And Liver Bitters // California's Own / True Laxative / And Blood Purifier, 9 inches tall, amber, square.

Winans Brothers // Winans Bros. / embossed Indian / Trademark / Indian / Cure / For The / Blood / Price $1.00 // Indian Cure, 9 1/4 inches tall, aqua, rectangular.

Dr. Wood's / Sarsaparilla / & / Wild Cherry / Bitters, 9” tall, aqua, rectangular with beveled corners, o.p.

Wyanke / Dr. Park's Indian Liniment / A.M. Follett. Prop., Concord, N.H., 5 1/4 inches tall, clear, round.

Two of these bottles have three categories embossed, Geo. C. Goodwin, Boston, Indian Vegetable and Sarsaparilla Bitters and the Winans Brothers Indian Cure For The Blood. I suppose that makes them “super” bonus medicines! They are good bottles due to their embossing, scarcity, and age in the case of the Goodwins.

George Goodwin began manufacturing patent medicines in the 1840's at 76 Union in Boston. Around 1850, he and Dr. John O. Langley of Langley's Bitters became partners and in 1854, moved to 99 Union.

By 1857, the firm was named Geo. C. Goodwin & Co., and had taken in William B. Hibbard as a junior partner. Goodwin retired in 1859 and his son Charles C. Langley, and Hibbard ran the business. In 1863, they moved to 38 Hanover. Eventually the company became on of Boston's largest wholesale drug firms.

The Winans Medicine Company is listed in the Worcester, Massachusetts directories from 1885 through 1863. Smith Winans was given as manager. By 1888 the company had set up laboratories at 9 and 11 Prescott Street in Worcester.

Dr. DeAndries Sarsaparilla Bitters, E.M. Rusha, New Orleans, probably never was circulated widely. I know of eight bottles, on in a yellow green, and two with iron pontils. One respected collector from the South thinks there may be over 50 in existence. Edwin M. Rusha advertised his product as early as 1861. He was listed in the New Orleans City Directories from 1850 through 1885 as owner of a wholesale and retail liquor store at 55 and 57 Girod Street. After 1885, his name continued to appear for several years, but there was no longer a listing for the liquor store. (Cannon, R.A.: Those Scarce Southern Southern Sarsaparillas, Old Bottle Magazine, November, 1977).

If someone comes up with a medicine with four categories embossed, I suppose it should be called a “super duper” bonus bottle!

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