Medicine Bottle or Flask
RetailerSold by
S. G. Moses & Co. Apothecaries
(American, 1862/3 - 1880)
MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1810-1880
MediumMold-blown olive green glass
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x width x depth): 6 1/4 x 4 x 2 1/8in. (15.9 x 10.2 x 5.4cm)
ClassificationsGlassware
Credit LineGift of F. Morgan Cowles
Object number1978.9.0
DescriptionMold-blown olive green glass medicine bottle or flask with a short cylindrical neck, a low sloping shoulder, a flattened barrel-shaped body with 36 broken ribs swirled to the left, and a pontil mark with a medium kick on the bottom. Surrounding the neck is a ridge of glass, formed by a second gather of glass added to the body of the bottle/flask using a technique known as the half-post method. The bottom has a ring of light scratches and wear.
A yellowed, rectangular label is adhered to the side of the bottle/flask. The label has a central rectangular area with canted corners. Above the rectangle are the printed words, "S.G. MOSES & Co." Just inside the rectangle are more printed words, "APOTHECARIES/ 605 Main St." Below the rectangle are the words, "HARTFORD, CT." Inside the rectangle are the hand-written words, "Muriate Tin" (?). Each corner of the label has a small printed design: a mortar and pestle in the upper left corner; measuring devices in the lower left corner; medicine bottles in the lower right corner. The upper right corner is worn away.
Kick: An indentation in the bottom of a drinking glass, bottle, or other glass object.
Pontil mark: A rough place on a blown glass object where the solid metal rod, or pontil, is cracked off the object after final shaping and decoration. Pontil marks can be polished to achieve a smooth surface.
NotesHistorical Note: Stephen Goodrich Moses (1818-1891) was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, and went to Hartford in 1844, where he entered the grocery business. About 1862, he bought out J. V. B. Butler's drug business, then located at 314 Main Street. In 1862, Moses formed a partnership with Stephen Goodrich, a first cousin, and moved from 611 to 605 Main Street under the new name S. G. Moses & Co. Therefore, the label on flask 1978.9.0 cannot date before 1862.A yellowed, rectangular label is adhered to the side of the bottle/flask. The label has a central rectangular area with canted corners. Above the rectangle are the printed words, "S.G. MOSES & Co." Just inside the rectangle are more printed words, "APOTHECARIES/ 605 Main St." Below the rectangle are the words, "HARTFORD, CT." Inside the rectangle are the hand-written words, "Muriate Tin" (?). Each corner of the label has a small printed design: a mortar and pestle in the upper left corner; measuring devices in the lower left corner; medicine bottles in the lower right corner. The upper right corner is worn away.
Kick: An indentation in the bottom of a drinking glass, bottle, or other glass object.
Pontil mark: A rough place on a blown glass object where the solid metal rod, or pontil, is cracked off the object after final shaping and decoration. Pontil marks can be polished to achieve a smooth surface.
Subject Note: Pitkin-type Bottles. Pocket bottles with fine swirled ribbing were made throughout the United States but are known as Pitkin-type bottles for their association with the Pitkin Glass Works in East Hartford, Connecticut. The olive-green glass pocket bottles with flattened spherical bodies are associated with New England factories. They are usually fashioned using the half-post method. (Hunt 4/13/2005)
Technique Note: The body of the bottle is pattern-molded, meaning the glass was dipped into a ribbed mold prior to being expanded by blowing. (Hunt 4/13/2005)
Status
Not on view
