The warnings on the side may be dire, but that doesn’t stop collectors from buying vintage poisons bottles. This is one area of bottle collecting in which the nature of the contents played a part in the bottle’s shape. Bottle makers tried to make the bottles distinctive in form or feel so that people reaching for a bottle in a dimly lit space could tell by feel whether the bottle contained a poinson.

The heyday for poison bottles was from 1880 to 1930. They came in a variety of shapes as well as rich, vivid colors. The key that sets poisons apart is the use of raised letters or designs. Words commonly used on the face of the brightly colored bottles, are “poison,” “poisonous,” and “Not to be taken.” This last term usually runs vertically on the exterior of the poison.

Poisons were used in rural as well as in the expanding urban areas. There was a huge need for poisons to keep the vermin population in check, as well as insects that attacked agricultural products, crops and livestock.

British poison bottles are especially sought after. In Great Britain, the dangers involving the packaging of poisons were acknowledged by the early 19th century. In 1819, legislation was proposed concerning the proper labeling and sale of poisonous substances. In 1847, regulations were again proposed for placing restrictions on certain poisonous materials. A decade later two chemists, Savory and Barker of London, were granted a patent for a bottle of six or more sides. The patent also allowed for fluted or otherwise embossed design on the side of the bottle. This design would allow whoever might pick up the bottle, to immediately recognize the potential dangers of its contents. This was the first patented British poison.

It was the tragic death from accidental poisoning of a well-known professor that caused the British Pharmaceutical Society to initiate in 1894 that all poisons were to be put in “bottles of triangular form.”

Between 1861 and 1913 there were scores of patents issued by the British patent office for various bottle designs. Many were quite unusual. One was a cylindrical wedge and another was called the ’wasp-waist.’ This latter example was sharply constricted in the middle. Other safety modifications were proposed. One was a cabinet designed expressly to hold poison and medicine bottles, others were poisons that were fitted with audible alarms. And some examples would employ wire guards over the mouth of the bottles. A rare bottle design was in the shape of an actual coffin.

In 1899, in just a six month period, at least eight patents were granted. One of these patents was issued to Lewis and Towers for their “Practical” poison bottle. This is one of the most collected of the British poisons. It fell into the category of ’Irregular Hexagonal.’ It was in the shape of a triangle and is made up of an irregular hexagonal section with flattened back and corners. There are three face panels. The embossed vertical message on the center panel spelled out, “NOT TO BE TAKEN,” while the other two side panels had rows of projections in the shape of diamonds or Xs.

Today, poisons are a highly collectible category in the bottle collecting market. They are unique in their shapes, and are sought after for their rich vivid colors. They are desired for their raised lettering and distinctive markings. Aside from the different shapes the poisons were bedecked with rows of protruding studs. Many poisons employed vertical ribbing and crosshatching as a means of allowing detection, while others were fluted.

Value wise, several of these styles of Victorian poisons are very affordable, and most can be easily found. British poisons were heavily marketed in the United States.

SOURCES:

• Antiquebottles.com

• Article: Daily Mail (London) by Lorne Spencer. October I, 2000

• Poison Bottles: Collectors Guide, by Roger L. Durflinger, 1975

• The Benign Blue Coffin, by Roy Morgan, 1978

• The Victorian Chemist and Druggist, by W.A. Jackson, 1996