Several perfume and cologne bottles were recovered during the excavation of this shaft feature. Colognes and perfumes could be purchased by the bottle from perfumers, local druggists, and, later, via mail-order catalogs such as Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck & Co. The contents of these bottles was long gone, either emptied or evaporated, and any evidence of paper labels was also missing.

Some of the fancy cologne bottles were probably made just a few blocks away at the Kensington or Dyottville Glassworks. These bottles—often referred to as figured colognes—feature elaborate surface decoration achieved by blowing the glass into full-sized molds. The walls of these bottles are very thin, and one has a jagged ring of glass protruding from its base that prevents the bottle from standing upright. This excess glass is referred to as a pontil scar. The pontil was formed when a glassworker applied a metal rod or blowpipe to the center of the base to hold and steady the piece while the lip of the bottle was being finished.

In 1835, Dr. Thomas W. Dyott published his “Prices Current,” listing different cologne bottles by names like “urn,” “lion,” and “fountain.” ¹ In the absence of illustrations showing the exact forms of these bottles, glass historians and collectors have studied surviving examples of colognes from the time period. Attempts have been made to match the names from early advertisements with the designs molded into the surface of the bottles. ² Four of the colognes recovered from this privy feature appear to represent styles Dr. Dyott offered or that were manufactured at the Dyottville works under subsequent owners.

Wickered Demijohn (1830–1860s)

The body of this small bottle was shaped and decorated with a basket weave pattern intended to resemble large glass storage vessels called demijohns (4A-G-0079). ³ The body and base of a demijohn was covered with wickerwork that protected the glass container during transport. This cologne bottle has a blank oval panel on one side, where a paper label could be glued.

Lyre Cologne (1830–1860s)

Although there are no drawings or descriptions of the various designs, this bottle may have been known as “lyre,” since the lines appear to represent a stringed instrument (Cat # 4.29.1). ⁴ The base of this bottle has a protruding pontil scar that prevents it from standing upright.

Scrolled Leaves and Flowers (1830–1860s)

The original name of the design on this bottle is unknown—collectors refer to it as “scrolled leaves and flowers” (4A-G-0333). ⁵

Paneled Cologne (1850–1875)

This small bottle features a plain neck with 12 narrow panels running lengthwise from the shoulder to the outer edge of the base (4A-G-0341). Fragments of similar paneled cologne bottles were recovered during recent archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the annealing ovens at the Dyottville Glassworks in 2011/2012.  The lip was folded over—a technique referred to as a rolled finish. The base of this example is smooth with a slight linear indentation, probably the result of contact with the tool used to hold the bottle while the mouth was being finished. Helen McKearin provided a date range of 1850 through 1875 for this style of bottle with a smooth base. ⁶ Paneled colognes in a variety of colors and sizes were popular from the 1830s through the late nineteenth century, and were manufactured by a number of different glassworks. ⁷

Rectangular Bottle

A small rectangular bottle with molded decoration running along the length of each corner appears to be a perfume or cologne bottle (4A-G-0162). It is similar in form and decoration to two larger bottles from a shaft feature in the yard of the property located behind 1018 Palmer; these bottles are embossed “W. E. McClain Philada.” Philadelphia city directories show that William E. McClain was in the perfume business at 334 North Sixth Street from 1864 to 1885. ⁸ A similar style of corner decoration was noted on a cologne bottle of a different shape that bears a paper label reading “H. P. and W. C. Taylor.” ⁹  Henry and William Taylor were in partnership as perfumers in Philadelphia between 1853 and 1862. ¹⁰

Floral Bouquet

A colorless glass bottle decorated with a bouquet of flowers resembling crocuses cannot be further identified at present (4A-G-0036). The body of the bottle is somewhat shield shaped, and the base—formed of two stepped ovals—shows no evidence of a pontil scar. The lower portion of the neck has 10 molded flutes topped by a raised horizontal ring. The top of the lip is flat and appears to be shaped with a finishing tool. A narrow vertical groove was formed in the lip at the center on the label side of the bottle; this appears to have been done intentionally, possibly to attach ornamental threading or ribbon from the cork or stopper to the neck or body of the bottle. The bottle was blown in a cup bottom mold, shows no evidenced of air venting, and has what appears to be an early tooled finish—features that would date it from the 1870s to the mid-1880s.

 

Hoyt’s German Cologne

Another small colorless glass cologne bottle was identified from the surviving portion of the lower body and base. This round bottle has a recessed panel with a partial embossed number “10” above the word “COLOGNE.” The container resembles the “10 cent” sized bottle of Hoyt’s German Cologne. Eli W. Hoyt entered into the apothecary trade as a young man and began selling his own brand of cologne for $1.00 per bottle by about 1868. ¹¹ Hoyt’s cologne was manufactured in Lowell, Massachusetts; “German” was included in the name to suggest a foreign pedigree. By the early 1870s, a smaller “trial” size bottle was offered for 25 cents. ¹² A newspaper advertisement from the Kalamazoo Gazette of February 19, 1882, shows that by that date Hoyt’s cologne was selling for 10 cents. ¹³ The embossed mark and bottle appear to have changed by about 1918, when the name “German cologne” was changed to “eau de cologne.” ¹⁴

French Parfumes

Two bottles from this shaft are embossed with the names of French perfume houses. A small oval perfume bottle, embossed “L. LEGRAND / PARIS,” seems to be French-made using a unique method (4A-G-0013). This perfume bottle was formed in the half post method—an extra gather of glass covers the body of the vessel, but stops at the top of the shoulder, leaving the neck relatively thin and easy to shape. On this example, the thick body was blown into a two-part cup mold, which also included two rings at the junction of the body and neck and tiny embossed “HV” just above the reverse heel. The bottle features a simple folded-in finish and the bore of the neck is ground to accept a glass stopper.

In 1811, Louis Legrand purchased Maison Oriza, a perfume house Jean-Louis Fargeon, the royal perfumer, established in 1720. ¹⁵ Legrand turned the successful business over to his partner Antonin Raynaud in 1860. ¹⁶ An advertisement from 1870 in the Courrier des Etats-Unis—a French-language newspaper published in New York—shows that the house was still known as L. Legrand at that date. ¹⁷ The advertisement proclaimed they were “Perfumer of the courts of France, Russia and Italy,” and offered 21 different fragrance products through two agents in New York, one in New Orleans, “et chez tous les Parfumeurs” (and in all perfumers). ¹⁸ Raynaud later changed the name of the house to Oriza-L. Legrand which it continues to use to this day.

The second French perfume is round in cross-section and is embossed “LUBIN / PARFUMEUR / A PARIS” (Cat # 4.31.60). Though the finish of this bottle is missing, it does seem to have had a narrow neck and abrupt shoulders. The center of the base features a small ground circular area, indicating this bottle may have once had a pontil scar that was then subsequently erased. Like the “L. LEGRAND” bottle, this perfume bottle was also likely made in France.

Pierre-Francois Lubin opened his perfume house in Paris in 1798. His famous clients included the Empress Josephine, along with French, English, and Russian royalty. ¹⁹ By the late 1830s, Lubin had expanded the company, setting up a branch in New York and later in New Orleans and St. Louis. ²⁰ In 1839, Philadelphia perfumers were offering Lubin’s fragrances along with those of other famous perfume houses from Paris and London. ²¹

Although this bottle appears somewhat plain by modern standards, Lubin’s bottles seem to have been widely recognized and imitated in the trade. Among the bottles offered in the Whitall, Tatum & Co. catalog of 1880 were various “French perfumes.” Several of the styles advertised in the catalog were referred to as “Lubin” bottles. ²²

While we cannot say for sure which of the many fashionable fragrances were once contained in these French cologne bottles, an article published in a New York magazine in 1890 provides a whiff of what was popular then:

Coudray, Lubin and Le Grand are all cologne-makers, though the house of Lubin is more famous for extracts, for the handkerchief, and soaps; Coudray, for sachet powders and soaps, and Le Grand for those fine, colorless essences and extracts which do not stain the clothing, and for solidified perfumes… There is just now a fashionable demand for fine French toilet waters, especially for violet, heliotrope, and lily of the valley waters. Lubin makes a most delicious violet water; this, and the firm’s extract of wood-violets are enough, it is thought, to establish the reputation of a perfumer… Le Grand, who, after Lubin, is probably the largest manufacturer of perfumes in Paris, distills a famous lavender water from the natural flowers, which is the standard of excellence… ²³

Other Toiletries

Several other glass artifacts appear to be associated with aspects of dressing and toilette during the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Roussel’s Aromatic Vinegar

A single colorless glass bottle bears the embossed label “Roussel’s Aromatic Vinegar.” Since at least 1844, Philadelphia perfumer Eugene Roussel had offered both Ede’s and Henry’s “Aromatic Vinegar” to the public from his shop on Chestnut Street. ²⁴ In 1849, he introduced his own product, “Roussel’s Vinaigre Aromatique, Cosmetique, et Anti-Mephitique de Bully,” in a lengthy newspaper advertisement:

The highly sanatory, balsamic, and tonic properties of this vinegar render it far superior to cologne water for the ordinary purposes of the toilet and the bath, surpassing the latter in its perfume and cheapness and in its greater efficacy for the promotion of cleanliness and health. This article has been known and extensively used in Europe for very many years, where it has, to a considerable extent, superseded the use of cologne water. The subscriber feels assured that it needs only to be made known in this country to insure its equally general adoption… It prevents and removes pimples, tetter and asperity of the skin; it refreshes and whitens the skin, rendering it soft and smooth, it corrects the clammy and bitter taste of the mouth, imparting a fresh and pleasant breath. It allays headache by application to the temples. Applied to a burn, it prevents soreness. It possesses many other valuable qualities, which are detailed at large in the printed wrappers accompanying each bottle. ²⁵

Roussel left his perfume business around 1850 in order to expand his interest in mineral waters. ²⁶

His perfume business was continued at the same location by Xavier Bazin, who advertised himself as “successor to Roussel” through 1853, possibly as he sold off existing stock. ²⁷ This provides a fairly narrow date range for the recovered bottle, which the Cramp family likely used shortly after they moved into their new home at 1018 Palmer.

The Pharmaceutical Record Weekly Market Review published the formulas for several “Toilet Vinegars” in 1888 and the ingredients of aromatic vinegar (Bully) were listed as follows: “Tinct. Benzoin…10, Tinct. Tolu…10, Tinct. Storax…10, Acetic Acid…50, Rose water…100, cologne water…1000.” ²⁸ No specific units of measure were provided, although similar formulas were often specified in “parts” or “drops.”

Fancy Opaque Stoppers

The broken top section of two different opaque glass stoppers was recovered (Cat # 4.24.446, 4.24.457). Each of the finials was formed from opaque aqua glass and both show the remains of faded gilt decoration. While the color of the glass appears to vary slightly between the two examples, these fragments may represent pieces from the same dresser set. Both are somewhat pear-shaped; the more rounded example is solid and probably represents a stopper fragment from a dresser bottle. The other fragment, in an elongated pear shape, is hollow and might be the finial knob from a lidded container, such as a dresser or powder box.

Opaque Amethyst Bottle

Only the rim and upper body of this vessel were recovered (Cat # 4.24.448). The body is cylindrical in shape, with a slightly constricted neck and flared rim. The opaque amethyst color of this vessel suggests a decorative container, such as a cologne or dresser bottle. The color of this glass bottle does not appear to match either of the two stoppers.

Decorated Lid

Several fragments of translucent glass exhibit the same fine crackled technique as a large, hollow conical finial recovered from this shaft (Cat # 4.24.458, 4.27.121). The fragments suggest pieces of a cover or lid for a decorative container, such as a “puff box” used to hold powder and a puff. Some of the surviving pieces and the finial display the remnants of jeweled enamel decoration featuring small dots and fine lines forming arches around dotted stylized flowers—a common decorative technique on Bohemian glassware.

Dresser Tray

The scalloped rim of this opaque white pressed glass dresser retained a few traces of the gilt highlights that once embellished the molded scroll pattern around the edge (Cat # 4.24.475). Similar trays were advertised in the Butler Brothers catalog of 1906. ²⁹ Glass trays in a variety of sizes were used on the dresser to hold pins or combs, as well as to protect wooden furniture from the liquid products contained in dresser and cologne bottles. Dresser trays could be purchased alone or as part of a matched set of toiletries.

Glass Boxes

Three opaque white glass artifacts represent pieces from two different containers. The surviving part of a shallow jar exhibits a straight rim and a base embossed with a large “M” inside of a diamond above the capacity mark “1 OZ.” Also recovered were two white pressed glass covers with no evidence of threading; one fits the jar, the other is slightly smaller (Cat # 4.24.463). Various products—such as pomade, cold cream, ointments, and tooth powders—were packaged in small “opal” jars referred to as “boxes” during this time period. ³⁰

Larkin Jars

Two additional jars made of opaque white pressed glass have embossed bases lettered “LARKIN Co BUFFALO” (4A-G-0042). One jar was found covered with the original white metal lid marked “LARKIN COLD CREAM”  “LARKIN CO PERFUMERS BUFFALO.” John D. Larkin established the company in 1875 to produce laundry soap. ³¹ During its 90-year history, the company expanded its product line, introducing new soaps, cold cream, and tooth powder. ³² Over the years, the name was altered slightly, with “Larkin Company” used from 1904 through 1921. ³³ The company established a form of bulk buying to increase the savings to customers and inspired customer loyalty by offering a variety of premiums on household goods, sometimes including items of furniture. Members of the Bumm or Nickels families most likely used the recovered cold cream containers.

Colognes and Cosmetics at 1018 Palmer

The fragrance and cosmetic containers recovered from this feature represent the wide variety of products that were available from the mid-nineteenth through early twentieth centuries. Although missing their original contents, the vessels themselves provide tactile information on the use of scents in this household.