Whitall Tatum & Co. 1870's Cobalt Poison Bottles (2)

Item: Pair of Antique Poison Bottles

Make: Whitall Tatum & Co.

Age: 1870's

Color: Cobalt Blue

Dimensions:

• Bottle 1: 8 1/8" T x 2 7/8" Dia
• Bottle 2: 6 1/2" T x 2 3/8" Dia

Condition: Excellent. No chips, cracks, or breaks. The larger's cork has disconnected from the screw-in finial top, but still fits holds the finial in place for decoration. This could be mended/cleaned if desired.

Details: In 1872, the American Medical Association recommended the use of textured, colored glass containers for the storage and dispersion of potentially poisonous medicines. That same year, Whitall Tatum Glassworks of Millville, NJ introduced the textured surface cobalt blue poison bottle. The surface has a pattern of diamond shaped projections around the bottle. The bottle was intended to “protect patients from danger of mistake both day and night, by the touch as well as sight.”