# Wistarburgh medicine vial and a cylinder small utility bottle.



## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

The United Glass Company (Wistarburgh) was America's first successful glassworks. It operated largely prior to the American Revolution.Glass made at the site can now be  attributed to this factory because of analysis of alkali-lime glass shards from the glassworks site shows that green Wistarburgh bottle glass is much more calcic and is enriched in various trace elements (notably the rare-earth elements) compared with later south Jersey glass for which analytical data is also available for. The compositional data indicates that Wistarburgh's proprietors made use of a batch recipe containing approximately 68 wt.% local sand, 24% dolomitic limestone, and 3% each of soda ash and potash. In addition to green bottle glass, blue, aquamarine, and colourless potashâ€“lead glass and colourless potash glass were also recovered from the Wistarburgh factory site, suggesting that a range of specialized glasswares was produced by this factory.The method for determining Wistarburgh authenticity was patented by J. Victor Owen.  (check out his resume quite impressive)
      http://www.smu.ca/academic/science/geology/bios/victor_owen.html 

 A lot of Wistar attributed glass has now been made possible because of Mr. Owen's work.The two bottles shown here  have the gall (white yellowy looking substance with the texture of cement grout) in the pontil seen only on glass manufactured at Wistarburgh.The vial is small at only 2 and 3/8s in length and 5/8s in circumference.The cylinder shaped utility or med bottle is the same in color but stands 6 inches in heigth and 2 and 3/4 inches in diameter.Both bottes have the familiar Wistar yellow green color in them.My best guess is the vial is very old made in the early years of the factory 1739 to 1760.The utility bottle shape was more prevalent after 1760 so my best guess is the 1760 to 1782 period of the glass factory.The pontil on the utility bottle is one of the prettiest I have ever seen  or held.Although Wistar glass is rare you must remember they were in business for 43 years with the 20 year period just before the American revolution being very prolific and profitable for Caspar Wistar and then is Son Richard.Their glass is out there in our antique bottle market as hundreds of thousands of pieces of glass were made there in 43 years of manufacturor.


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

I see A N A L Y T I C A L  still cant be written or the site software knows who the author of the post is and is a little gun shy[]


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

picture 3


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

picture 4


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

picture 5


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

A picture of the gall found on a lot of the pontils of Wistar attributed glass


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

Again gall in the pontil of the utility bottle.


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

If you are a pontil connoisseur you have to love this cone shaped pontil!!
 Whats odd about this pontil mark is when you turn the bottle upside down it is only maybe 3/4's of an inch deep.
 The illusion of viewing the bottle from the side makes it appear that the pontil is similar to an old push up wine bottle with the
 pontil extending 2 inches into the bottle.


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

The same picture as the previous showing the extent of the pontil.


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## bostaurus (May 26, 2010)

A lot of the early German utility bottles have that conical pontil..I guess it is just another of those German connections.


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## swizzle (May 26, 2010)

Whoa, Those are sweet as hell. They look like candy. Very awesome bottles and color. I love it. Swiz


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## RED Matthews (May 26, 2010)

Hi Steve,  That collection of solid glass would have had to, have been on the bottom of the gather, wouldn't it?.  It seems like if it was there, it could have become cone shape when the glass was blown into the form for the parison.  It could have been one of those things they used to fool around with to reduce the quantity of the product being bottled.  Like the cheater push-ups.  This type would accomplish the same thing. 

 When the governments thought they were not getting enough tax money for the contents, was when they started insisted the bottle shoulders had to be mold formed instead of free formed to assure the capacity control. 
 That is a unique bottle.  RED Matthews


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## blobbottlebob (May 26, 2010)

Hey Steve,
 Once again, cool post. Would it be safe to assume that the gall you refer to is some kind of impurity (inadvertently) added to the glass when the punty rod was applied?


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## Steve/sewell (May 26, 2010)

Hi Bob, the impurity is deeper into the glass area not even touching the pontil sometimes.Its hard to say if it was the technique of one individual or
 a chemical reaction between say the punti rod and the batch of glass.I have seen it also on the lower sides of the bottles attributed to Wistarburgh.
 It almost looks like a potstone type of material but its different then that.It is swirled into the glass and comes out like vains in a marble slab .Hard to explain but seen quite often on Wistar made glass.

 If you go to oldsouthjerseyglass.com choose the email tab you can ask William (Hank) Flowers the ultimate expert on Wistarburgh products a question in an email.He always returns his emails.He has numerous spackle buckets of shards from the glass house site in his possesion along with quite a few glass pieces from Wistarburgh.He is a great guy to get to know,and has unlimited first hand knowledge about colonial New jersey glass and any colonial glass for that matter.


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## JOETHECROW (May 26, 2010)

Steve,...Great to further my early glass education thru you once again! ....Thanks for the cool post and great pictures.            Joe


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## WEB44 (Jan 7, 2016)

*Wistarburgh Glass ID.*

My on-line research of a glass bottle has led me to early New Jersey glass, in particular, to Wistarburgh.

There is several similaries :

Wistar pale green color, thin walled glass



Wistar applied heavy mushroom lip tooled to shape



Wistar glass gall - a yellowy sandy substance with the texture of cement grout.

     The bottle (10") is most likely non utilitarian, there is no signs of wear or use, most likely a whimsy / show piece. The only Continental bottle that comes close in shape is the Riga Balsam hip flask, but is thicker walled and has different finishes.

If the bottle is 18th cent., there is one oddity, there is no rough pontil scar. But there is several signs the bottle has been (German) double dipped on the bottom third, providing a smooth base that enclosed the scar (as shown above)  

Have been in touch with Dr. Victor Owen in regards to having chemical analysis done, but the process is quite expensive.

Am interested in any comments


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## Harry Pristis (Jan 7, 2016)

Steve/sewell said:


> Again gall in the pontil of the utility bottle.



I'm confused now.  In the image, your red line appears to be pointing to a ridge of glass, associated with the pontil scar, that's been ground down (probably because it was too sharp or protuberant).  Are you saying that that coarse-appearing rim is something else?

What do you mean by "gall"?  I am familiar with "glass gall", a contaminent of glass which leaves an opaque-turquoise, qlossy deposit that "swims" on the surface of the glass.  Willie Van den Bossche describes "glassgall" as a salt of sodium sulphate.  In German, the term for this phenomenon is "Glassgalle" or "Glasspeck".  In French, it is "la graisse du verre."  

I'm sure I have some black bottles with glass gall contamination around the pontil scar.  I appears simply as a discoloration of the glass, with no difference in texture from the rest of the bottle.

Either or both of these bottles could pass for French, or even for German.

The cone-shaped kick-up was formed by pushing it up with an iron rod, sometime with a toothed-cogwheel on the end for a broader kick-up.  This tool is called the "molette".  Here's the trace of a toothed molette:
​


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## nhpharm (Jan 8, 2016)

That is a neat bottle...the round bottom (with no pontil) is an odd form for Wistarburgh.  Was the bottle found in the US?


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## WEB44 (Jan 8, 2016)

*Wistarburgh Glass ID.*

Yes, the bottle was found in Maine app. 12 years ago.

What I first thought was a large bubble on the bottom





Now I believe it is a polished pontil scar that was enclosed in glass by (German connection) the double dipping
of the bottom section. The gl. thickness is double the top part of the main body. There is a thick ripple of gl. that happened during the double dipping as shown below





As I mentioned in my first post, am considering chemical analysis, which would resolve the debate.
The process will cost app. $200. & require a small gl. sample (about the size of a course grain of sand)

Need some informed comments on the chances the bottle is a Wistarburgh non utilitarian piece.


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## Harry Pristis (Jan 8, 2016)

WEB44 said:


> Yes, the bottle was found in Maine app. 12 years ago.
> 
> What I first thought was a large bubble on the bottom
> 
> ...



Consider the possibility that you've misinterpreted the features of the glass.  Pontil scars are never as clean as the margins of a glass bubble.  

A pontil scar would have to be annealed - cooled - before it could be ground.  Once annealed, the bottle could not be dipped into molten glass without destruction.  Therefor, the seam you point out on the side of the bottle must be something other than the margin of a 'double-dip.'

You are confused about the German half-post mold technique.  It is at the parison stage that the glass is dipped in molten glass.  Once the bottle is formed, it is not dipped.

A well-formed bottle like this one was probably started in a dip mold, at a minimum.  The seam you see on the side of the bottle is likely to be a mold seam (which is almost inevitable as a consequence of overblow in a dip mold).

The thick glass you point out, as well as the bubble, are common features of hand-blown bottles.


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 8, 2016)

All I can say it that if they went to that extent it had a purpose. It may have been a barometer or something that would not have had a wicker or other covering. 
I can't help with anything, especially attributing it a specific glasshouse.


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## WEB44 (Jan 8, 2016)

*Wistarburgh Glass ID.*

Thank you Harry, just the informed quality of info. I have been looking for, my early gl. blowing procedures is limited.
Now with no pontil or any trace of a polished pontil & the "snap tools" didn't appear in North America until early 1800's.

IF my bottle is 18th cent., there had to be a way to hold the bottle for finishing, could the bottle have been held on the lower part of the neck?  There is exterior blemishes/scars in that area.

Other forum members have stated that glass gall which is a yellowy sandy substance with the texture of cement grout
is a sure sign of a Wistarburgh piece. I think the below pic speaks for itself.


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## Harry Pristis (Jan 8, 2016)

You are making the logical error of trying to make the evidence fit your conclusion.  As I view the evidence, your bottle may or may not be USA-made.  Your bottle probably dates to the 19th Century rather than the 18th C.  Your bottle is unlikely to be from Wistarburgh.

Glass gall is a well-understood phenomenon that has nothing at all to do with the tiny inclusions in your bottle.  Cite your authorities by name; I don't think other forum members will agree with your definition of glass gall.  This is glass gall:
 ​


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## WEB44 (Jan 10, 2016)

Thank you Harry
The reason I added to this particular thread was because of its comments on Wistar gall and to get a better understanding of early bottle making. 
Yes, sometimes in my excitement I present things incorrectly  based on my limited knowledge, but thanks to replies, I usually end up a few steps further up on the ladder. 

Wistarburgh gall/slag has a distinctive appearance, unlike what you have shown. The verbal descriptions shown below was my first introduction.
Steve Sewell "a yellowy sandy substance"
Stephen Atkinson "white yellowy looking substance with the texture of cement grout"
These comments seemed to relate to what I was looking at in my bottle.

Also in this thread Steve Sewell stated
"It almost looks like a potstone type of material but its different then that. It is swirled into the glass and comes out like veins in a marble slag. Hard to explain but seen quite often on Wistar made glass."
He also mentioned the gall has been imbedded on the lower side of the body, away from the pontil." Again present in mine.

Was first attracted to early New Jersey bottles by the similarities in color.

View attachment 168574

Next, and more important, was the similarities with the finish.

HISTORICALGLASS.COM
"All Wistar collars are wraped, or threaded, around the mouth and then reheated and tooled to shape.
It is a great illusion, some of the lips are so perfect that they look like they were made in some kind of a mold. In some cases they even appear as if to be folded over from the neck gather."

 
The interior on my bottle where the applied meets the neck is void of any roughness, very smooth, a tooled lip appearance.



Willy Van den Bossche's book "Antique Glass Bottles" showed the only U.K. / Continental example similiar in shape.



Anyway, mystery bottles do provide for exciting on-line research.
Harry, your thoughts the bottle is 19th cent. is most likely correct, but I enjoy playing with the wild card, in regards to Dr. Owen's chemical analyses ($200.) will need some positive comments before running out to the lab.


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## cowseatmaize (Jan 10, 2016)

Both the Steves are the same. He doesn't come around here anymore that I've noticed (I don't think he ever re-registered) but if his site has a "contact" you can try it.


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## WEB44 (Jan 10, 2016)

Thanks, was wondering if the Steve's were one and the same, actually several weeks ago tried contacting through his website & direct emails with no replies. Have had email replies from Hank Flowers, he has been very generous with his knowledge.


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## Harry Pristis (Jan 10, 2016)

WEB44 said:


> Thank you Harry
> The reason I added to this particular thread was because of its comments on Wistar gall and to get a better understanding of early bottle making.
> Yes, sometimes in my excitement I present things incorrectly  based on my limited knowledge, but thanks to replies, I usually end up a few steps further up on the ladder.
> 
> ...



I see that I was crediting you, Web44, for Steve Sewell's 2010 unusual ideas. 

McKearin/Wilson provides information about Wistarburgh glass.  They suggest, based on excavations, the factory produced green window glass and bottles.  The bottles ranged from onions to tall cylinders wine bottles, and included gallon-size bottles (demijohns) which are mentioned in C. Wistar's will.  This bottle is far more likely to have been made at Wistarburgh than your flask: 

​All the Riga Balsam flasks have blowpipe pontil scars.  Turn to Van den Bossche's Plate 138 to see ovoid Spa (mineral water) bottles without pontil scars (and without much of a lip finish).  While there, glance at the opposing page which illustrates glass gall on a bottle.


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