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Outstanding c. 1890s J.P. & D. Plummer “Superior Horse Radish” bottle from Boston, Massachusetts, retaining its wonderful original multicolor pictorial paper label.
The label is the star of this bottle. Bold Victorian graphics feature a large black horse-head portrait within a bright yellow medallion, surrounded by olive green, red, gold/yellow and black decoration. Across the front:
SUPERIOR
HORSE RADISH
J.P. & D. PLUMMER
BOSTON
This is a terrific surviving example of late-19th-century American food packaging, when colorful lithographed labels and memorable pictorial trademarks were used to make products stand out on grocers' shelves.
The bottle itself is equally appealing, with light aqua/green-tinted glass, a wonderfully crude character, heavy rounded mouth and visible irregularities characteristic of early bottle manufacture. It measures approximately 5 1/8" tall.
WHY IT'S SPECIAL:
Surviving antique food bottles are common enough; surviving examples with their original pictorial labels are considerably more desirable. This example has especially strong display appeal thanks to the oversized horse graphic and vivid Victorian color scheme.
A wonderful crossover piece for collectors of antique bottles, Boston advertising, Victorian packaging, early American food and condiment containers, horse/equestrian memorabilia, general-store advertising, and pictorial labels.
