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1850–1855 Lyon’s Kathairon For The Hair New York Open Pontil Drippy Applied Lip Whittled 6 1/8\"
Description
A beautiful early American hair tonic bottle from the golden age of patent medicines and personal grooming products.
This is an embossed LYON’S KATHAIRON FOR THE HAIR – NEW YORK bottle dating to roughly 1850–1855, blown in aqua glass with a true open pontil base and a wonderfully crude, oversized drippy applied lip. The bottle shows strong orange-peel texture, whittling, and scattered seed bubbles, all classic signs of mid-19th century hand-blown manufacture.
The form is the desirable rectangular cathedral panel style, with bold vertical embossing and recessed panels that catch the light beautifully. When held up, the glass absolutely sparkles, and the natural waviness gives the bottle a lively, almost liquid look.
Condition is excellent.
No chips, no cracks, no damage.
A very clean attic-kept example.
Height: 6 1/8 inches
About Lyon’s Kathairon
“Kathairon” was one of the most famous hair preparations of the mid-1800s. It was produced by Dr. H. G. Lyon of New York, who began marketing the product in the late 1840s. The name comes from the Greek kathairo, meaning “to cleanse or purify.”
The tonic was advertised as a hair restorer and scalp treatment, promising to:
Advertisements appeared widely in newspapers across the United States in the 1850s, making Lyon’s one of the earliest nationally recognized cosmetic brands. Like many products of the era, the formula likely included alcohol, botanical extracts, and fragrant oils designed to stimulate the scalp and give hair a glossy appearance.
Life in America When This Bottle Was Made
This bottle was produced just before the Civil War during a remarkable period of American growth.
In the early 1850s:
Railroads were rapidly connecting major cities.
Telegraph lines allowed near-instant communication for the first time.
New York City was becoming the commercial capital of the country.
Patent medicines and grooming tonics were booming businesses thanks to aggressive newspaper advertising.
It was an era when men commonly used hair tonics daily, and elegant embossed bottles like this were displayed proudly on dressers and barber counters.
Collectibility
Lyon’s Kathairon bottles are a favorite among early medicine and barber bottle collectors because:
they date to the open pontil era
they feature bold embossed advertising
the glass often shows excellent whittling and early hand-blown character
Examples with clean glass and strong embossing like this are increasingly difficult to find.
