In my collection I have a pretty green bottle which I do not know much about. It is 6" tall with a crude top and early smooth base. Slightly resembling a jamaica ginger but larger, it is embossed " John F. Snow's Victory". This bottle is a bit of a mystery to me, but from what I understand it is extremely rare with all known examples coming from one pit several years ago in Marysville, Cal.
In discussing this bottle with Lou Lambert, I have learned that John F. Snow lived in Marysville beginning in 1850. He owned property and a business in Marysville's business district in the mid 1860s and these bottles date from about this time frame. The lot where the handful of these bottles were found two doors down from the business location.There is no mention of John F. Snow in Marysville after 1868 and the exact contents of the bottle are not completely known. There is mention of a product in the San Francisco directory referring to a "Snow's Victory" but the product was a coloring dye. It is not known for certain that this was the same product, or even the same person.
The bottle does appear to be the same form as some coloring dye's, but it also looks like a medicine. I believe there are 7 known examples...all from the same pit. Four or five are aqua and two or so are in this shade of lime green. I would appreciate any feedback regarding this early bottle. DM
Some additional information just came to light after my post. Apparently John F. Snow was listed in the 1867 S.F, directory indicates that Snow was advertising a hair restorative in San Francisco in both 1867 and 1868! This was in addition to products for cleansing, dying silks. So it would seem that in from about 1854 through 1867 Snow lived in Marysville and subsequently moved to San Francisco. While this bottle could have contained any of his products, it is likely the hair restorative was sold in this bottle. It is interesting that almost all of the western hair bottles are rare to extremely rare. DM
ReplyDeleteIs this the bottle that was on Pisano's table at Auburn? If so, when you get tired of it would you give me a call
Deleters
I have always thought these to be a SF bottle. John F Snow ran a dye works in the South of Market Area from 1868 up until 1911. What a rare bottle for such a long lived company.
ReplyDeleteThere’s no exact proof this is the same guy in S.F. but all indications lead toward that possibility. John Francis Snow arrived in Marysville with his family in 1850 and left in 1867. Records indicate he owned property and conducted business in two different locations, one on the North end of the business district and one on the South end. Active in his community, he served as First Lieutenant in the military unit “Yuba Guards” & Assistant in both the “Eureka” and “Tiger” engine Co.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 1860s many merchants left this major mining supply town when the mines stared playing out. Although Snow moved to S.F. in 1867 I believe the origin of these bottles is Marysville where they’ve only been found. It’s likely when he first introduced his product to the market, embossed bottles were blown, then in later years paper labeled.
The 1850s to mid 60s pit where the intact examples were found was only two doors down from Snow’s business. A fragment of a broken one was also recovered from another early to mid 60s privy about three blocks away.
Manufacture of his embossed bottles was very brief, falling somewhere between 1863-66 and definitely Western blown. It’s interesting to note that these are a unique shape unlike any other Western bottle.
Snow continued to be listed in S.F. city directories under “Hair Restoratives” up until 1875 then I find no mention after that.
Great research Lou,
DeleteFor me, this is what makes these western blown bottles so collectable
rs
I dug a broken one, same green color as in this post. It came out of Nevada, at a town site that didnt start until 1868. The other bottles in the layer were all circa 1869-71.
ReplyDeleteAP
That’s entirely possible and not un-common to find an older bottle in a later area. It may of taken a few years before he ran out of the embossed bottles and they were likely paper labeled after that. It’s a little weird that I can find no advertisement for this product in the 10 years he promoted it and no patent. I don’t imagine it was a big mover accounting for the scarcity but he did promote it up into the mid 1870s. Snow was conducting business that catered almost entirely to the lady’s and had mostly all women working for him. He must have been a real lady killer as I found at least four different directory entries where he’s listed as living with a different “Miss” at the same address.
ReplyDeleteIt look like the research leads to the embossed bottle being from Marysville, but I bet he brought a few cases down with him to SF. Maybe some day one with pop up in an SF special hole !
ReplyDeleteThanks to Dale and Lou for the great information on a terrific western bottle.
ReplyDeletede
The color and embossing matches a large letter Rosenbaums pretty well. Maybe he had them blown right after moving to SF and shipped them up to Marysville as his first market. Warren, how does the glass look to you ?
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteI had not seen this bottle before this posting, however the color and particularly the embossing is definitely in my view, western in manufacturing. This particular large lettering and style is the same as the 2nd variant Renz bottle as well as the cylinder Wonser bottle. Both of which show evidence to have been marketed as well as probably manufactured during the 1869 and later era.