This Bottle Typing (Typology) & Diagnostic Shapes section is comprised of a complex of many, often very long pages with an expected completion no earlier than late 2008.  This Bottle Typing section is the final incomplete section of the Historic Bottle Website though is currently about 80% complete and quite usable.

NOTE:  Attached to this complex of pages is one that is an ongoing pictorial coverage of all types of bottles with their original labels.  This page allows users to see specifically what many different shapes of bottles were used for as the original labels are still intact.  Click Labeled bottles to move to that section of this page.

First this cautionary note:  Like bottle dating, bottle "typing" (typology) is not a precise science.

Depending solely on the shape of a bottle to conclude what its contents originally were is not absolute, but the best one can often do.  There are a couple primary reasons for this:

1. The same type or style of bottle may have been used for distinctly different products.

Numerous examples abound of this phenomena - A soda style used for patent medicine, a "fifth" whiskey shape used for bitters or tonic, a liquor flask shape used for Jamaica ginger (medicine), a milk bottle used for maple syrup (image to the right from eBay©), and so forth.  It was entirely the decision and sometimes whim of the purchaser/user (filler) of the bottle as to what went into it.   As noted by Berge (1980), "Although (bottle) manufacturers had specific names and uses in mind for their bottles, the purchaser may have actually used them for something quite different."

However, consumers of the time - just like today - looked for certain products in certain shaped packages.  Because of this most users of bottles used some accepted or standard shape for a given product.  A square, short necked bottle like that pictured below was very commonly used for medicinal products and in particular "bitters" which was a very popular type of  usually high alcohol medicinal product during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  This general shape was also used for "schnapps" - another high alcohol nominally medicinal product.  In fact, early bottle makers called this shape either a "bitters" or a "schnapps" (Illinois Glass Co. 1903-04, Alther 1909).   If the bottle is embossed (or labeled) with the product name or type, then one knows for sure what it originally contained.  If the bottle is not embossed or labeled, then the shape can still be very indicative of what the contents most likely were.

2. Any given bottle could have been recycled and reused many times for totally unrelated products. 

As an example, the bottle pictured to the left obviously began its life as a bitters container for  Lashes Bitters.  This  product originated in Sacramento, CA. though in the 20th century its popularity justified offices in Chicago and New York (Wichmann 1999).  However, as indicated by the label on the reverse (right) this particular bottle finished its useful life as an ammonia container - a decidedly poisonous substance - from a Cleveland, OH. concern.  Click label close-up to view more label details.   Medicinal and bitters bottles were commonly reused for bluing and ammonia (Busch 1987).  This machine-made bottle dates from between the mid 1910's and mid 1920's; when it was used for ammonia is unknown, but likely the during the same era.

Another very early example of how a given type of bottle can be used or re-used for a non-type typical product, click on the following links: sunburst with label; close-up of the label.  This shows an example of an 1820s or 1830s era "sunburst" flask that was almost certainly re-used for "SPTS. CAMPHOR" by a Pennsylvanian druggist.  Spirits of camphor was used internally (an expectorant) and still is used externally (muscle aches and pains) though it is now considered to be a more or less hazardous substance if ingested.  It is definitely not considered a liquor.

This certainly shows that bottle recycling was not just a modern phenomena, as it was widely practiced in throughout the 19th (and before) through early 20th centuries when bottles were relatively more expensive to produce than today.  According to the Wilson's book Spirit Bottles of the Old West, an amber 1/5 quart ("fifth") whiskey bottle - like the Tea Kettle Old Bourbon bottle pictured earlier on this page - cost an expensive 25 to 30 cents each to produce in the 1870's (Wilson & Wilson 1968).  That would be equivalent to at least $4.00 today (USGPO 1975).  Bottle re-use was common since the container itself was often more expensive to produce than the contents.   (Note: Probably the best overview on the subject of bottle reuse is found in Jane Busch's article "Second Time Around: A Look at Bottle Reuse" (Busch 1987).  This article is now available as a pdf file via the Society for Historical Archaeology website by doing a search at this URL:  http://www.sha.org/publications/publicationsOnline/pubExplorer.cfm

Regardless of the above points, there is still a high correlation between the shape of a bottle and the primary and/or original use of the bottle.  These Bottle Typing pages (and website in general) deal with the fact that a given shape (or manufacturing related attribute) was dominant during a certain period of time and/or for a certain product.  This information is also premised on that fact that the probability is high - but not absolute - that any given bottle with a similar shape was likely used for the same type of product.  For example an unembossed tall, amber glass, cylinder bottle similar to the Tea Kettle Old Bourbon bottle pictured above is highly likely to have also been used for some type of noncarbonated alcoholic beverage.

Summary Note: The more datable diagnostic characteristics that can be used in conjunction with the bottle typing information found on these Bottle Typing pages, the closer the probable date range for an item can be narrowed and the more confidence one can have with that estimate.

"Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes" Related Pages -
Organization & Structure

IMPORTANT:  Please read the information in this box.

Eight broad categories of bottle types - plus one additional page for images of labeled examples of all types not otherwise pictured - are addressed and given short overviews on this page in the order listed below (no significance to the order):

• Liquor/Spirits bottles
• Wine & Champagne bottles
• Beer & Ale bottles
• Soda & Mineral Water bottles
• Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist bottles
• Food bottles & Canning jars
• Household bottles (non-food related)
• Miscellaneous & Foreign bottles
• Labeled bottles

If a user does not know what type of bottle he or she has, or simply wants to browse, one may scroll through the page below and do a visual search for the bottle type/shape for which they have interest or a need to obtain information.

Each of the eight bottle type categories are described in general in the green boxes on this page below.  Following a general discussion relative to that category are dozens of thumbnail pictures of different bottle shapes and types within that category.  All eight categories have immense variation in potential shapes and overlap with other categories.  Because of this, there is no other practical way to approach the subject without using a lot of illustrative pictures and some old glass company catalog illustrations.  Each thumbnail image may be clicked on to view a larger version of that image.

Once an individual finds a specific bottle or type category of interest, they may click on the link at the end of each section to move to the bottle type specific webpage that expands upon the brief discussions here and includes more detailed bottle type specific information and dating tips.  Most importantly, each bottle type page contains and has links to a plethora of pictures of bottles within that category, including the bottles pictured in thumbnail images on this page.  Each of these bottle type specific webpages attempts to sample the breadth of different bottles possible within that particular category for the period covered by this website, i.e., early 1800's through the 1950's. 

The information found on these pages is based on scores of different references in hand with the experience and observations made by the author over the past 4 decades.  As with virtually everything related to historic bottles, there are exceptions to be found with virtually all the estimated dating ranges and other information noted for all the bottle types.  These exceptions are noted where possible and useful.  Regardless of the ever present exceptions, the information found should be reliable for the large majority of bottles within each bottle type.
 

This is all a formidable task indeed and one that can not ever be totally complete given the diversity of bottles during the covered era.  However, it's a start so lets get started...
 

Liquor/Spirits bottles

Liquor of all types - bourbon, rye, gin, scotch whisky, brandy, etc. - was bottled in a wide variety of bottle shapes and sizes ranging from small flasks that held a few ounces to demijohns and carboys that held gallons.  As with many of the bottle type categories to follow, liquor bottle diversity is staggering in depth and variety.  The image to the left shows a grouping of liquor bottles that were manufactured over a one hundred year period (1820-1920), though just a tiny bit of the variety produced during that time span.  Still, there are definitive trends in shapes that mark a bottle as very likely to have been used primarily or originally as a container for high alcohol spirits intended for internal consumption during a specific time range of popularity. 

Alcohol was an important ingredient in many other products also, ranging from of course wine, champagne, beer, ale and porter (all covered in the next two sections) to most patent and proprietary medicines, bitters, and tonics to even preserved ("brandied") fruits.  However, this section of the "Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes" complex of pages just covers liquor bottles where the contained product was high in alcohol (20%+) and the intended use was not primarily medicinal - or at least the acknowledged medicinal utility was of secondary importance.

Liquor/spirits bottles were, as noted, bottled in a very wide array of different types or styles of bottles.  Today some of the basic general shapes that originated in the 19th century are still in use, e.g., the "Dandy" flask and cylinder "fifth", though of course produced with modern machines and (usually) utilizing more modern closures.  Many or most other liquor bottle styles are not used today.  Because of the immense diversity of shapes used over time, the Liquor/Spirits Bottle typing webpage (linked below) is quite large.  As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances. 

From this point a user needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the liquor bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottles to move to that page which specifically covers the various types of liquor bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century.  This  page covers the following general, and somewhat arbitrary, shapes of liquor bottles which may be clicked on to move directly to that section of the page.  (These are further divided on the Liquor/Spirits Bottles page.):

• Figured Flasks
• Cylinders
• Square/Rectangular
• Flasks (not considered "figured")
• Other miscellaneous shapes

The following thumbnail images of different liquor or spirits bottles may be clicked to view a larger version of that picture.  Search through these images to find the bottle type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close.  A very large but separate webpage containing information about - and additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottles.  As noted earlier, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of liquor/spirits bottles is as extensive as any class of bottles and those pictured below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly encountered types and shapes.  The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottles page are covered in the order that the bottles are pictured below.

Click to move to the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Liquor/Spirits Bottles page.
 

Wine & Champagne bottles

Generally speaking, wine and champagne (essentially carbonated or "sparkling" wine) were bottled in a much more limited array of bottle shapes than the spirits/liquor containers discussed above.  In fact, it is one of the least diverse of the broad categories covered on this website.  First off, virtually all wine/champagne bottles are round in cross section; square, rectangular, or other body shapes are unusual, though they do exist to some extent with wine bottles.  Champagne, being carbonated, pretty much had to be contained in round heavy glass bottles (like all carbonated beverages) since round bottles are inherently stronger than other shapes, all other things being equal (e.g., glass thickness, quality).  In addition, a large majority of wine and champagne bottles were (and continue to be) produced in some shade of olive green, olive amber, and sometimes aqua/colorless glass; other colors are unusual but possible (McKearin & Wilson 1978, Van den Bossche 2001).  The grouping pictured here shows some diversity to be sure but does span a time period from about 1750 to the early 20th century.

Wine and champagne bottles today follow closely many of the same basic designs - including closures (i.e., cork) - that were used in the mid-19th century; shapes which were relatively limited in variety.  Because of this fact, the wine/champagne typing webpage is relatively brief.  As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances. 

From this point a user needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the wine/champagne bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottles to move to that page which specifically covers the various types of wine and champagne bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century.  This page covers the following two major categories of bottles based on their specific contents which may be clicked on to move directly to those sections.  (These are further divided on the Wine & Champagne Bottles page.):

• Wine
• Champagne

The following thumbnail images of different wine and champagne bottles may be clicked to view a larger version of that picture.  Search through these images to find the bottle type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close.  A separate webpage containing information about - and additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottles.  As with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of wine and champagne bottles is more extensive than those pictured below, which hopefully represent the most commonly encountered types and shapes.  The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottles page are covered in the order that the bottles are pictured below.

Click to move to the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Wine & Champagne Bottles page.
 

Beer & Ale bottles

Similar to wine and champagne bottles, beer and related products (ale, porter, stout) were bottled in a relatively limited array of bottle shapes, though probably somewhat more diverse.  The grouping to the left - dating from the 1860s to 1950s - shows some of the moderate diversity found in this category.  One common feature is that essentially all beer/ale bottles are round in cross section; square, rectangular, or other body shapes are almost unknown.  Beer and ale, being carbonated, pretty much had to be contained in round heavy glass bottles since round bottles are inherently stronger than other shapes - all other things being equal (e.g., glass thickness and quality).  There were some notable exceptions which are discussed on the Beer & Ale Bottles typing page (linked below). 

Beer bottles today follow some of the same designs that were used during the late 19th century, though the finish and closures are often different than that era but very similar to those common during the first third of the 20th century (crown cap, external screw threads).  Because of this relative uniformity over time, the beer/ale typing webpage is moderate in length.  It does cover more information than the previously discussed wine/champagne bottle page; there is just more to say (and been said) about beer bottles and a category probably more commonly encountered on American historic sites than wine/champagne bottles (though the latter category is still quite common).  As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances. 

From this point a user needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the beer/ale bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Beer & Ale Bottles to move to that page which specifically covers the various types of beer and ale bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century.  This page covers the major form classes or categories of beer and ale bottles as follows which may be clicked on to move directly to those sections of the page. (These are further divided on the Beer & Ale Bottles page.):

• Early Ale, Stout & Porter styles
• Export style
• Champagne (Select or Lager) styles
• Other Beer Bottle styles

The following thumbnail images of different beer and ale bottles may be clicked to view a larger version of that picture.  Search through these images to find the bottle type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close.  A separate webpage containing information about - and additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Beer & Ale Bottles.  As with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of beer and ale bottles is more extensive than those pictured below, which hopefully represent the most commonly encountered types and shapes.  The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Beer & Ale Bottles page are covered in the order that the bottles are pictured below.

Click to move to the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Beer & Ale Bottles page.
 

Soda & Mineral Water bottles

Soda and mineral water (often lumped together and referred to as "soda water" unless a distinction is necessary) was bottled in a moderately diverse array of bottle styles as indicated by the grouping pictured to the left - a grouping that dates from the 1850s to 1950s.  However, like with the beer/ale bottles covered above, the (usually) carbonated nature of soda water narrowed the possible bottle variety in several ways.  The bottles had to be made of relatively heavy/thick glass in order to withstand the rigors of repeated bottling and handling - re-use being the norm until well into the 20th century - as well as the gaseous pressures of the product itself.  Being carbonated, soda water pretty much had to be contained in round bottles since round bottles are inherently stronger than other shapes - all other things being equal (e.g., glass thickness and quality).  Like with beer/ale bottles, there were a few notable exceptions to the round shape which are discussed on the Soda & Mineral Water Bottles typing page (linked below). 

Unlike some of the liquor, beer and wine/champagne bottles covered above, none of the soda water styles covered still see much widespread use in the U.S. where soda is primarily sold in plastic (though still round) bottles.  Worldwide, however, a few of the more modern styles discussed are still being used.

From this point a user needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the soda/mineral water bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottles to move to that page which specifically covers the various types of soda and mineral water bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century.  This page covers the major form classes or categories of soda and mineral water bottles as follows which may be clicked on to move directly to that section of the page. (These are divided further on the Soda & Mineral Water Bottles page.):

• Early soda/mineral water styles
• Saratoga mineral water style
• Blob soda/mineral water styles
• Internal stopper soda/mineral water styles
• Crown top/finish soda styles
• Round bottom & torpedo soda/mineral water styles
• Codd soda/mineral water styles
• Other soda/mineral water styles

The following thumbnail images of different soda/mineral water bottles may be clicked to view a larger version of that picture.  Search through these images to find the bottle type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close.  A separate webpage containing information about - and additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottles.  As with most of the bottle types covered here, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of soda & mineral water bottles is more extensive than those pictured below, which hopefully represent the most commonly encountered types and shapes.  The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottles page are covered in the order that the bottles are pictured below.

Click to move to the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Soda & Mineral Water Bottles page.
 

Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist bottles

The category of medicinal (and related) bottles is probably the largest and most diverse group produced during the era covered by this website (19th through mid 20th centuries) and in particular, between the 1850s and 1920s.  The grouping pictured to the left - which covers a period from the 1850s to 1930s - shows but a tiny sampling of medicinal bottle diversity which is frankly staggering in depth and variety with virtually any shape imaginable used at some point.  In fact, many types of bottles that are usually strongly identified with other distinct bottle types (e.g., blob top sodas, liquor flasks, even beer bottles) were used (or re-used) by someone at some time for medicines. 

Though intimidating in its immense diversity (and for the author of this website!), there are some useful trends in shapes that mark a bottle as very likely to have been used primarily or originally as a container for a some type of medicinal product.  Very few of the basic medicinal bottle shapes from the past see any use today as most medicinal products and prescriptions are "bottled" in plastic containers of all sorts, utilizing modern closures.  Because of the immense diversity of shapes used in the past, the Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottle typing webpage (linked below) is quite large.  As with all historic bottle types and shapes, there is a wide variation of subtle differences to be found within the various diagnostic shape classes which are covered in this section; thus, don't dwell to closely on minor nuances. 

From this point a user needs to either scan the thumbnail images below to find the medicinal/chemical/druggist bottle type they are interested in or click Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles to move to that page which specifically covers the various types of medicinal, chemical, and druggist bottles commonly produced and used during the era covered by this website - the 19th century through mid 20th century.  This page covers the major form classes or categories of these bottles as follows (these are divided further on the Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles page):

• Early Medicinal bottles
• Patent/Proprietary Medicinal bottles
• Druggist/Prescription bottles
• Poison & Chemical bottles
• Other Related Types

The following thumbnail images of different medicinal/chemical/druggist bottles may be clicked to view a larger version of that picture.  Search through these images to find the bottle type or shape that you are interested in - or one that is close.  A separate webpage containing information about - and additional pictures of - each of these bottles is found at this link: Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles.  As noted earlier, be aware that the diversity of shape, size, and color of medicinal bottles is probably more extensive than any other class of bottles and those pictured below are but a sampling of that variety, though does represent commonly encountered types and shapes.  The bottles on the Bottle Typing/Diagnostic Shapes: Medicinal/Chemical/Druggist Bottles page are covered in the order that the bottles are pictured below.