Ink Bottle Embossed “E. Waters”

Bottle Description

• Type: A master ink or large personal ink bottle.
• Color: Aquamarine (often called “aqua”), which was the natural color of glass produced with iron impurities in the sand.
• Design: It features a rectangular base with heavy vertical fluting (ribbing) on the body. The “E. WATERS” name is embossed within an arched indented panel, a design meant to catch the light and make the product look more premium.
• Lip/Mouth: It has an applied flared mouth (or flange mouth), meaning the top was finished by hand with a separate piece of molten glass.
• Base: The “pontil scar” on the bottom is an open pontil mark. This circular, rough glass scar was left when the bottle was snapped off the “pontil rod” after the glass-blowing process was complete.

How old is it?

This bottle was made between 1840 and 1860. The presence of the open pontil scar is the “smoking gun” for this date range; by the early 1860s, glasshouses transitioned to using “snap cases” that left the bottom smooth, making pontiled bottles highly collectible today.

Who was E. Waters?

Elisha Waters was a prominent druggist and businessman based in Troy, New York.

• The Business: He initially ran a drug store where he mixed and sold various chemical products, including inks, hair dyes, and medicines like “Waters Pulmonica”.
• Innovation: Later in life, Elisha Waters became even more famous for something completely different: paper boats. His company, E. Waters & Sons, patented a process for making racing shells out of varnished paper, which were lighter and faster than the wooden boats of the time.

Where was it made?

It was made in Troy, New York. While Waters was the proprietor of the ink, the glass itself was likely blown at a regional glasshouse (such as those in the Albany or New Jersey area) specifically for his Troy-based business.