Aqua Umbrella Ink Bottle – HOVER PHILA

This is a classic 8-sided aqua “umbrella” ink bottle. the company.

Description

• Form: Known as an “umbrella” or “fluted cone” ink because of its multi-sided, tapered shape. It has eight distinct panels (facets) that come to a point at the neck.
• Color: The glass is a light blue-green, traditionally called aqua.
• Embossing: Two panels are embossed: one with HOVER and another with PHILA (an abbreviation for Philadelphia).
• Manufacturing Details: Pontil Mark: It has a rough, circular scar on the base. This is an open pontil mark, created when the glassblower used a “pontil rod” to hold the bottle while finishing the lip.
  • Lip/Finish: It has a rolled lip, which is consistent with mid-19th-century hand-blown glass.
• Age: The combination of the umbrella shape, the aqua color, and the pontil mark dates this bottle to the 1840s–1860s.

The Company: Joseph E. Hover

The bottle was produced for the Joseph E. Hover company, one of the most prominent ink manufacturers in Philadelphia during the mid-1800s.

• Founder: Joseph E. Hover was a chemist and stationer. He is most famous for his “Chemical Writing Fluid,” which he marketed as being superior for its permanence and non-corrosive properties.
• Location: His business was centered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. City directories from the 1840s and 1850s list his establishment at various locations, including 144 Race Street and 87 North Third Street.
• Market Position: Hover was a major competitor to other Philadelphia giants like Apollos Harrison. His inks were widely distributed and often found in these small “penny” or “utility” sizes used by students and clerks.

• Rarity: While unembossed aqua umbrella inks are quite common, embossed versions are significantly more desirable. The “HOVER” name is well-recorded in the “Ink Bottle Hall of Fame” and is a staple for a specialized Philadelphia collection.
• Historical Context: These bottles were designed to be stable; the wide base prevented the bottle from tipping over easily on a desk—a common disaster in the era of quill and dip pens.