Barrel Ink Bottle – Senate Ink Co.

This is a nice example of a mid-19th-century “barrel” ink bottle, a style sought after by collectors for its unique shape and historical manufacturing marks.

Description

• Shape: The bottle is mold-blown in the shape of a horizontal barrel, featuring embossed “hoops” or bands at each end to mimic a wooden cask.
• Glass Quality: It is made of clear glass that shows a slight solarized or straw-colored tint, likely due to manganese in the glass reacting with sunlight over time. It has an iridescent patina (a rainbow-like sheen) on the surface, which typically occurs when glass is buried in moist soil for decades.
• Embossing: The front is clearly embossed in a serif font with:

S . I .

COMP

• Neck & Lip: The bottle has a short, cylindrical neck ending in a flared lip. The irregular thickness of the rim is indicative of hand-finishing common in the 1840s–1860s.

Manufacturing Marks: The Pontil

The most significant feature for dating this bottle is the pontil mark on the base.

• Type: This is a scarred or “rough” pontil. This mark was created when a solid iron rod (the pontil) was attached to the bottom of the bottle so the glass blower could finish the neck. When the rod was snapped off, it left this jagged, circular scar.
• Significance: The presence of a rough pontil generally dates this bottle to between 1845 and 1860. By the mid-1860s, the “snap case” tool largely replaced the pontil rod, leading to smooth-bottomed bottles.

Historical Context: Senate Ink Co.

The “S.I. COMP” abbreviation stands for the Senate Ink Company.

• Origin: While there is some debate among collectors, many attribute these bottles to the Senate Ink Co. of Washington, D.C., or associated distributors in the mid-Atlantic region.
• Rarity: Barrel-shaped inks are generally more desirable than the common “turtle” or “umbrella” styles. An S.I. Comp barrel with a clear pontil mark is considered a “top-shelf” item for early American ink collectors.

Condition Summary