Blown-in-Mold Utility Ink Bottle

Object: Antique Blown-in-Mold (BIM) Utility Ink Bottle. Date: c. 1870–1890 (Late Victorian). Origin: Likely American or British.

• Form & Function: The bottle features a square body with a distinct “Grooved Shoulder” or “Pen Rest” design. The depressed channels on the top shoulders were a functional feature, allowing the user to rest their wet dip pen horizontally across the bottle without rolling off or staining the desk.

• Color: Teal Green

The glass is colored “Teal Green” or “Deep Blue-Green.” This rich, dark color was achieved by adding iron and copper or chromium to the glass mixture and is highly desirable among collectors.

• The Finish: A “Ground” Lip
• What you are seeing: The top of the bottle is perfectly flat and has a matte, slightly frosted appearance that contrasts with the shiny glass of the neck.
• How it was made: This is a Ground Lip. After the bottle was blown and removed from the blowpipe, the jagged (“rough”) excess glass was sheared off. The glassmaker then took the bottle and ground the top rim down against a stone or abrasive wheel until it was perfectly flat.
• The Purpose: This grinding process created a level, smooth surface to ensure a tight seal with a cork or a glass stopper. If they had left it fire-polished (rounded), the seal might not have been as airtight, which was crucial for preventing ink evaporation.

• Texture: The glass exhibits a strong “Whittled” texture (a wavy, hammered appearance on the surface). This was caused by blowing hot glass into a mold that was slightly cold; the glass chilled instantly against the metal, creating ripples.
• Imperfections: There are numerous seed bubbles trapped in the glass. These are small air pockets that didn’t escape the molten glass, a hallmark of 19th-century production.

The Base & Markings

The base is a “smooth base” (meaning it lacks a sharp pontil scar), indicating it was made after the invention of the snap case (c. 1860s).

• “64”: This is a Mold Number. Glasshouses used these numbers to track which specific mold produced a bottle, primarily for quality control (to identify a defective mold).
• Secondary Marks: The lettering below the number is quite crude and difficult to decipher due to the heavy texture of the glass. It appears to read “S. H. & Co” or possibly “S. U. & Co”.
  • If it is S. H. & Co, it could refer to a specific glasshouse, but many utilitarian ink bottles like this were “merchant bottles” made for ink manufacturers (like Carter’s or Arnold’s) by various anonymous glassworks.

Summary:

Deep Teal/Emerald Green “Pen Rest” Ink Bottle (c. 1875). A square, blown-molded glass inkwell featuring a grooved shoulder designed to serve as a pen rest. The glass displays a distinct “whittled” texture with numerous seed bubbles throughout. The base is smooth, embossed with mold number “64” and partially legible maker’s marks (possibly “S.H. & Co.”). Sheared lip finish.