Caw’s Ink Bottle with Label

Description

• Form & Material: A vintage, square-shaped utility ink bottle with beveled vertical corners, rounded shoulders, and a wide cylindrical neck finished with a flat, tooled patent-style lip. It is made from blown aqua-tinted glass that shows heavy swirling, iridescent patina, and dark ink residue inside from its original contents. The recessed square base has a smooth cup-bottom finish.
• Closure: A period-correct two-piece stopper consisting of an umbrella/mushroom-shaped turned wooden top attached to a tapered natural cork plug that is stained dark black from contact with the ink.
• Embossing: One of the glass sides features bold, raised lettering:

CAW’S INK

NEW YORK

• Paper Label: A three-panel wrap-around paper label with a dark charcoal-black background framed by a rich reddish-burgundy border and printed with golden-yellow and red lettering.

Complete Text Printed on the Labels

1. Front Panel

• Top tab: NO. 2.
• Left text: CAW’S (in cream/yellow) / BLACK (in red below)
• Center icon: An emblem featuring a crow/raven perched on an ink bottle, flanked by the words:
  • TRADE (left)
  • MARK (right)
• Right text: Ink (in stylized script) / FLUID (in red below)

2. Left Panel (Side Warranty)

WARRANTED

TO WRITE BLACK INSTANTLY,

TO FLOW FREELY NOT TO FADE,

MOULD OR THICKEN, TO BE

POSITIVELY NON-CORROSIVE.

3. Right Panel (Manufacturer Information)

MANUFACTURED BY

CAW’S

PEN & INK CO.

NEW YORK.

History of Caw’s Ink

• Origins (1870s): The brand was founded in the late 1870s by Alvah S. French in Philadelphia, who registered the trademark featuring a crow perched on an ink bottle (a visual play on “Caw”).
• Move to New York & Fountain Pen Era: By the late 1870s and early 1880s, the company relocated to New York City. Stationer Francis Cashel Brown took control of production under the Fountain Ink Company, heavily marketing Caw’s black fluid as an ideal, non-corrosive, free-flowing ink.
• Expansion (1887): In early 1887, Brown reorganized the venture as the Caw’s Ink & Pen Company (located on Broadway in lower Manhattan) to sell both specialized inks and patented stylographic and fountain pens (such as the Caw’s “Dashaway” and “Safety” pens).

Production Date

• Estimated Date: Circa 1887 – late 1890s
• Dating Evidence:
  • The label explicitly reads “Caw’s Pen & Ink Co.”, a business name adopted in 1887.
  • The tooled lip, cup-bottom mold style, and wooden-topped cork closure are classic hallmarks of American commercial ink packaging manufactured between the late 1880s and the turn of the 20th century.