Continental Inks & Mucilage

This is a nice example of a late 19th-century American utility ink bottle.

1. Color: Teal / Peacock Blue

• You are correct to question the exact shade. In the world of antique bottle collecting, this specific color is most accurately described as Teal Blue or Peacock Blue.
• It is not a true “cobalt blue” (which is dark and purple-toned) nor a standard “aqua” (which is very pale blue-green). This rich, vibrant blue-green color is desirable among collectors and is rarer than the standard aqua versions.

2. Embossing and Identification

• Text: The bottle is boldly embossed on the front: “CONTINENTAL / INKS / & / MUCILAGE”.
• Manufacturer: This bottle contained products from the Continental Ink Company.
  • Context: “Mucilage” was a type of plant-based glue (often made from gum arabic) that was a staple in Victorian offices alongside ink. It was often sold in similarly shaped bottles, sometimes with a brush cap.

3. Glass Characteristics

• Whittling: The texture as “Whittled.”
  • Explanation: This wavy, hammered texture on the glass surface was not cut or carved. It was caused by the hot glass being blown into a metal mold that was slightly cool. The temperature difference caused the glass to ripple against the mold surface. This is a sign of authentic 1880s glass blowing.
• Construction:
  • Blown in Mold (BIM): The side seams (mold lines) stop partway up the neck, indicating the body was blown into a mold.
  • Applied/Tooled Lip: The top collar (lip) was finished by hand with a tool after the bottle was removed from the blowpipe. You can see the concentric tooling marks on the neck.
• Base: The base is smooth with a shallow depression (kick-up), typical of utility bottles from this era.

4. Age

• Date: Circa 1880–1890.
  • The specific teal color, the whittled texture, the bold embossing style, and the tooled lip are all hallmarks of the 1880s. By 1900, most bottles were becoming clearer and machine-made, losing this distinct character.