Laughlin’s and Bushfield Ink Bottle

This is a classic example of a mid-19th-century American ink bottle, notable for its historical connection to the Virginia panhandle (now West Virginia) and its early manufacturing characteristics.

Bottle Overview

• Embossing: The bottle features bold, serifed embossing across three of its eight panels: “LAUGHLIN’S / AND / BUSHFIELD / WHEELING / VA.”
• Color: A vibrant, natural aqua (light blue-green) glass.
• Form: It stands 2 ¾” tall with an octagonal (eight-sided) body. This multi-sided style was popular for ink bottles as it provided a sturdy base and an attractive look for a desktop.

Manufacturing Details

• Base: The base features a prominent open pontil scar. This circular mark indicates the bottle was held by a “pontil rod” while the glassblower finished the neck and lip, a technique that largely phased out after the Civil War (c. 1860s).
• Lip/Finish: It has an inward rolled lip, where the glass at the top of the neck was folded back into the mouth while still hot to create a smooth, reinforced edge for a cork.
• Glass Character: The images show a slightly “whittled” or textured surface to the glass, suggesting it was blown into a relatively cool metal mold.

Historical Significance

Laughlin & Bushfield were prominent merchants in Wheeling, Virginia (prior to West Virginia’s statehood in 1863). The “VA” abbreviation is a key diagnostic for collectors, dating the bottle to the 1840s–1850s.