Teal Igloo Ink Bottle

This is a classic example of a mid-to-late 19th-century “Igloo” ink bottle .

Description and Features

• Shape and Form: The bottle is igloo-shaped or domed. This design, with its low center of gravity and rounded sides, was purely functional: it prevented the bottle from easily tipping over, which would cause ink to spill on the desk or documents.
• Color: The glass is a vibrant teal or aquamarine color. This hue often comes from natural impurities (like iron) found in the sand used for glassmaking during that period.
• Manufacturing Technique:
  • Hand-Blown/Mold-Blown: The presence of bubbles in the glass and the overall slightly irregular form indicate it was hand-blown into a simple, multi-piece mold.
  • “Whittled” Surface: The term “whittled” refers to the faintly rippled or slightly wavy appearance of the glass surface. This effect is a sign of an early mold-blown process where the mold itself was crudely finished or unevenly cooled, or where the hot glass pushed slightly into the seams, giving the surface a distorted, aged look.
  • Sheared Lip: The lip (the opening where the pen dips in) is sheared (or “snapped off”). This indicates that after the bottle was blown, it was broken off the glass blower’s pontil rod, and the neck was left crudely finished with an uneven or slightly rolled edge. This is typical of mass-produced, utilitarian containers where time and cost savings were prioritized over smooth finishing.
• Size: The small size (1 ⅝” high) is common for single-use or small desk inkwells of the era.

Age and Context

The estimated age of the 1870s is plausible for this style:

• Period: Igloo and round inkwells flourished from the mid-19th century through the 1880s, before square, machine-made varieties became dominant.
• Significance: This style of ink bottle was generally used for commercially sold ink. Unlike the ornate desk stands and traveling inkwells meant for high-society display, these bottles were designed to be cheap, stable, and disposable, intended to be sold full of ink and then thrown away once empty.