The Shoptometrist: Bathroom Obsession: Vintage Apothecary Bottles

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Bathroom Obsession: Vintage Apothecary Bottles

This past Sunday, while weaving my way through the Atlantic Antic street festival, I came across a little antique stand chock full of old glass bottles. There were all kinds -- from old school milk jugs to mason jars to flasks that once held embalming fluid. It was all I could do to keep from snatching up the whole lot of them, but I settled on two vintage apothecary bottles, choosing one for it's lovely, worn label, and the other for its dark amber hue. The fact that they only cost me $5 a pop makes them all the more beautiful.

You can't have mine, but I found some online that are just as nice.

These gorgeous amber bottles were handcrafted in the Czech Republic during the 1950's. Found at a Sunday market in Liege Belgium, they've since made their way to P.O.S.H. Chicago, where they can be had for $10 a piece.

Dr. W.B. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin medicine bottle, $8 @ eCrater.

Gude's Pepto Mangan (once a popular iron supplement), $6 on Etsy.

Set of nine antique Label Under Glass bottles with stoppers, $45 @ eCrater.

Want a pretty bottle you can actually use that won't take up precious space in your medicine cabinet? Try Botot's mouthwash. At $18, it doesn't come cheap, but you're only supposed to use 2-3 drops so it lasts forever -- I've had the same bottle for over a year now and it's still full. Available at C.O. Bigelow Chemists.