Preliminary identification
Photo reference
1 uploaded photo
Overview
A small, cylindrical aqua-colored glass bottle featuring a hand-finished 'rolled' lip and significant surface patination. This utilitarian vessel was designed for the mass-market distribution of medicines, chemicals, or inks during the industrial boom.
Story
Victorian pharmacies were filled with thousands of these aqua vessels. This specific bottle likely spent decades buried underground, where minerals in the soil reacted with the glass to create that ghostly, frosted 'sick glass' patina.
Maker / Origin
During this era, glasshouses like Whitall Tatum or Illinois Glass Co. produced millions of bottles. These were the 'disposable' plastics of their day, often discarded in backyard privies or town dumps once the contents were consumed.
Condition & Value
The bottle shows heavy 'cloudiness' or 'sickness,' which is actually a chemical etching of the glass surface from burial. While some collectors prefer clear glass, many love this frosted look for its authentic 'relic' feel. Condition is stable but the surface is permanently altered.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.