Antique Medicine Bottle Open Pontil Dr PORTER NEW YORK Civil War Era Tooled Lip

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$249.15
Bottle Type
Medicines & Cures
Country/Region of Manufacture
United States
condition
Used

  • Standing 5 inches tall, this bottle features a classic rectangular panel body, light aqua glass, and bold vertical embossing — all typical of Civil War–era druggist and cure bottles. Most importantly, the base shows a well-defined blowpipe pontil scar, confirming pre-machine, hand-blown manufacture from the 1850s–1870s.

    Bottles like this would have contained liniments or "miracle cures" and were commonly sold via traveling medicine men or over-the-counter at early urban apothecaries. Dr. Porter's products were widely known in the 19th century, especially for antiseptic and healing uses.

    Features:

    • Circa 1850s–1870s

    • Hand-blown glass with pontil base

    • Embossed “DR PORTER NEW YORK”

    • Rolled lip, light aqua glass

    • Approx. 5" tall

    • Displays beautifully

    Condition:
    Excellent antique condition. No chips, no cracks, no ghosting. Bright, clean, shiny! Please do note the white-pot-stone in the "N" of New York.

    Ships well-packed and daily.

Dr. Porter’s Healing Oil was a liniment — a topical liquid treatment — and like many patent medicines of the era, it claimed to treat a wide variety of ailments, often with vague or exaggerated promises. Common uses included:

  • Cuts, bruises, and burns

  • Sprains and muscle aches

  • Toothaches

  • Earaches

  • Insect bites

  • And sometimes colds or chest congestion (when used externally)

It was usually sold as a “family remedy” — meant to treat people and sometimes even livestock.

Ingredients:

The actual composition is hard to confirm since labeling laws were weak or nonexistent in the 19th century. But like other liniments of the time, it likely included:

  • Camphor

  • Turpentine

  • Pine tar or oil

  • Alcohol

  • Possibly morphine, chloroform, or opium derivatives in early versions

Marketing and Distribution:

  • It was widely advertised through broadsides, mail-order catalogs, and pharmacies, often with catchy slogans like “Heals Without Pain” or “The Household Necessity.”

  • Sold in embossed bottles, typically 4–6 inches tall, in light aqua glass

  • Distributed heavily in New York, Pennsylvania, and New England

The Name “Dr. Porter”:

There wasn't just one Dr. Porter. Several products used the name — either as an actual practitioner or a fictional persona created to lend credibility to the product. This was common in the patent medicine era (e.g., “Dr. Kilmer,” “Dr. Pierce,” “Dr. King”).