1868-1916
In 1868, dentist E. L. Graves began manufacturing his tooth powder on a commercial scale; the powder was meant to prevent decay and make teeth more attractive (as in the 1890 advertisement below). The tooth powder was sold until 1916.…
1858-?
In 1858, Joseph Burnett partnered with William G. Edmonds to establish Joseph Burnett & Co. Their products were sold worldwide, including their extracts, perfumes, and cocaine for the hair (an 1897 advertisement for this remarkable product is…
1870s-1921
Production of Geisha Girl porcelain began in the 1870s; most were produced before World War II, but they continued to be manufactured through the American occupation of Japan (1945-1952). These printed ceramics were inexpensive, often…
1795-present
John Rose founded Coalport Porcelain Works in 1795, and the company became one of the leading potteries in England by 1830. In the 1880s, popular interest in fine china grew, and Coalport’s advertisers seized on that opportunity (see…
147-1970
Josiah Spode established his pottery in 1770 and became well-known for his porcelain. After being known as Copeland & Garrett (1833-1847), the company transitioned in 1847 to W. T. Copeland & Sons and remained so until 1970; the 1900…
1854-1993
John Doulton opened Doulton & Co. in 1854, producing industrial ceramics (as advertised in the 1870 image below); the company became famous in the last half of this century for its stoneware figurines. King Edward VII granted Doulton a…
1868-1930s
James Moses founded the Mercer Pottery Company in 1868, claiming to have produced the first semi-porcelain china in the United States. A 1922 advertisement for Mercer's hotel ware is below. The company was in business until the 1930s.…
One of many small potteries established in Trenton, New Jersey at the latter end of the 19th-century, Burroughs & Mountford specialized in table wares, toilet wares, and tiles (as advertised in the 1888 image below). Burroughs & Mountford produced…
1862-1933
Established in 1862, Greenwood Pottery was run by William Tams, a seasoned potter from Staffordshire, England, with Trenton financial backers. Greenwood quickly became one of the largest producers of household and hotel china, closing…
1880-present
Robert Augustus Chesebrough created petroleum jelly from “rod wax” used by oil workers for cuts and bruises; he made this discovery in 1859, and the product was available on a limited bases in the 1860s. Chesebrough Manufacturing…
An early 20th-century bottle of Borolyptol, an "antiseptic and germicidal fluid for internal and external use" commonly used as a mouthwash, itch reliever, and antiseptic
1891-1920
Pitkin & Brooks was an importer of china and glassware, established in 1891 and incorporated in 1901; the company did not produced its own wares, but applied its own makers’ mark to all the products it sold. The business had a large…
1889-1956/1975
Emerson Drug Company was founded in 1890, two years after Isaac E. Emerson had an idea for a headache-curing medicine while working at a Baltimore drugstore. Emerson trademarked Bromo-Seltzer in 1889. An 1899 ad touting…
1863-1930s
By far the most famous product produced by this company was their Hunyadi Janos Mineral Spring Water, named for a 15th-century Hungarian hero; the base of a bottle of this water was found at the Charnley-Persky House in 2015 (see below).…
1875-1946
Aurelius Stone Hinds purchased his own drug store in 1870, developed his soon-to-be-famous Hinds’ Honey & Almond Cream. Five years later, the A. S. Hinds Company was established. The Honey & Almond Cream was heavily marketed toward women…
1874-present
Scott and Bowne was formed in 1874 with the partnership of Alfred Scott and Samuel Bowne; their most famous product was Scott’s Emulsion, an emulsion of cod liver oil meant to make the substance “palatable as milk” (as the 1884 ad…
1871-1920
Hannis Distilling Company was the 1871 restructuring of Henry S. Hannis & Co, established 1863; both tapped into the booming whiskey industry in 19th-century Philadelphia. Hannis’s Mount Vernon Pure Rye Whiskey won first award at…
