Dr. William S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore

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Dr. William S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore

25 November 2014

Apple-Touch-IconAI don’t know if you noticed, but there was this incredible Dr. W. S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore in Glass Works Auctions The ‘Christmas Comes Early’ Catalog Auction #105 that closed last night. What a beauty. Great color, embossing, character and a rough open pontil. This bottle dates from around 1842 to 1844.

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“DR. W.S. LOVE’S / VEGETABLE / ELIXIR / BALTIMORE”, (Odell, pg. 232), Maryland, ca. 1840 – 1860, olive green cylinder, 7 3/8”h, open pontil, applied tapered collar mouth. A few light scratches, otherwise in perfect attic found condition. An exceptional example with highly whittled glass. How rare is it? The last one sold at auction was in 1994! – Glass Works Auction #105.

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Dr. W. S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir for the Cure of Ague and Fever advertisement – The Sun (Baltimore), Saturday, July 16, 1842.

William S. Love

William S. Love was a physician, apothecary and chemist who first appears in Baltimore directories in the early 1830s. He seems to move around a lot. Maybe he should have used a wagon but I guess you can not address a wagon. His advertisements for his Vegetable Elixir occur from 1842 to 1844 only. One advertisement example is pictured above. I wonder if he ever considered calling it Dr. Love’s Love Elixir? In 1847, in Baltimore, the Lucina Cordial or Elixir of Love was being sold. Different fellows selling this.

There is some evidence to suggest that William S. Love’s father was John Love who came to America in 1767 and lived in St. Augustine, Florida. He does show up in Baltimore directories from 1807 to 1822 as a druggist. John Love has a relationship to Paul’s Patent Columbian Oil from Baltimore. William Loves wife may have been Elizabeth Erreckson.

Select Listings

1807-1816: John Love, druggist, 16 Market space – Baltimore directory

1822: John Love M.D. apothecary, 22 m. m. space – Keenan Baltimore Directory

1833-1837: Wm. S. Love, apothecary and chemist, 65 w Lexington st – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1842: Wm. S. Love, M.D. and apothecary, 65 w Lexington st – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1845: Love W. S., druggist, 89 Hanover st. – Baltimore Directory

1849: Dr. Wm S. Love, physician and apothecary, dw 92 Barre – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1851: Dr. Wm S. Love, physician and apothecary, s e cor. Hanover and Perry – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

 1853-1854: Love Dr. Wm. S. 156 German – Matchett’s Baltimore Directory

 1856-1857: Dr. William S. Love,  apothecary, 121
 w Fayette, dw 152 German – Woods Baltimore Directory

1860: Dr. William S. Love, n e corner Monument and Aisquith – Woods Baltimore Directory

 1863-1865: Dr. William S. Love, Apothecary, 9 Penn – Baltimore City Directory

1870: Dr. Wm. S. Love, apothecary, 226 Harford Ave. – Baltimore City Directory

 1871-1872: Dr. Wm. S. Love, apothecary, 259 s. Broadway – Baltimore City Directory

About Ferdinand Meyer V

Ferdinand Meyer V is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and has a BFA in Fine Art and Graphic Design from the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. Ferdinand is the founding Principal of FMG Design, a nationally recognized design consultation firm. Ferdinand is a passionate collector of American historical glass specializing in bitters bottles, color runs and related classic figural bottles. He is married to Elizabeth Jane Meyer and lives in Houston, Texas with their daughter and three wonderful grandchildren. The Meyers are also very involved in Quarter Horses, antiques and early United States postage stamps. Ferdinand is the past 6-year President of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors and is one of the founding members of the FOHBC Virtual Museum.
This entry was posted in Advertising, Apothecary, Auction News, Druggist & Drugstore, History, Medicines & Cures and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Dr. William S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore

  1. tigue710 says:

    that is one bottle that really has it all in my opinion!

  2. sandchip says:

    Yeah, I noticed that beauty that’s been on my want list for decades. Also noticed that I didn’t have enough rounds in my clip to bag that baby. Happy Thanksgiving, all you bottleheads!

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