Warner’s Safe Cure: “There’s No Such Thing as a Green Tippecanoe”

This very definitve statement was made to me some years ago and, at the time, I would have believed it given the evidence of my own eyes. Indeed, most, if not all of the so-called “green Tippecanoes” that I had seen were, in fact, amber with tinges of green if you held them up to the light at just the right angle.  Well, as they say on Myth Busters – “BUSTED”.  In recent years, I have seen a couple examples of what I would consider legitimate green Tippecanoes. Witness the following. First, the more common amber Tippecanoe:

Tippecanoe with Label from Glassworks Auction

Now, compare that to the following example, which is indisputably green:

Green Tippecanoe

To the extent that there was any doubt concerning the existence of the green Tippecanoe, I think this puts it to rest.  I still believe that the bottle manufacturer probably did not intend for the bottle to be green, but that either as a result of ultraviolet radiation or simply an error in the manufacturing process, we end up with a green Tippecanoe.  Given their rarity, you should expect to pay handsomely for one of these babies, IF you can find one. Now that the green Tippecanoe myth is busted, will someone please show me an Animal Cure from Melbourne?! Yeah, right.

Postscript:  I had forgotten that American Glass Gallery offered a beautiful example of the green Tippecanoe for auction this past summer in their Auction No. 6. The green Tippe fetched a cool $8500. For a peak, take a look at Lot 177 on page 37 of their auction catalog. A very nice example.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Tonic, Bitters & Tonic Bitters

If you are confused by why Warner created these three variations among his earliest cure inventory, then join the crowd. I have always just assumed they were basically the same thing in three different bottles. This theory, of course, assumes that there was any distinction between the contents of any of Warner’s cures and remedies. All three were replaced by Tippecanoe and were gone by the early 1880′s. My theory is supported, at least in part, by the fact that we know that Warner’s Safe Tonic often bore a label for “Tonic Bitters.” We saw this again recently in a half pint Tonic with a Tonic Bitters label that sold in the most recent Glassworks Auction.

It’s surprising how little there is in print by Warner about how the Safe Tonic, Safe Bitters and Safe Tonic Bitters compare. This is made more acute by the fact that these three concoctions with gone by 1885, replaced by Tippecanoe. Even a review of his early “pink cover” almanacs yield little in the way of a discussion about the proported benefits of these products.

Warner's Safe Cure Book of Prize Enigmas (1882)

If you flip through the pages of the 1882 Prize Enigmas almanac, you will find the following succinct discussion of Tonic Bitters:

This tidbit yields little except to suggest that Tonic Bitters was a blood purifier and cathartic or purgative. We are told that they were “experimentally compounded, by an eminent practitioner”.  I’m not sure who that was or if that was meant to inspire confidence.

Tonic Bitters were also apparently designed to act in concert with Safe Pills to get rid of malaria and all that “fatty bile” that has accumulated over the winter. In short, if Tonic Bitters cannot help you, no Bitters in the world will. And just to dispel the notion that Tonic Bitters might be consumed as an inebriant, Warner notes that “[t]hey are an unfermented medicine, not a drink” and have received some special exemption by the government.

In the end, I don’t think there was a dime’s worth of difference between these three products. Their purpose, it seems to me, was to give Warner a foothold in the lucrative “bitters” market. In the end, he must have decided that they were not having the impact he intended and abandoned them in favor of Tippecanoe.

Special thanks to Glassworks for the use of their picture of the labelled Tonic Bitters.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Artist’s Album (1888) – Part II

The Artist’s Album features some terrific graphics of both the Warner product line and its spurious claims. It is perhaps appropriate to start at the beginning with Safe Cure. It harkens back to the business that made Warner his first millions, the fireproof safe business. He modestly proclaims that he was “formerly the largest Safe dealer in the world” and provides the reader with a list of his available products.

Warner then moves on to another one of his original line of cures, his Diabetes Cure.  He distinguishes the two types of diabetes, insipid and sweet and notes the symtoms. However, he noted that the Diabetes Cure should not be used for kidney ailments, use only Safe Cure.

Next was the Rheumatic Cure, which also was supposed to be taken in concert with Safe Cure and Safe Pills. The claim promises that the “most obstinate rheumatic disorders disappear” if the treatment is maintained long enough to produce effects. I am not sure how long, “long enough” is, but I would venture a guess that it is more than one bottle. It is also worth noting that one of the testimonials accompanying this portion of the Album is from Mrs. Carrie D. T. Swift of East Avenue in Rochester.  One might surmise that she was the wife of Warner’s chief astronomer, Lewis Swift. Nothing like a little family support.

The next featured standard cure was the Nervine, which Warner sold to those whose nerves were too frayed to produce a good night’s sleep.

This represents the first portion of the Artist’s Album and the bulk of Warner’s original line of cures. The remainder of the Album deals with other Warner remedies including his Log Cabin Remedies and his Tippecanoe Bitters. I will feature the remaining portions in a future post. Thanks again to Jon Moran for the images.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Artist’s Album (1888) – Part I

If you have been following this blog for even a short amount of time, you have undoubtedly come to the conclusion that collecting Warner’s Safe Cures extends beyond just the bottles. Warners collectors are blessed with an enormous array of advertising paper and other ephemera produced by one of the great proprietary medicine companies of  the late 19th and early 20th centuries. H. H. Warner missed few, if any, opportunities to plaster the reading public with his brand, whether by almanacs, newspaper ads, posters, cookbooks or puzzles and games. This list is extensive.

Having said that, the question becomes which examples of his advertising best informs us of the enterprise. By my way of thinking, his almanacs and other publications give us one of the most complete pictures of his pitch to an American public desperate to cope with disease in an age where real, medically competent physicians were indeed rare. Among his publications, one of the best has to be his Artist’s Albums. I say “albums,” because there were actually two. While one of the two is distinctly more rare than the other, both are terrific examples of his marketing. The version with Santa Claus going down the chimney (above) is the more common of the two, while the version with the boy sitting on the log (below) is rare.

Unlike other Warner’s Safe publications that were printed by Mensing & Stecher, the Artists’ Albums were printed by Cosack & Company of Buffalo, New York. The back cover of both albums featured a box of Log Cabin Sarsaparilla.

Apart from the terrific graphics, the Artists’ Albums feature the most comprehensive catalog of the Warner’s Safe Cure inventory as it existed in 1888. The featured products included Safe Cure, Rheumatic Cure, Diabetes Cure, Nervine, Tippecanoe – The Best, Asthma Cure, Safe Pills, Benton Hair Grower, Animal Cure, Log Cabin Sarsaparilla, Log Cabin Hops & Buchu Remedy, Log Cabin Cough & Consumption Remedy, Log Cabin Hair Tonic, Log Cabin Extract, Log Cabin Plaster, Log Cabin Rose Cream, Log Cabin Liver Pills and Safe Yeast.  Each of the products was discussed and a facsimile of the package was included. The next part of this post will feature some of those articles.

The Artists’ Albums were issued at about the time that Warner’s medicine empire reached its peak. Over the period of the next five years, Warner went from proprietary medicine mogul to financial collapse and public humiliation. These publications provide us with a glimpse of the types of products pitched to our great grandparents.

Special thanks to Jon Moran for reminding me of the uniqueness of the Artist’s Album and providing me with scans of its contents.

Tippecanoe: Unique By Design

When you’re talking uniqueness of shape in the realm of antique bottle collecting, it is hard to imagine that the discussion would not turn to figural bitters. Now, before everyone who doesn’t collect figural bitters jumps on me for my gross overgeneralization, I’m not saying that figural bitters are best bottles or the most valuable, although some examples can lay claim to those titles. What I am saying is that figural bitters represent some of the most unique shapes among bottles. A quick stroll through any major show will reveal indian queens, ears of corn, log cabins, pineapples, and the list goes on. Among proprietors of bitters in the 19th Century, shape was seemingly as important as name to consumers.  And a good thing too, because it has given bottle collectors an amazing array of shape to collect.

Although H. H. Warner was, perhaps, one of the top marketers of patent medicines, including bitters. He staked his brand to the image of the safe and reinforced that claim through constant advertising and promotions bearing that trademark.  Within the Warner empire, there were several notable exceptions to this branding. Among them were his Tippecanoe and the Log Cabin Remedies line. Putting aside Log Cabin Remedies, his Tippecanoe bitters replaced his Warner’s Safe Bitter, Tonic and Tonic Bitters. He clearly wanted to make a clean break and decided to use unique packaging. So unique, in fact, that he registered it with the U.S. Patent Office.

Fortunately, we are the beneficiaries of his efforts.  While his Tippecanoe bottles are not considered rare among collectors (unless they have full labels or an olive color),  they are an excellent addition to a figural bitters collection. Warner was out of business by 1893, although the company continued to exist and the Tippecanoe remained part of the inventory of products until 1895 or so. It is unclear why it was retired, but retired it was and Warner’s experiment in figural bitters faded into history.

Special thanks to Glass Works Auctions for the photograph of the labelled Tippecanoe.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Shades of Tippecanoe

 

 

From time to time, I used to hear that you could find the infamous Tippecanoe in an olive variety. Generally speaking, I considered this to be myth until I actually saw an example that I considered olive. They do exist and some are strikingly olive. More often than not, however, they tend to be amber examples with shades of olive. This makes sense, because the olive coloring is most likely the result of impurities in the glass manufacturing process rather than an intention by either Warner or his bottle supplier to issue an olive Tippecanoe. I mean, really, who wants a green log?

The above examples, courtesy of American Bottle Auctions, are in the current Auction No. 49.  In their catalog description, ABA makes the very important point, that seeing olive in a Tippecanoe is most often only through comparison. Putting one Tippecanoe next to another gives you an idea of the shades of amber and olive-amber that show up in this bottle. Very subtle shades of olive are very difficult to see and I am always skeptical if I see a Tippecanoe described as olive. In any event, the above examples are a beautiful pair.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Labels, Labels and More Labels

I’ve been collecting Warner’s Safe Cures for nearly 30 years and in that time, I have accumulated a few labelled  examples, actually quite a few. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to see Jack Stecher’s labelled collection back in 2001, including some of the rarest Warner’s known to exist. Many of these wonderful Warner’s showed up at what I have called the Great Warner’s Safe Cure Exhibit in 2001.

Recently, Ed Ojea shared some photos of Dan Cowman’s collection.  There may be some better collections of labelled Warner’s, but if there are, I never seen them. Take a look at these!

Dan’s collection includes not only Warner’s Safe Cures and Log Cabin Remedies, but also Tippecanoes and Craig’s Cures. If this collection does not make you drool, then check your pulse. Dan originally collected Safe Cures of all types, but decided to limit his collection to labelled versions and now possesses some of the rarest varieties known. Indeed, I may have to take another look at my A-List of Rare Warner’s and add a few thanks to Dan’s collection. There are plenty more pictures of Dan’s collection, which I have uploaded to my Flikr photostream. Thanks again to Dan and to Ed Ojea. In upcoming posts, I will be highlighting more of Dan’s collection. If you have a rare Warner’s Safe Cure in your collection, send me a picture and I’ll be happy to feature it.

Warner’s Safe Cure: Battle of Tippecanoe

As a Warner’s collector, the name Tippecanoe is instantly familiar to me as the brand name selected by H. H. Warner to replace his original bitters line.  But where did the name come from?  I was familiar with the Battle of Tippecanoe, but was not clear about its significance in American history.

It seems that on November 7,  1811, forces under the command of native Virginian William Henry Harrison, then the Governor of Indiana Territory engaged a force of Tecumseh’s American Indian Confederation under the command of Tecumseh’s brother, Tenskwatawa. The battle occurred at the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers near Prophet’s Town, north of present-day Lafayette, Indiana.

Harrison, fearing the increasing strength of Tecumseh’s confederacy, launched a preemptive strike with a force of 1100 men. The ensuing battle lasted about two hours and the forces under Harrison claimed victory when Tenskwatawa’s forces fled and their village was destroyed. Some view the Battle of Tippecanoe as a draw, but it improved the safety of white settlements in Indiana Territory and caused Tecumseh’s confederation to disband. Harrison was haled as a hero and the name Tippecanoe followed him into politics and ultimately into the White House, when he was elected president in 1840. He holds the dubious distinction of having the shortest term as president – 31 days. It seems that as a result of his long winded inaugeral address in the rain, he developed pneumonia and died.

The Warner trade card pictured above attempts to depict the famous battle. Presumably Harrison is the guy on the horse with his sabre drawn. The message reads “After once using our Tippecanoe – You will use no nostrums nor preparations called Bitters.”  I guess that taking Warner’s Tippecanoe gave you the strength to take on a band of marauding indians. It was clearly an attempt by Warner to move away from the term bitters, although the content of the preparation was doubtless the same.

Oh, by the way, the name Tippecanoe is an anglicized version of the Miami word “Kethtippecanoogi” and means “place of the succor fish people.”  The county in which Lafayette, Indiana is located in named Tippecanoe and is the home of Purdue University.

And that, in the immortal words of Paul Harvey, is the rest of the story. Thanks to Glassworks Auction for the photo of the Tippecanoe bottle.

You can find additional information on the Battle of Tippecanoe at: http://survey.fold3.com/email/email887878f2954f493da3e6b92d002dc6b8.html

Warner’s Safe Cure Cork Screws

Today with the possible exception of the occasional wine bottle, we have little use for cork screws. However, before the advent of screw tops that arrived on the scene in the late 1910′s and early 1920′s, the cork screw was an essential device. Since all beverages, medicines, household products and many foods were contained in bottles sealed with corks, they required a device which could extract the cork with minimal damage. Hence, the cork screw. There are even collectors that specialize in cork screws.

Although Warner’s collectors obviously favor the bottles of H. H. Warner, they are also intrigued by items associated with those bottles. Hence, the popularity of Warner advertising and even his cork screws. It is amazing that many of these survive today since they were likely discarded after the cork was initially extracted. Those that have survived, however, are a nice little treasure.

Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors Expo 2008 in York, Pennsylvania

Beautiful weather and a really nice show, what more could you ask for? Okay, a few showers, but otherwise delightful for August. Better yet, the Warner’s Safe Cures, Tippecanoes and Log Cabin Remedies were here for the picking during the dealers set-up and early admission. Many of us who worked on the Great Warner’s Safe Cure Exhibit  (“GWSCE”) in 2001 in Rochester, including Jack Stecher, Dave Kyle, Andy Lange and Bob Sheffield had a chance to catch-up. Andy was the clear winner as far as rare Warner’s on his sales table, including two London samples, a strap sided London Compound, a half-pint aqua London Safe Cure, two Pressburg Safe Cures (Green and Aqua), a labelled  olive London Diabetes Cure (perhaps one-of-a-kind), two Frankfurt half pint Nervines (in amber and green), a Frankfurt Diabetes Cure, a grass green Rochester Diabetes Remedy and two labelled Log Cabin Remedies with the orginal boxes. Seldom will you see so many bottles on the Warner A-List in one place, at one time. Nice work Andy!

When I was not drooling over Andy’s selection, I did manage to make it around the rest of the show. From Jack Stecher I got one of the original Safe Cure Almanacs from 1879-1880 and the London Almanac from 1888-1889. I have never seen either of these almanacs for sale before and neither had Jack. They had been in Dave Kyle’s collection.

In addition to the GWSCE, the show included folks from down under, who brought some of their Warner’s along. Wayne and Lorna Humphries from New Zealand came with Andy as well as James and Sandy Bell from Australia. Needless to say, they get the award for the longest journey. Perhaps the best thing was that there were Warner’s at almost every level from that for the beginning collector to that for the most seasoned collector. In addition to a host of Rochester Kidney & Liver Cures, Safe Remedies Company bottles and Kidney & Liver Remedies, I saw three Safe Bitters, four Animal Cures (including a light amber London, an olive London and an amber 3 Cities),  and a slug plate Rochester half-pint Nervine. In addition to the Safe Almanacs, Jack brought along so other go-withs, including vintage photos of the Warner Mansion and the Warner Observatory, several Benton’s Hair Growers and several stereoscope slides of Warner Island.

This Expo was a delight. Thanks to the Federation for a wonderful job.