Museum Collections
Luce Center
Bottle w/label: Dr. Wistar's Balsam of Wild Cherry
Title
Bottle w/label: Dr. Wistar's Balsam of Wild Cherry
Object name
Medicine bottle
Date
1840-1850
Medium
Glass, paper
Dimensions
Overall: 6 1/2 x 2 7/8 in. ( 16.5 x 7.3 cm )
Description
Glass bottle with green tint, blown in a two-part mold; down-tooled lip, cylindrical neck, sloped down shoulders, and octagonal body; paper label pasted onto bottle, and sides contain lengthwise inscription "DR. WISTARS/BALSAM OF/WILD CHERRY/PHILADA."; mold seam and pontil mark on base.
Credit Line
Purchased from Elie Nadelman
Object Number
1937.1684
Marks
printed: on label affixed to bottle: "DR. WISTAR'S/BALSAM OF WILD CHERRY/FOR/CONSUMPTION OF THE LUNGS,/COUGHS, COLDS, ASTHMA, BRONCHITIS, WHOOP-/ING COUGH, CROUP, INFLUENZA, HOARSENESS,/PAINS OR SORENESS IN THE CHEST, &c."
printed: on label affixed to bottle (continued): "DIRECTIONS./The dose for adults should be - one dessert or two teaspoonsful,/three or four times a day ; or one teaspoonsful, taken more fre-/quently if the cough is troublesome. Those under twelve years/of age may take one teaspoonful four times a day, at any time/when the cough is coming on. Being very palatable, it is not/necessary to mix it with any thing, and is always best when ta-/ken alone./For particular uses, see Pamphlet and General Di [label torn]/To guard against counterfeits, observe the written si [label torn]/the Principal Agent, I. BUTTS, on the outside wrap [label torn]/the label inside, this signature - H Wistar M.D."
printed: on label affixed to other side of bottle: "Shake well before using."
pressed: on sides of bottle: "DR. WISTARS/BALSAM OF/WILD CHERRY/PHILADA."
written: in ink on cloth label affixed to bottle: "832"
Gallery Label
An example of Dr. Wistar's Cherry Balsam, published in American Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry, is documented as having been blown in a private mold of Dr. John Park of Cincinnati, OH, in the 1850s. McKearin hypothesized that Dr. Park, among others, made as well as sold the balsam. The additional warning "none was genuine until signed by L. Butts" has been assigned to the east in the 1840s; all orders were to be sent to Seth E. Fowle in Boston, MA. (See Publications)
Provenance
The Folk Art Collection of Elie Nadelman
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.




