The Boots the Chemist Antique Collector

A couple of strange ones

(Left) This bottle was being sold as a milk bottle. It has graduations on the side, rising to 500 C.S.S. and a screw closure at the top. Could this have been a milk bottle, possibly baby milk? I haven’t seen the logo contained within a hexagon before. and wonder if this is the only example.

(Right) I’ve seen and got coloured versions of this one but not a clear one before.

A rare and interesting cup from Boots.

GEE’S LINCTUS
Gee’s Linctus is a weak descendant of a popular o***m-based treatment used for many ailments, mainly chesty coughs. It contained o***m tincture, squill vinegar and other ingredients such as honey, sugar, ethanol, benzoic acid and flavourings. It is not in general use these days as regular usage can cause dependancy.

Boots must have thought it a useful medicine because, as you can see from the photograph, their pastilles tin went through at least three design changes over its time.

Repaired at last.

Some tins I'd never seen before. Useful additions to the collection, I think.

Two very different bottles from Boots, demonstrating 'diversity' – in glass!

An Unexpected Upturn in Infant Deaths
By the mid-1800s, the infant mortality rate had started to fall but then it suddenly rose. Many Victorian mothers, while intending to provide the best food, feeding methods and environments for their infants, tragically caused their deaths. There were numerous hidden, potential killers at the time; some wallpapers, toys, clothing and even some ‘health’ remedies but after extensive investigation it was discovered that the new banjo-shaped baby bottle was the killer.

Invented in 1860, the long-tube feeding bottle responded to a demand among some for a bottle that allowed the infant to more or less feed itself. It was a bulbous glass flask, equipped with a long rubber tube which had a teat on the end. There were many benefits to the new bottles that made them extremely appealing to mothers. In an age when corsets were all the rage and nursing a baby, even with a maternity or nursing corset, was considered a “challenge” to some, as well as maintaining your picture-perfect home and personal appearance was incredibly time-consuming, a device that allowed self-feeding seemed like a godsend. The bottles, with appealing names such as “Mummies Darling” or “The Empire” also proved to be perfect incubators for deadly bacteria as they were very difficult to clean properly, especially in the tube and teat.

In an effort to make household chores easier, many Victorian women turned to the advice of Mrs. Beeton in her popular 1861 book, Mrs. Beeton’s Household Management. In it, she advised new mothers that it was not necessary to wash the teat for two or three weeks but this, unknown to her, allowed bacteria to flourish and become deadly. Although doctors condemned the bottles, parents continued to buy and use them. The bottles eventually earned the nickname, “Murder Bottles.” Although initially acclaimed for its practical nature, this ‘killer tube’ was eventually banned in 1910.

I wonder how many people know that Boots used to sell ci******es and matches! I'm pretty sure that they've let that side of their business slide! The book of matches on the left is from around 1920 and the one on the right from roughly 1957.

The world is still sarsaparilla mad!! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195341293948?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l1120&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=c9456cf6483845ff934716e8f769c297&bu=43781704292&ut=RU&exe=0&ext=0&osub=-1%7E1&crd=20220911033814&segname=11021

From an unknown book, 1930s. Interestingly, Boots were still using basically the same design twenty years later (see black and white advertisement.

Yet a few more tins to fill in the gaps in the collection. Just how many gaps are there?

Another two out of the ordinary bottles. One, a brown bottle with an upright logo (seldom seen) and a sheared-lip clear bottle.

1904 Boots Home Diary and receipt.

"Modern Farming" booklet from Boots. Autumn 1950.

3 Boots advert from The Play Pictorial, 1914.

Some new Boots tins.