Antique Medicine Bottles Dr Cannon's Medicine Chest"

antique bottles THE MEDICINE CHEST --- BY DR. RICHARD CANNON old bottles

George Handyside produced the largest range of medicine bottles anywhere in the world – the multitude of shapes, sizes, and colors, combined with their subtle, less-showy than the more famous Victorian counterparts, have long appealed to the more discerning American collectors. In England they have received little attention, the name is well known, but the bottles themselves are not.

George Handyside was born in 1818 at Newton-on-the-Moor, a small farming community in Northumberland.

At the age of 16 he left his parents humble little cottage to begin a boot repair business. By 1840, now 22, he had a thriving business and soon was able to expand his range of shops throughout the district, on of them being at Dean Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

He continued to prosper until in 1858 he launched himself into quackery medicine from No. 1 College Road, Newcastle, with his `Handyside Cure For Consumption' (an illness which was at epidemic proportion in the poor N.E. mining communities). It gained enormous popularity even in its inaugural year, and with his considerable business acumen he firmly believed in the power of advertising. One advertisement shows an old worn boot under which it states `Applicable to men as to leather, it's never to late to mend.' Another ad showed a crowd of ill, feeble looking people making their way over a bridge – on the other side lay happiness and cure – the `bridge' was the consumption cure.

He used his wealth wisely investing in property and land. He purchased Bentinck Terrace in Elswick Road, Newcastle and went on to build in Portland, Hull, Crispan, Tweed and Durham streets, and sixteen shops in New Bridge St., Newcastle. One of his most important buildings was the Central Building in Gateshead.

George passed away on May, 6^th 1904, at the ripe old age of 84, and is buried in Elswick cemetery, just several hundred yards from his house in Bentinck St. Sadly he failed to see his 95 shop arcade, built from Percy St. through to Leazes Lane, completed, though `Handysides Arcade' is testament to him today, even though under threat from the City Planners! His bottles will without doubt remain as a reminded of this greatest of all English Victorian medicine men. (This article original appeared in British Bottle Review magazine, which Alan Blakeman is publisher of).

Rarity guide: Remember that almost all of the Handysides bottles are considerably rarer than any Warners bottles, Prices Patent Candle wedge or the large amber Radms. They were manufactured and sold solely in the North East of England, though just a few have been dug in other areas. For reference purposes we have numbered the types, subdivided a, b, c, etc.

***** Only one example recorded

**** Two to five examples known

*** Between six & ten examples

** 11 to 20 examples known

* More than 20 known

1. HANDYSIDES OINTMENT - 1 ^1/2 ins. tall, 1 ^3/4 ins. diam. Typically unssuming and simple product from G. Handyside. ****

2. HANDYSIDES RHEUMATIC CURE - 5 ^1/4 ins. tall cylinder. Clear glass. also a smaller, fatter example recorded. ***

3. HANDYSIDES CONSUMPTION CURE - and on the oposite end panel NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE - 6 ins. tall, 2 ^1/4 ins. wide, 1 ^1/4 ins., deep aqua. The only 'normal' medicine bottle in this large range & only the 2^nd type featuring the place name. *****

4. HANDYSIDES CONSUMPTION CURE - 7 ins. to 7 ^1/4 ins. tall, square bodied. Commonly reffered to as 'the sauce bottle'. (4a) aqua **, (4b) light amber ***, (4c) emerald green **, (4d) olive green **, (4e) mid/deep blue ***

5. HANDYSIDES CONSUMPTION CURE - As previous but 8 ^1/4 ins. tall. Only black (dark green or brown). *

6. HANDYSIDES BLOOD PURIFIER - 6 ^1/4 ins. tall by 2 ^1/4 ins. wide. Black (dark green/brown). Often extremely heavy and crudely mishapen. *

7. HANDYSIDES BLOOD PURIFIER - 6 ^1/4 ins. by 2 ins. Lettering in indented front panel. Black (green) glass. *

8. HANDYSIDES BLOOD PURIFIER - 6 ^1/4 ins. by 2 ins. Lettering as previous but this example has larger base panel. Black (green) ** (just)!

9 EAISLY DIGESTED SYRUP PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - 7 ins. by 2 ^3/8 ins. Olive green. 'Easily' is misspelled. Bottle originally owned by ex-Tambourlaine man John Morrison, until he accidentally dropped it and cracked the neck. 2 mint examples discovered plus another in mid blue. *****

10. BLOOD FOOD PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - 5 ^1/2 ins. by 2 ^1/4 ins. Oval cross section. Dense black (green & brown). Very, very heavy glass. * (commonest of 'em all.)

11. BLOOD FOOD PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - 6 ^1/4 to 6 ^1/2 ins. tall, 2 ^1/4 wide. Oval cross section. (11a) black (green & brown) *, (11b) mid blue ****

12. BLOOD FOOD PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - 6 ^3/4 to 7 ^1/4 ins. tall. approx. 2 ^1/2 ins. wide. Oval cross section. Note sharper lettering curves. Some slight word variations known too. (12a) aqua ***, (12b) deep golden amber ***, (12c) light emerald green ***, (12d) mid blue ****

13. BLOOD FOOD PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - Approx. 10 ins. tall, 3 ^1/2 ins. wide. Oval cross section. Possibly the least desirable of Handysides bottles, the blue example often quite ugly! Rarer embossing variant says 'Health Food'-about 20. 1 rarer. (13a) black *, (13b) olive green **, (13c) light blue ***

14. DRINK PREPARATION PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - 10 ^1/2 ins. tall, 2 ^3/4 ins. sq. base. Distinguished by big blobby lip. (14a) aqua **, (14b) olive green ***, (14c) blue ****, (14d) amber *****

15. HANDYSIDE'S BLOOD PURIFIER - 10 3/4 ins. tall, 3 ins. sq. base. Unusual and striking black glass bottle with square lower half and long thin neck, lower part usually crudely indented. 3 inset panels **

16. BLOOD MEDICINE PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE - 10 3/4 ins. tall, 3 1/2 ins. diam. Elegant circular wine shape, glass often very 'swirly' string rim lip. Only this and type 3 incorporate the town name. black (brown) ***

17. HANDYSIDE'S CONSUMPTION CURE - 10 3/4 ins. tall, base 2 1/2 ins. sq. Stumpy octagonal neck, 3 panel inset. (17a) aqua ****, (17b) black *, (17c) dark green ** (17d) dark amber/brown **, (17e) mid blue ****

18. HANDYSIDE'S CONSUMPTION CURE - 11 1/2 ins. tall. the rare long neck variant. Neck still octagonal. (Only example recorded.) blackglass *****

19. CORN SALVE PREPARED BY G. HANDYSIDE - Clear glass, broken neck. Found last summer. Now being restored.

The largest grouping of Handysides is now in a new display cabinet at the National Bottle Museum, Elsecar, England

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Advertising for Handysides Electric Nervine Snuff. More than likely this was a labeled bottle, of which no trace has yet been found. George always insisted on wearing a long black alpaca coat, black and white shepard trousers, a long gold chain round his neck, and a tall Quakers hat, irrespective of weather or occasion. Is this meant to be him?	Front and rear cover of a Handysides almanac, dated 1889, note the innaccuracy of the mirrored reflection?