Ceramic piece cast from an antique Victorian Poison bottle. Made out of a dark grey stoneware and lined with a clear glaze, it can be used as a vase, flask or urn. Included cork is extra select food-grade, rated for liquids and spirits. 👻 Hand wash with mild soap under the full moon.


Victorian Poison Bottles have a fascinating history:


In the Victorian Era, medicines and “cures” were sold in glass bottles. Ready-made or mixed up by a doctor, there were a wide variety of elixirs. Some were meant to be drunk - like Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral, a mix of alcohol and opium for children. Others were meant for external applications - like carbolic acid, to disinfect open wounds (definitely not to drink).

Unfortunately for the early Victorians, sticker technology was not what it is today. And even if the medicine labels stayed intact, homes were usually lit only by candlelight. Too many people went to reach for medicine in the night and died from drinking the wrong bottle.

To combat this, bottle manufacturers created a sort of braille for poison bottles. They incorporated bumps, ridges and symbols to let anyone know that the contents weren’t for consumption - regardless of lighting or label integrity.

So I’ve cast one of my favorite Victorian Poision Bottles so I can share it with you. The bottle has a cornucopia of warnings: it has telltale bumps on both front and back. It is also shaped like a coffin, and has the inscription “R.I.P.” Lastly, it has a wreath. While we might see a wreath and think of the holidays, for the Victorians, wreaths represented funerals and mourning.

Handmade in a micro-pottery in Portland, Or.