ARMINGTON’S SUPERIOR CATHARTIC AND JAUNDICE BITTERS
American, probably New England, circa 1860–1875

A remarkable and apparently extremely rare nineteenth-century patent medicine bottle, hand blown in pale aqua glass and retaining its original wraparound paper label, original cork closure with sealing residue, and substantial original medicinal contents. The beautifully printed label identifies the product as Armington’s Superior Cathartic and Jaundice Bitters, a vegetable preparation promoted for the treatment of jaundice, bilious disorders, indigestion, costiveness, worms, fever and ague, loss of appetite, depression of spirits, and numerous other common ailments of the period. The side panels contain extensive advertising text extolling the bitters’ medicinal virtues and specifically reference travelers and seamen, adding to its historical appeal.

This bottle represents an exceptionally complete survival. While nineteenth-century bitters bottles are highly collectible, examples retaining all three of the original components—the paper label, original cork and seal, and untouched original contents—are seldom encountered. The bottle was discovered on Cape Cod, an area with a rich maritime history where proprietary medicines such as this would have been sold through apothecaries, country stores, and coastal merchants.

Research confirms that Armington’s Bitters was a genuine commercial preparation offered during the nineteenth century, appearing in an 1874 published Rhode Island State Assayer analysis of commercial bitters, where it was reported to contain 33.26% alcohol. (The Portal to Texas History⁠) Despite extensive research, no matching labeled example, museum specimen, or documented auction record for Armington’s Superior Cathartic and Jaundice Bitters has been located, suggesting this bottle is an apparently unrecorded or exceptionally scarce survivor.