Antique Victorian Double Ended Scent Bottles

In the second half of the 19th century scent bottles and smelling salt bottles, known then as "double smelling bottles", were necessary objects for the well to do lady. However, the old fashioned silver vinaigrette container with its pierced grille was no longer in style and was hardly used. Someone came up with an ingenious new container to combine both of milady's indispensables that could be tucked into a muff or hand bag or perhaps serve its purpose on the vanity table. 

Double bottles were not a new invention per se, known as "gimmel flasks" they had been used since the 1600s to hold oil and vinegar, pharmaceuticals or liquors, however, these usually stood on a common foot to stay upright. In mid-century England, the original idea of fusing two bottles end to end with openings at each extremity was realized as a convenient receptacle..

These bottles were meant to hold perfume at one end, and ammoniated smelling salts or a sponge saturated with scented vinegar at the other. The bottles were made by welding two separate bottles together, the finest quality bottles have nearly invisible joints. The glass was then finished with polishing and cutting either in simple panels or elaborate multifaceted designs. Both compartments are usually of the same length, though I have seen a longer side for perfume and a shorter side for salts. During the Victorian era, these bottles were referred to as "union smelling bottles".

Look closer at this bottle, it has a hidden hinged middle compartment complete with a pierced grille for vinaigrette.

Very rarely will you may find a hidden compartment in the middle of the bottles, these are the "opera glasses" type of double ended flacons. This secret hinged compartment could have held a photograph or lock of hair, but if it possesses a grille, it's purpose is for a vinaigrette. 

By the 1850s double ended scent bottles were in general use and quality differed greatly from expensive versions fitted with silver or gold to mass manufactured bottles with simple pewter or brass caps. Their heyday seems to be between 1865 and 1890, though their popularity started to wane around 1875, they continued to be manufactured until the turn of the century.

The majority of bottles were made of clear glass, but deep ruby red, emerald green, and rich cobalt blue can also be found. Harder to find colors are glorious purple, vivid teal, jet black and amber glass. My favorites are the bottles that were made with small inclusions of uranium in the mix, resulting in a vivid apple green (a color called annagrun) and a luminous Vaseline (a shade called annagelb), mainly manufactured by Joseph Riedel of Polaun, first introduced around 1850. 

The rarest of all is opaline glass, made by French glassworks. Some bottles are further accented with enameling on the surface of the glass. A true gem is a bottle with one end one color and the other end a different color, overlay or cased glass examples. Expect to pay a premium for any bottle found in the rare glass colors.

Bottles are generally in a long cylindrical shape, but novelty shapes do exist in rare numbers, some are in the form of cannons, barrels, opera glasses, etc. Sizes for bottles range from 6” long down to a diminutive 1 ¼” long.

Other fine bottles were made of porcelain, and more luxuriously, solid sterling silver or gold. These can be found accented with precious gemstones, guilloche enameling, cloisonné enamel, natural tortoiseshell, pearls, fine filigree or other ornate decoration.

The bottles were topped by either ornate, chased, filigreed, repousse, jeweled, enameled or plain hinged flip top or screw caps made of gilt brass, sterling silver, richly gilded sterling silver, gold or other metal alloys. Some caps have cartouches or blank spaces for monograms. The most expensive bottles have glass or genuine precious stones, coral cabochons, or pearls set into silver or gold mountings.

Sometimes you will find a carrying chain and ring on the caps for suspending on chatelaines or the finger. The bottles either have screw caps at one end for perfumes, with a little cork or glass stopper to keep the contents from spilling. Some of these stoppers are ingeniously built right into the stopper itself, so with a quick snap the bottle is sealed. The smelling salts compartment in cheaper bottles is usually closed by a screw cap with a cork seal or with a well fitting glass stopper and screw or hinged cap. Better quality pieces will have a patent closure for smelling bottles. 

Many bottles were made in England, but some were also made in America and Bohemia. English bottles with sterling silver caps will have hallmarks, so be sure to look around the collars and underneath the caps for any markings. One of England’s finest silversmiths, Sampson Mordan & Co is one of the most sought after makers of these perfume bottles, so look under the cap for his marks. His pieces always garner high prices.

Expensive pieces were often sold in leather cases, lined in satin, sometimes you can find a maker's stamp on the lining.

Condition plays a part in a bottles value. Since glass is a fragile material, nicks and fleabites can be expected. Larger chips or cracks should be reflected in the selling price. Dents in the caps can sometimes be pushed out by a jeweler, or by you. Sometimes the smelling salts end will have a cloudy appearance due to the ammonia that was in the smelling salts, this results in the acids etching away at the inside of the bottle. This can be hard to remove, but I have had some luck with a product called "lime away".  If you find a bottle still possessing smelling salts, you may wish to remove them and wash out the interior to prevent further destruction of the glass.