Bromo-Seltzer [Emerson Drug Company]

1920s Bromo-Seltzer roadside billboard.

1903 Bromo-Seltzer die-cut trade card.

COMPANY HISTORY & TIMELINE[1]:

1880 - Isaac Edward Emerson opens a drug store in Annapolis, Maryland after graduating from the University of North Carolina in 1879 with a degree in chemistry. 

1881 - Emerson moves to Baltimore, Maryland.

1884 - Emerson opens three drug stores in Baltimore, and operates them until 1889. 

















1889 - On January 15th, Emerson formulates an effervescent salt substance that he called Bromo-Seltzer.  On May 1st, Emerson sells all of his drug stores in order to focus on manufacturing and marketing his Bromo-Seltzer product.

1930s Photo of the Bromo-Seltzer plane.

1891 - The Emerson Drug Company is founded.











1898 - The U.S. Revenue War Bill of 1898 passes in Congress, requiring that revenue stamps be affixed to a whole host of various items to denote that the bill's tax was paid.  Emerson Drug Co. ordered their own Private-Die Proprietary Revenue Stamps from the U.S. government in the denominations of 1/4 cents, 5/8 cents, 1 & 1/4 cents, and 2 & 1/2 cents.

Pre-1920 Bromo-Seltzer lithograph.

1906 - The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 is passed, forcing Emerson Drug Co. to modify Bromo-Seltzer labels, advertising claims, and some of the product's ingredients in order to remain in business.



1907 - Emerson creates and builds a proprietary glassworks company, called the Maryland Glass Corporation of Baltimore.  This glassworks plant specialized in manufacturing cobalt blue glass bottles used for Bromo-Seltzer and filled orders for other companies, as well.

1911 Postcard of the Bromo-Seltzer Tower building.

1909 - Emerson has his iconic Emerson Tower Building erected in Baltimore to serve as his company's home office and laboratories.  This tower had a giant clock about 200 ft up, and a giant Bromo-Seltzer bottle facsimile sitting at the very top of the tower.  The bottle structure weighed 17 tonnes, measured 51 by 20.5 ft, was lit with 596 light bulbs at night, and revolved slowly throughout the day.
 
1931 - Isaac Emerson dies on January 24th.

1911 Postcard of a Bromo-Seltzer horse-drawn wagon advertisement.

1956 - Warner-Lambert Pharmaceutical Company acquires the Emerson Drug Co.

1967 - Warner-Lambert moves the firm to Lancaster, Pennsylvania from Baltimore.
















BOTTLE IDENTIFICATION & DATING[2]:

Hazel Glass Company of Washington, Pennsylvania was the first manufacturer of Bromo-Seltzer cobalt blue bottles.

The Cumberland Glass Company in Bridgeton, New Jersey manufactured the majority of Bromo-Seltzer bottles until 1907.

From 1907 to 1916, Maryland Glass Corp. embossed their bottles with just the letter "M".

1929 Maryland Glass Corp. bottle advertisement.

Post-1916, Maryland Glass Corp. embossed their bottles with the "M in a circle" mark.

All Maryland Glass Corp. bottles produced after 1915 were manufactured by Owens automatic machines.

Until 1920, all Bromo-Seltzer bottles used cork closures.  After 1920, the screw-cap closures were used.

Bottles for Emerson's Rheumatic Cure were amber in color rather than blue like Bromo-Seltzer bottles, though the bottle shapes for the two products remained identical. 

Trademark registered 09-19-1905

Trademark registered 02-04-1914

Trademark registered 10-05-1954

REFERENCES:

[1] Munsey, Cecil.  Bromo-Seltzer History.  1992.  <CecilMunsey.com>.

[2]  Munsey, Cecil.  Bromo-Seltzer Blue.  1992.  <CecilMunsey.com>.