E. G. Lyons & Co. Manufacturers

E. G. Lyons & Co.

Manufacturers sanf Co

Lyons’ Celebrated Stomach Bitters

L 144

Ernest Gabriel Lyons, San Francisco, California

Olive Green Square

Provenance: Richard T. Siri Collection

Here is an interesting yet somewhat puzzling western square embossed ‘E. G. LYONS & CO’ (1st line), ‘MANUFACTURERS’ (2nd line), and ‘SANF co’ (3rd line). The “N” of “SANF” is reversed, and there is a horizontal rule beneath the lower case ‘co’. The copy is embossed on one face of the bottle while the other three sides of the 9″ tall bottle are flat without any markings. The four vertical corners are chamfered and there is a long neck with an applied mouth. The green bottle is crude and the glass is full of air bubbles. The bottle has a smooth base. We are really not certain as to what specific product or products the bottle contained.

The E. G. Lyons Manufacturers bottle is not embossed with the word ‘Bitters’ though it has always been considered a bitters because of period advertising, surviving labels, and that it looks like a bitters bottle. Whiskey and bourbon usually came in a round, tall bottle or a flask. Bitters at that time were full of alcohol too but sold as a medicine to skirt taxes and the eyes of the Temperance movement. Also, the vast majority of western bitters were square bottles.

Ernest Gabriel Lyons was born in Paris, France on July 29, 1834, to Hughes Joseph David Lyons and Amélie Dreyfus. He came to California when he was quite young with his father. In 1852, his father went into the wine and liquor business in Sonora, California where young Ernest would help. Sonora at that time was once a booming center of industry and trade during the California Gold Rush. The father and son remained together in Sonora until the father’s death in 1861.

E. G. Lyons would move to San Franciso where he became associated with his brother-in-law, Jules Mayer, in the management of the Crevolin Liquor House. He would then marry Emilie Buser and they eventually had seven children.

The E. G. Lyons & Co. wholesale liquor business was founded in San Francisco in 1865 when Ernest and Jules took over the business of Crevolin & Co. This is most likely when the first E. G. Lyons & Co. bottles were ordered.

The advertisement above is the earliest found for E. G. Lyons & Co. who were the successors to Crevolin & Co., as Crevolin was retiring from business. E. G. Lyons & Co. were announced as wholesale dealers in wines and liquors and manufacturers of syrups, cordials, and bitters. They were located at No. 510 Jackson Street in San Francisco, California.

The advertisement above was placed on October 14, 1865, and ran until January 20, 1866, in the Sonora Union Democrat newspaper. This advertisement is interesting as it says that E. G. Lyons & Co. were carrying quite a few case goods of established bitters brands such as Boker’s Bitters, Hufeland’s Swiss Bitters, Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters, Catawba Wine Bitters, California Wine Bitters, Vermouth Bitters, Roback’s Bitters, and Orange Bitters. They were probably selling their own Lyons’ Celebrated Stomach Bitters at this time in the E. G. Lyons embossed bottles.

The advertisement above, shows E. G. Lyons & Co. making special note of Sainsevain’s Wine Bitters which had been sold to them by the Sainsevain brothers. By this time, E. G. Lyons had expanded to 506 to 510 Jackson Street. There is a known example of the E. G. Lyons square with a partial Sainsevain’s Wine Bitters label.

It is likely that E.G. Lyons contracted for several production runs of their bottles, most likely with Pacific Glass Works at first. These would have been a bit cruder. E. G. Lyons & Co. could have also used the bottle for any of their generic bitters products like stomach bitters, orange bitters, or vermouth bitters. 1868 San Francisco directory listings said they were distillers and manufacturers of syrups, cordials, and bitters.

We recently excavated a privy that contained material no later than 1869 at best. The bulk of the bottles in the heaviest part of the use layer dated mid to late 60s. Included in mix of busted criers were: three green Dr. Boerhaave’s, two very crude green E.G. Lyon’s, four amber Rosenbaum’s, two yellow G.A. Simon’s and one green IXL. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Lyon’s bottles in this pit were used and tossed around 1866-68 along with the others.

Western Bottle News, October 28, 2009

The front and back labels below are for Lyons’ Celebrated Stomach Bitters which is an obvious copy-cat of the Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters brand and label. The label reads E. G. Lyons & Co., Sole Proprietors, 506, 508, 510 Jackson St., San Francisco. There is a signature for E. G. Lyons & Co. guaranteeing the authenticity of the bitters which is ironic. The address on the label repeats the address of E. G. Lyons & Co. in the newspaper advertisements above

E. G. Lyons passed away on February 28, 1893, in San Francisco. He was very prominent in the French Society and French colony in San Francisco.

E. G. Lyons & Co. would continue and become The E. G. Lyons & Raas Co. in 1901. Two of E. G. Lyon’s daughters married into the Raas family. The billhead below is dated April 29, 1907. The company had repositioned their brands and were not advertising any bitters and very few brands of hard liquor.

You can actually find Lyon Belvista California Wines advertising for Lyon & Raas all the way up until 1934. They were now located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Advertising always reminded the reader that they started in 1852.

The listing in Bitters Bottles (for the bottle) and Bitters Bottles Supplement 2 (for the label) is as follows:

L 144 E. G. LYONS & CO / MANUFACTURERS / SANF CO // f // f //
San Francisco
N of SANF is reverse
9 x 2 ¾
Square, Amber, and Green, Applied wide square collar mouth
These bottles are circa 1868 and 1872 and usually have large necks and tops.

Label
L 144.5 LYONS’ CELEBRATED STOMACH BITTERS, E.G. Lyons & Co., Sole Proprietors, 506, 508, 510 Jackson St., San Francisco. Signature E. G. Lyons & Co.
Hostetter’s Stomach Bitters knock-off.
See E. G. Lyons & Co., L 143, L 144 in Bitters Bottles and sL 144, sp72

Primary Image: E. G. Lyons & Co. Manufacturers bottle imaged on location by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio led by Alan DeMaison.

Support: Reference to Bitters Bottles by Carlyn Ring and W. C. Ham. Use of E. G. Lyons & Co. bottle illustration and billhead courtesy Bill Ham.

Support: Reference to Western Bottle News and Warren Friederich comments, Origin of the E.G. Lyons & Co. Manufacturers San Francisco bottle, October 28, 2009.

Support Image: Auction Lot 66: E.G. LYON’S & CO MANUFACTURERS SAN F. CO. Trademark 1863. With backward “N.” Light green. L 144 Applied square collar. It is believed this bottle held Lyon’s Stoughton Bitters. This example is a very pleasing pastel green with some good crudity and a crudely applied top. Found in numerous colors of the day this one is always a popular bottle in great condition. We will grade this an 8.5. – Jeff Wichmann, American Bottle Auctions, Auction 70, Part 1 of the Don Dwyer Collection

Support Image: Auction Lot 61: E.G. LYON’S & CO MANUFACTURERS SAN F. CO. Trademark 1863. With backward “N.” Yellow amber. L 144 Applied square collar. This example is a very pleasing yellow amber with the typically seen applied square collar. Good crudity and a crudely applied top, this has just a small open bubble as seen in the pictures but otherwise, a problem-free example which is a pretty big deal for a bottle that is this old and is often found with problems. Found in numerous colors of the day, this one is always a popular bottle in great condition with good overall crudity. We will grade this an 8.5 just to be safe. – Jeff Wichmann, American Bottle Auctions, Auction 70, Part 2 of the Don Dwyer Collection

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