Capital Bitters

Capital Bitters Company

Motif United States Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C.

C 39

Capital Bitters Co., Washington, D.C.

Round Amber Figural

Provenance: Sandor P. Fuss Collection

Capital Bitters is an extremely rare bottle with a unique round shape that distinguishes itself as one of the most beautiful and sensual bitters bottle molds ever made. The design is symbolic of the architecture it represents and the dome ceiling painting within.

The body of the bottle is an elongated vertical oval form that tapers to a 2-layer pedestal base. On the opposite end, the oval tapers to a pronounced beveled ring at the base of a very tall neck. The mouth is an applied long collar with a ring. There is a smooth base. On the reverse of the bottle is a large embossed vertical oval ring that would have framed a paper label.

On the top face of the oval is embossed ‘CAPITAL’ in a sweeping downwards arch. The ‘C’ and ‘L’ of Capital are larger serifed capital letters as opposed to the sans-serif prismatic letters that make up the balance of the copy. Beneath this copy is an embossed motif of the United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, which is the meeting place of the United States Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.

Beneath the Capitol motif is the embossed ‘BITTERS COMPANY’ sans-serif copy in a concave arch that creates the bottom half of a horizontal oval that surrounds the motif. The first and last letters of both words are also enlarged and serifed. ‘WASHINGTON, D.C.’ is embossed beneath in a slight convex arch sympathetic to the ovoid bottle base curve and junction with the pedestal base. There is no special typographic treatment.

It is interesting to note the play on the words ‘Capital’ and ‘Capitol’ and the enlarged initial capital letters in the typography. This is not a coincidence.

There are three known examples. The first example is the museum example which is in perfect condition and was the only known example for many years if not decades. It was purchased at an auction on the eastern shore of Maryland in the early 1980s.

A second Capital Bitters example sold on eBay in 2012 to a western collector. It had several small to medium cracks on the side of the body oval. It is pictured in the museum. Apparently, it was found in 2001 or so in the Patapsco River Chesapeake Bay tributary by an oysterman dredging for oysters. He found some broken pieces too and threw them back in.

A third Capital Bitters example was sold by Glass Works Auctions in 2014 who noted that there were chips on the outside of the lip, the largest being approximate ½” in diameter with a tiny ‘ding’ is on a mold seam. There was also an area of minor inside stain. The auction house stated that the bottle was used as an example in the color plate section in Bitters Bottles.

There are rumors of the fourth example embedded in an old Virginia collection but this can not be substantiated.

Unfortunately, we do not know that much about the bottle as we have found no local newspaper advertising, or listings for the Capital Bitters Company in Washington, D.C. city directories. Sometimes that means a company was formed and dissolved in such quick order that no request was ever made to be listed in an annual directory. It also suggests a very limited run for the initial order of bottles attesting to the two known examples.

The Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham listing in Bitters Bottles is as follows:

C 39 CAPITAL ( au ) / motif Capitol of U.S. / BITTERS COMPANY ( cd ) WASHINGTON, D.C. / motif framed oval /
10 ½ x 2 ¾
Round with 2 layer pedestal, Amber, LTCR, Extremely rare.
Body convex from base up 3 ½ inches then concave to neck.

Primary Image: Capital Bitters Company bottle imaged by the FOHBC Virtual Museum midwest studio by Alan DeMaison.

Support: Reference to Bitters Bottles by Carlyn Ring and W. C. Ham. Use of Capital Bitters illustration courtesy Bill Ham.

Support Images: Second Capital Bitters from the Dave Kyle collection.

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