Clear vessel glass fragment, prescription lip fragment
(Archaeological Find)

Files

Clear medicine bottle lip fragment
Illustrated examples of different pharmaceutical vessels<br /> <br /> Hume's examples demonstrate the variety in form of pharmaceutical vessels from the 17th to 19th centuries.
Taking Physick, by James Gillray<br /> <br /> A colored etching by James Gillray, published in 1800, depicting a man grimacing while consuming a remedy from a glass bottle.
Letter from Daniel Bates to William Jenks, March 1797<br /> <br /> A 1797 letter written by Harvard student Daniel Bates to his friend and classmate William Jenks, encouraging him to focus on fully recovering before returning to campus after a bout of sickness.

Title:

Clear vessel glass fragment, prescription lip fragment

Subject:

This small lip fragment of a clear glass medicinal bottle is an example of the pharmaceutical glassware commonly found at sites dating to the colonial period (Hume 2001:72). The morphology, color, and production method of these vessels evolved over the centuries, but this particular fragment likely dates to the 17th or early 18th century (Hume 2001:73).

For early Harvard students, these glass vessels would have been essential for the treatment of minor illnesses during the semester. Students were given lessons in the physick, or medicine, during which they learned how to create remedies for a variety of illnesses, that they could use to treat others and themselves (Loren 2022:221). Historically, and in the present day, Harvard has placed great importance on physical proximity to campus, a space that both reflects and fosters Harvard’s unique culture. Though, as evidenced by James Gillray’s 1800 etching, actually consuming physick remedies may not have been a pleasant experience, the bottles in which they were stored are nonetheless linked to students’ need to heal their own ailments without putting a pause on their studies. An 18th-century letter written by a Harvard student to his friend on sick leave (Bates 1797) demonstrates that in cases of serious illness, students could be forced to leave campus to recuperate, isolating them from Harvard’s administrative, academic, and ideological influence.

Non-image source: Loren, Diana DiPaolo. 2022. “Smoke and Spirit: Exploring Bodily and Sensual Concerns at Early Harvard College.” Historical Archaeology 56 (2): 217–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-022-00344-5.

Source:

Bates, Daniel. 1797. “Letters from Daniel Bates to William Jenks, May 1795-September 1798.” With William Jenks. Collections of the Harvard University Archives. Personal Archives. March. Seq. 11. Harvard University Archives. https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:20049911.

Gillray, James. 1800. Taking Physick. Hand-colored etching on paper, Plate: 26 × 19.9 cm (10 1/4 × 7 7/8 in.); Sheet: 28.8 × 22.2 cm (11 3/8 × 8 3/4 in.). https://www.artic.edu/artworks/90047/taking-physick.

Hume, Ivor Noël. 2001. A Guide to the Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Loren, Diana DiPaolo. 2022. “Smoke and Spirit: Exploring Bodily and Sensual Concerns at Early Harvard College.” Historical Archaeology 56 (2): 217–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-022-00344-5.

Object Name:

Clear vessel glass fragment, prescription lip fragment

Inventory Description:

Clear vessel glass fragment, prescription lip fragment

Peabody Number:

2025.8.25

Intrasite:

H984 Level 4 wall fall

Depth:

72-86 cm bd

Class 1:

Glass

Class 2:

Vessel glass

Class 3:

Clear vessel glass

Quantity:

1

Height (cm):

1.1

Width (cm):

1.5

Depth/Thickness (cm):

.3