Ruby Red Wheaton Glass Apothecary Bottles - Set of 2

Both were made by Wheaton Glass Co. in New Jersey (Wheaton NJ) in the 1970s and were reproductions of Victorian-era designs at the time. 1) Coffin-Shaped Poison Bottle This particular bottle is ruby red (though similar bottles also came in amethyst purple) and features “R.I.P." on one side and the words "USE WITH CARE" and "PATENTED" on the other, along with a skull and crossbones. 
 Poison bottles were historically used to hold dangerous substances like rodenticides, carbolic acid, iodine, and potentially lethal medications, and their distinctive shapes, rough textures, and colored glass (often cobalt blue or emerald green) were a vital safety feature to prevent accidental poisoning by making them easily distinguishable by touch and sight. These safety features were crucial because, before modern regulations, poisons were readily available from grocers and druggists, and accidental deaths were common, especially in homes with no electricity where people might reach for the wrong bottle in the dark.   Size: 3” tall, 1.5” wide 2) "Frank's Safe Kidney & Liver Cure" Bottle This ruby red glass bottle is a reproduction of a 19th-century patent medicine container, featuring embossed lettering. 
 These bottles can often be found in various colors like ruby red, amber, cobalt blue, or purple.  The “Kidney & Liver Cure” was, at the time, used as a tonic for Bright’s Disease, Kidney and Bladder Stones, Inflammation of Kidneys, Bladder & Liver, Catarrh of Bladder, Jaundice, Dropsy, Malaria, Female Weakness, Pain in Back, Convulsions, Rheumatism, Impotency, Heart Disease, Melancholia & “Other Disorders caused by Derangement of the Kidneys & Liver.”
 Size: 3” tall, 1 3/8” wide

Condition

Used (normal wear)