This is a medicine bottle for storing liquid medicines. It has an embossing of a double-headed eagle — the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Two inscriptions have been preserved: one on the cork “PROF. DL. POEKL S.PETERSBOURG”, and one at the bottom “Trofimov Pharmacy, Zagorodny Prospekt”. The volume of the vessel — 200 milliliters — is indicated at the base of the vessel.
Factory production of glass containers in Europe began in 1824, after the invention of pressed glass. In Russia this technology developed a little later — in the middle of the 19th century. Medicine bottles were made at glass factories in the European part of Russia from colorless and colored glass. The characteristic features of these bottles were embossed inscriptions or frames, sloping shoulders, rounded transitions of the faces, necks with a bead finish or drain — “with a dropper”.
A paper label could be glued onto the smooth side of the bottle or inside the frame. The bases of the vessels contained numbers: ½, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, … 12. They indicated the volume of the bottle and the weight of its contents in zolotniks (approximately 4.6 grams) or ounces, as well as the numbers of the product, batch, delivery and order.
In the St. Petersburg Book of Merchants from 1905, it appears that “the pharmacist Mitrofan Trofimov of the Orthodox faith lives in the house No. 72 on Zagorodny Prospekt, where he maintains his own pharmacy. From 1899, it was called the ‘St. Petersburg Pharmacy’, and after the outbreak of the First World War, the ‘Old Petrograd Pharmacy’.”
Today, bottles for medical and cosmetic products are made not only of glass, but also of quartz, ceramics, metal, semi-precious stones, and wood. Vessels can be quite simple or richly decorated in various techniques: inlay, embossing, carving, painting, foiling, and printing.
The bottle can likewise be of any shape — classical, abstract or made to resemble an animal, plant, or person. The bottle can have a second compartment and contain two cavities for liquids or dry substance. It can also be a part of a candlestick, lamp, or jewelry.
Previously, vials were sealed with lids made of dense cork or glass — they prevented liquids from evaporating. Today they have been replaced by stoppers with silicone pads, as well as built-in sprays, pipettes and droppers.
