Breslin Bischoff & Co Bottle - "Dew of the Alps"???

[Blackdutchie]

Eric, Thanks for the tip, I had never heard of the Gilka bottles but after a quick google the form is definitely very similar, though as you said looks earlier than the Gilka's. Makes me wonder if this is some kind of predecessor of the Gilka's. The bottle certainly seems to be imported now though. As I've been digging a little more into Breslin, Bischoff & Co, it seems the "Dew of the Alps" they imported through Wolfe and the one showing up in the San Francisco papers in the late 1870s were different products, and though the CA Henley's "Dew of the Alps" has been described as a "white whale", period photos show a bottle completely different than mine. Either this isn't a "Dew of the Alps" bottle, or Breslin, Bischoff & Co.'s product came in a different bottle (and it was a bit earlier: The Swiss company doesn't show up in newspapers after the late 1860s, though "Dew of the Alps" was advertised through 1879, as I mentioned above).

 

[goodman1966]

I think the reason you are seeing two different bottle is their may have been two products. I found this ad on cronicalingamerica. It says toward the bottom "liquor and cordial". Hope this helps. Mitch

 

[goodman1966]

Oops forgot the ad ![attachment=image.jpg]

 

[Blackdutchie]

Thanks for the great post goodman! I wonder where my bottle fits then, whether it's a liquor bottle or a cordial. I'm guessing a cordial by the form. It's interesting that the ad mentions quart-sized bottles, as mine holds 20 oz exactly if filled to the very top of the rim. I'm wondering if the smaller version that I have is an earlier bottle. I had found an ad in the 1870s stating that Breslin Bischoff & Co introduced the product initially as an "experiment" (as it was termed in the ad) and how the demand for the product had since outgrown the supply. I'm wondering if my bottle falls under this "experimental" period when the product was first introduced in the 1860s. I'll try and find that ad and post it. Thanks again!

 

[Blackdutchie]

I've attached a couple newspaper clippings below regarding Breslin Bischoff & Co. The first (longer one) is the earliest mention I can find for them (October 5, 1866), and includes a supposed statement from them naming Udolpho Wolfe as their sole agent for the Americas, as well as a similar announcement from Wolfe. The second clipping is the last mention I can find for the company (December 5, 1876) and talks about the introduction of the "Dew of the Alps" and the increased demand since. While the product, "Dew of the Alps" shows up all over the place in historic newspapers during the late 1860s and 1870s, Breslin Bischoff & Co. is only named a handful of times from what I can find, 8 times in 1866 in the Times-Picayune (New Orleans), twice in 1867 in a Galveston, TX paper, and lastly in 1876 in the Times-Picayune again. I'm still not sure how Henley's 1870s (California) "Dew of the Alps" relates to the Breslin Bischoff & Co. product. I'm beginning to wonder if Henley's is a domestic copy of an earlier imported original (B.B. & Co.). As usual, with more research, there are more questions than answers.

 

[cowseatmaize]

Down Under Moses Moss and Co advertised

...The time-honoured Helvetian Tonic and restorative known as "Dew of the Alps" (Rosée des Alpes), has (been a health restorative) in Switzerland for more than 400 years....http://www.auspostalhistory.com/MOBI/articles/1848.php It didn't mention Breslin etc but most other adds from them did. Anyhow, I guess the term was used for quite a while and Henley probably just borrowed it.

 

[RED Matthews]

Interesting research study, I saved quite a lot of it. RED Matthews

 

[Blackdutchie]

Still been digging into this bottle and I've found that at least by the early 20th century (though this particular bottle is at least several decades earlier) the bottle form was being called a "Kimmel Bottle" and being grouped with the various liquor bottles in the catalogs. I've attached a couple Illinois Glass Company catalog pages from 1906 and 1920. According to different liquor sites online, "Kümmel, also known as kimmel, is a German, sweet, colorless liquid flavored with caraway seeds, cumin, and fennel." This fits with the Breslin Bischoff bottle being a German/Swiss product. Makes me wonder if the "Dew of the Alps" would have fit the description for traditional Kimmel beverage.

 

[Blackdutchie]

Just scored this Breslin Bischoff & Co. Dew of the Alps advertising token off ebay. Figured I could throw it in a small display with the bottle. If you notice, the double underline under the "o" in "Co" on the token is identical to the bottle. Makes me think the bottle is probably indeed a "Dew of the Alps" and contemporary with the token. The logo on the front with the feathered hat and shield with the Swiss cross is pretty cool, I wonder if that's what the paper label would've looked like. Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Jeffrey Reich]

Dear Sir

I purchased a piece of property in Matagorda, TX last year. Just this last week we were doing some dirt work on that property and unearthed one of these bottles. To me, it appears to be in very good condition however I am no expert on these matters. Can someone tell me if there has been any further communications at all regarding Blackdutchie's post above? I am quite interested in finding out about this bottle, it's history, value and so on.
Thanks very much for the assistance.
Regards