What's the earliest "Deco" soda you've heard of?

[Wheelah23]

I've been compiling all the information I can about local soda and beer bottlers in Essex County, NJ. I recently came into possesion of a couple of "deco" soda bottles that seem to contradict all I knew about J.W. Ransley, a mineral water bottler in East Orange from 1883 to around 1915.

In the December 31, 1915 NY Times, I found this advertisement:

"

AUCTION SALE
The Soda Manufacturing Plant
Formerly J.W. Ransley & Sons,
34 Sterling St., East Orange, N.J.
Consisting of machinery, tanks, syphons,
bottles, auto truck, block tin, wagons, etc.,
will take place at the above address on
Tuesday, Jan. 4th, 1916, 11 A. M.
WATCH FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENT.
H. GOLD, Auctioneer,
Phone 6612 Market.​

"

This information, along with other bits and pieces, leads me to conclude the business went under before or during 1915. However, these recent acquisitions seem to suggest otherwise. The bottle in question (I have two of the same bottle) is some kind of deco soda, about which I do not have much knowledge.

I thought the Art Deco movement started in the 20's; however, Ransley seems to have been quite the innovator. These sodas almost certainly date to before 1915, when Ransley went out of business. Not only do I have a tooled crown top from Ransley that I can prove dates to 1895, but it also seems Ransley was one of the first to design his soda bottles in a fancy way. Now that I think about it, it almost seems too good to be true. "J.W. Ransley & Son Co.", as they were known since 1895 and until they closed, went out of business completely before 1915, and had been downsizing before that. Maybe Ransley (or his son) started from scratch some time during the 20's, which could explain these bottles. I have a hard time believing they could be pre-1915.

On both sides of the bottle in the middle, it says "RANSLEY'S INC.". On the heel, they each say "G23". Could this be a date code for 1923, contradicting what I thought I knew about Ransley? The heel also says "EAST ORANGE N.J.", and "6088", which is probably an irrelevant mold number. The base says "CONTENTS/ 6 FL. OZS./ REGISTERED". They're badly case worn, but I bet these bottles are far rarer than the blob Ransley's I have.

So that leads me to ask you soda people, do you think a deco soda could date this early? I also found a 1925 bottle patent that resembles my deco soda. Make of it what you will.

 

[surfaceone]

I thought the Art Deco movement started in the 20's; however, Ransley seems to have been quite the innovator. These sodas almost certainly date to before 1915, when Ransley went out of business. Not only do I have a tooled crown top from Ransley that I can prove dates to 1895, but it also seems Ransley was one of the first to design his soda bottles in a fancy way. Now that I think about it, it almost seems too good to be true. "J.W. Ransley & Son Co.", as they were known since 1895 and until they closed, went out of business completely before 1915, and had been downsizing before that. Maybe Ransley (or his son) started from scratch some time during the 20's, which could explain these bottles. I have a hard time believing they could be pre-1915.

Hey Connor,

Great question and profile of Ransley. I always felt that Art Deco had it's roots in the period just after the new century. It was an outgrowth or artistic progression from Art Nouveau.

'After the Universal Exposition of 1900, various French artists formed an informal collective known as La Société des artistes décorateurs (the society of the decorator artists).[7] Founders included Hector Guimard, Eugène Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Bellot, Maurice Dufrêne, and Emile Decoeur. These artists greatly influenced the principles of Art Deco as a whole.[8]

This society's purpose was to demonstrate internationally the evolution of the French decorative arts. They organized the 1925[9] Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris,[10] which would feature French art and business interests.[8][11] The terms style moderne and art deco both derive from the exposition's title,[3] though the term art deco was not used much until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's 1968 book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s." From wiki-Deco.

I see the barrel shape updated, Deco-ized if you will, in that Ransley bottle, Connor.

 

[celerycola]

The earliest deco soda I can think of is the nationally sold Bludwine. The hobbleskirt bottle was not patented until 1910 but it was in use as early as 1906.

 

[bottleopop]

Wheelah,

The only thing I can think of about that Ransley company's history is perhaps that soda manufacturing plant is just one of its locations. It could also be that the Ransley company continued with their bottles being made by someone else's plant.

The G23, according to this reference in section G indicates Graham Glass Company. It might also indicate 1923, as per the same reference's entries for N and S.

I have bottles that reference that patent number on them. One is the Madiva bottle from Washington DC, and the others are 3 sizes of Atlas bottles from Detroit, MI. All 4 of these bottles look essentially exactly like the patent drawing you posted. This is not to say that your bottle could not be according to the same patent, but it does look a bit far off.

One could argue that the first patented deco soda and perhaps the first deco soda (patented or not) is the Gayola bottle. People usually say this of the Coca Cola design patent BUT the Gayola patent was filed over a year earlier than the filing date of the Coca Cola bottle. Admittedly the Gayola bottle design is not very 'deco', but it was the first filed.

 

[bottleopop]

The Coca Cola bottle was patented in 1915, the Gayola in 1917, and the Bludwine bottle in 1918.

 

[celerycola]

The "four ring" Gay-Ola bottle was introduced and patented in 1914 as a result of the lawsuit with Coca-Cola.

 

[bottleopop]

Interesting about the lawsuit with Coca-Cola. 1914 was before the design of the hobbleskirt bottle, back in the straight-side days. The Gayola bottle was filed with the patent office in 1914 but not patented until 1917. I wonder if that delay had to do with that same lawsuit.

Here is an interesting history of the design and designer of the Coca Cola hobbleskirt bottle.

 

[ironmountain]

would this be considered an Art Deco bottle? from Crystal Falls Bottling works...says that around middle and at base....i live 25mins from Crystal Falls..but can't find any info about it...have only seen an ACL on ebay...bottom says 9 owens symbol 47, 7 fl oz ..thanks for any help..sorry if i hijacked.

 

[fishnuts]

Well, the actual date of the International Exposition of Modern Decorate and Industrial Arts was 1925. In Paris. That is considered by many to be the beginning of the Art Deco movement.
To me, it stands to reason that there must have been a movement prior to the Exposition...I mean, you can't just 'poof' and spontaneously create so many items in so many fields in just one year. Mush of the design world the previous 30 years had been influenced by the Art Noveau movement, which had natural, intricate, flowery and curvy design features. Art Deco, of course, was almost the opposite: strong lines, geometrics, bold color and straight lined shapes. That would mean the Coca Cola, Nu Icy are Art noveau inspired while Calders and 3-C Nectar are examples of Art Deco inspired.

Placing something as Art Deco, I suppose, will always be in the eye of the beholder, foremost. I don't think you can just say that something IS Art Deco just because it fits the time-frame. For example, there are bottles designed prior to 1925 that are definately Deco, and bottles made into the Fifties who's design is Deco. To me, they're still Art Deco regardless of their vintage. Conversely, just because a bottle design falls between two arbitrary dates does not mean that it is an Art Deco inspired design.

IMHO, the Ramsley is not a deco design (simply rings), but your Patent sheet design is. As is the Crystal Falls.

 

[morbious_fod]

Most likely the bottle is a 1923 usually that is what G23 stands for. Maybe someone bought the operation and kept the name, or perhaps the company was purchased by another member of the family and changed the name to Ransley Inc. Maybe it was even the son who purchased the company after his father wanted out of the business. It could also have been a bankruptcy sale, and his son picked it up and continued the company until closing down himself later on.

Are you ready for the monkey wrench? I found a referance to the Ransley's Inc. in the Industrial Directory of New Jersey copyright 1940. It is listed as producing carbonated Beverages.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&q=%22RANSLEY%27S+INC%22&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=3735l5993l2l6240l2l2l0l0l0l0l197l353l0.2l2l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbm=bks&source=og&sa=N&tab=wp&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=830b8b720cf043d7&biw=1654&bih=909