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LOUIS GROSS: DR. HENSLEY'S WILD GRAPE ROOT IXL BITTERS  Louis Gross had an establishment in Portland, Oregon which he sold in March 11, 1868. He would move to San Francisco to establish the L. Gross & Co. manufacturers and proprietors located at 312 Sacramento Street San Francisco, Cal. He placed his first ad for Dr. Hensley's Wild Grape Root IXL Bitters in the July 1 1868 in the San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle Newspaper. He would have the ad run for three months. Below is a copy of this ad.  These bottles made during this time period did not have the IXL logo in a circle. The L Gross & Co. would relocate to 518 Front Street in the late 1869. Below is a copy of this ad which was placed in the Oct 21, 1869 San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle Newspaper .  These bottles had the circle around the IXL logo. The successor to the L. Gross & Co. was the H. Epstein & Co., which happened sometime in the late 1870 to February of 1871. Below is a copy of the ad which ran in the San Francisco Dramatic Chronicle Newspaper from February 1 to March 27 1871.  Dr. Hensley's wild Grape Root IXL Bitters was made though the upper 1880s. Below are photos of a darker aqua Dr. Hensley's / Wild Grape Root / IXL (in circle) / Bitters.  .  These bitters bottles are sought after by advanced bottle collectors trying to achieve colors runs on these bottles. These bottles come in the shades of amber, green, aqua and deep blue colors. Dr. Hensley's California IXL Bitters was distributed out of the Chicago branch. References: www.westernbitters.com Frank & Frank Jr. (Wicker) Bottle Collection.  |
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