CHRISTIAN F. G. MEYER : PRICKLY ASH BITTERS

The Meyer Brothers Drug Company was founded in 1852 by Christian F. G. Meyer in Fort Wayne, Ind. Christian was an immigrant from Hanover, Germany. He arrived in America in 1847. By 1865 his company grown so much that he would expand and establish a main distributing center located in St. Louis and then in Kansas. The company would incorporate in 1889 and would become the largest distributor of drugs, chemicals and pharmaceutical products in the country. Along with many other products that were handled by the drug trade.

It is thought that the Meyer Brothers Drug Company bought out Dr. B. F. Sherman's Compound Prickly Ash Bitters. Dr. Sherman was the sole proprietor of Prickly Ash Bitters located in St. Louis. There is a label variant of Sherman's Compound P. A. Bitters from the Meyer Brothers Drug Co. The square Bitters from Dr. Sherman was embossed DR. SHERMAN'S / COMPOUND / PRICKLY ASH / BITTERS which is extremely rare. Below are photos of Meyer's Prickly Ash bottles. The first bottle is embossed PRICKLY ASH / BITTERS CO. in a reddish amber color and is their early one.

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This second photo the bottle is embossed PRICKLY ASH / BITTERS this is their later bottle. Also a trade card

Above is a labeled PRICKLY ASH / BITTERS.

Here is another trade card.

References:

Centennial History of Missouri.

www.peachridgeglass.com

Bitters Bottle by Carlyn Ring & W.C. Ham.

Frank & Frank Jr.(Wicker) Bottle & Paper Collection.

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