Here it is, the likely link between A R Baldwin's "SHM" and Wilmerding & Kellog's "SHM".
A R Baldwin & Co. > Fargo & Co (Wilmerding & Kellog) > Wilmerding & Kellog
Could we consider this a 'new' western whiskey ? Too bad the 1850s and 60s mold makers chose base and shoulder embossing instead of the later full face style ! A.P., could we get a photo of your intact example ?
March 29th, 1867 Sacramento Daily Union
January 7th, 1869 Daily Alta
"Fleur d Lis" from Baldwin to Fargo, then to W & K.
ReplyDeleteAwesome !
Looks like the base embossed A.R.B. version could very well be the first of the Western S.H.M's
I'll go thru the boxes and find it so I can take a few photos of it.
AP
As for the full face styling, we have Hotaling to thank for making that popular. With his great success early on with the JH Cutter brand, everyone else in the City jumped on the bandwagon with similar embossed bottles and graphics patterns.
ReplyDeleteHe may have actually gotten the idea from Barry & Patten some 10 yrs earlier,as Cutter was a popular brand in their saloon, but we'll never know for sure.
The full face embossing went over well with liquor dealers. Memorializing their names in glass for the life of a bottle was one of their greatest forms of advertising. No doubt there was strong competition among them to see who could come up with the most attractive designs.
ReplyDeleteThe S.H.M in my book rates right up there with being one of the most beautiful of all the Western 5ths.
LL