Cabot's Sulpho-Napthol / Sylpho-Nathol Bottles

One of the first bottles I found as a kid was a Cabot's Sylpho-Nathol.  I ended up finding a few different versions, and despite how extremely common they were, I developed an affection for these bottles.  Fairly appealing in design and highly affordable, they are perfect for beginner collectors.  I decided to research the company so that one could establish date ranges for particular variants.

 

Cabot's started out as The Sulpho Napthol Co., manufacturers of disinfectants.  They were first listed in Boston in 1886.   They were located at 4 Merrimac Rd.  The earliest bottles from this company are simply embossed "The Sulpho-Napthol Co." and have been found in amber and teal green colors.  

 

The earliest and rarest Sulpho-Napthol bottles (1886-1890)

 Samuel Cabot (1850-1906) patented the term "Sulpho-Napthol in 1890, claiming use of the term since September 1885.  The introduction of the Cabot's name on the bottles presumably started that year.  The earliest version I have come across has a small font embossing on the front, almost as if it was made to go on a smaller bottle.  This style appears to date from circa 1890-1905.  

The first style embossed Cabots

 

The second version of the Cabot's bottle has slightly larger embossing and a somewhat fancier appearance.  It has the additional embossing "Reg. U.S. Pat Off", as well as "U.S.A." after Boston.  I would date this style from circa 1905-1914.  A smaller size with an indented panel was also introduced at this time, as well as two larger sizes (likely 8oz and 16oz).  While I am not sure of the exact date, a round sample size was also being sold circa 1900.  A round quart sized bottle was also produced around this time.

 

 

In 1914 the name of the product was changed from Sulpho-Napthol to Sylpho-Nathol.  I am not sure why this was done but the name of the company remained the same, which I'm sure generated some confusion.  Once the name was changed, much of the embossing was removed, leaving only "Sylpho-Nathol" and "Cabots".  

Old style and new style

 

The two most commonly seen examples of Cabots from this period were the smaller sunken panel style and the slightly larger 5" size.  The round sample was still being produced as well as a larger rectangular size.  This name change also marked the first use of non-amber bottles including aqua and clear.  These two colors only came in the small indented panel size while larger examples were still made in amber.

 

Sometime around 1920 the company finally made the switch from hand blown (BIM) to machine made (ABM) bottles.  This was a much later transition than many companies, but not terribly surprising.  ABM bottle making machines were very expensive, making many companies reluctant to purchase them.  Additionally, these early machines were not able to produce narrow-neck bottles until a little after 1910.  Smaller medicine-style machine made bottles didn't become more commonplace until circa 1915.

ABM larger size

 

When the switch was made the small indented style Cabots color was changed permanently to clear.  One way to differentiate age with this style is the lip.  The first examples have a more square lip while the later ones have a rounded lip.  The two larger sizes remained the same, but the cork top was next on the chopping block.   

 

The most common Cabots version

This era included a lot of experimentation so it is possible that up to three different closures were being used at the same time.  The first screw top bottle featured three "lugs" that a screw cap would catch on to and screw shut.  The modern continuous threads wouldn't come until later.  Around this time a crown top style also emerged, with the appearance of a double lip.  I would date all of these examples to the 1920s. 

lug top

 

crown cork seal

 Starting in the 1930s the first true screw top style emerges.  It is rather unusual in design as the screw thread part is narrow and the lip below it features a very large flare. 

screw top with wide lower lip

 

 The iconic small indented style continued to be used until 1938, when the indented panel was removed.  The bottle still featured a cork top surprisingly.  It was not until the 1940s did this bottle get a modern screw top.  Shortly afterwards all Cabots bottles were no longer embossed.

 

Below are a few other unusual variants

ABM round with old Sulpho Napthol embossing

Quart size ABM cork top