C. 1840 – 1855 Petersburg, Virginia Apothecary Chest

C. 1840 – 1855 Petersburg, Virginia Apothecary Chest – This circa 1840-1855 English made, mahogany apothecary chest has brass fittings, to include brass carrying handles on each side of the chest, indicating possible design for military use . The Apothecary was the forerunner to a pharmacist, formulating and dispensing medicines to physicians, surgeons, and patients. Apothecaries’ investigation of herbal and chemical ingredients was a precursor to the modern sciences of chemistry and pharmacology. This superbly crafted apothecary chest is made of figured mahogany with oak as a secondary wood, indicative of English manufacture. In the lower section of the chest is a covered drawer-like compartment, also made of mahogany; this section contains an extensive array of mid-19^th century, pharmaceutical instruments and glassware to include a mortar and pestle, various measuring cups and a graduated cylinder; additional apothecary devices are contained within this compartment – a small set of scales for weighing doses, two tin containers of unknown, powdered medication; a tray in the compartment lifts out to reveal a lower, smaller compartment that has some additional medical devices for unknown uses. In the top of the box are numerous compartments, each containing original, period medical bottles many still exhibiting original labels with the name of the medication and that of the pharmacist or apothecary; virtually all of the medicine bottles with labels, are from various apothecary establishments in Petersburg, Virginia and appear to date towards the end of the Civil War or shortly thereafter. Many of the bottles in the chest are from an antebellum period, as most have sheared pontils on their bases. The actual chest dates to many years prior to the war, and several of the bottles are markedly earlier than 1861; we assume that these bottles represent the first components of the chest and may have been re-used by a later apothecary. Some of the medications contained in the chest include: Laudanum, Ipecac, Calomel or “Blue Mass” and a variety of other 19th century pseudo-medicinal medicines. The chest and its components remain in overall, very good condition. We have had one or two other early apothecary chests; this is by far the most complete chest we have had or even seen. The chest and contents remain in overall very good condition.

Measurements: H – 10.25”; W – 11.75”; D – 8”