Dr. William S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore

25 November 2014

I don’t know if you noticed, but there was this incredible Dr. W. S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir – Baltimore in Glass Works Auctions The ‘Christmas Comes Early’ Catalog Auction #105 that closed last night. What a beauty. Great color, embossing, character and a rough open pontil. This bottle dates from around 1842 to 1844.

“DR. W.S. LOVE’S / VEGETABLE / ELIXIR / BALTIMORE”, (Odell, pg. 232), Maryland, ca. 1840 – 1860, olive green cylinder, 7 3/8”h, open pontil, applied tapered collar mouth. A few light scratches, otherwise in perfect attic found condition. An exceptional example with highly whittled glass. How rare is it? The last one sold at auction was in 1994! – Glass Works Auction #105.

Dr. W. S. Love’s Vegetable Elixir for the Cure of Ague and Fever advertisement – The Sun (Baltimore), Saturday, July 16, 1842.

William S. Love

William S. Love was a physician, apothecary and chemist who first appears in Baltimore directories in the early 1830s. He seems to move around a lot. Maybe he should have used a wagon but I guess you can not address a wagon. His advertisements for his Vegetable Elixir occur from 1842 to 1844 only. One advertisement example is pictured above. I wonder if he ever considered calling it Dr. Love’s Love Elixir? In 1847, in Baltimore, the Lucina Cordial or Elixir of Love was being sold. Different fellows selling this.

There is some evidence to suggest that William S. Love’s father was John Love who came to America in 1767 and lived in St. Augustine, Florida. He does show up in Baltimore directories from 1807 to 1822 as a druggist. John Love has a relationship to Paul’s Patent Columbian Oil from Baltimore. William Loves wife may have been Elizabeth Erreckson.

Select Listings

1807-1816: John Love, druggist, 16 Market space – Baltimore directory

1822: John Love M.D. apothecary, 22 m. m. space – Keenan Baltimore Directory

1833-1837: Wm. S. Love, apothecary and chemist, 65 w Lexington st – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1842: Wm. S. Love, M.D. and apothecary, 65 w Lexington st – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1845: Love W. S., druggist, 89 Hanover st. – Baltimore Directory

1849: Dr. Wm S. Love, physician and apothecary, dw 92 Barre – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

1851: Dr. Wm S. Love, physician and apothecary, s e cor. Hanover and Perry – Matchetts Baltimore Directory

 1853-1854: Love Dr. Wm. S. 156 German – Matchett’s Baltimore Directory

 1856-1857: Dr. William S. Love,  apothecary, 121
 w Fayette, dw 152 German – Woods Baltimore Directory

1860: Dr. William S. Love, n e corner Monument and Aisquith – Woods Baltimore Directory

 1863-1865: Dr. William S. Love, Apothecary, 9 Penn – Baltimore City Directory

1870: Dr. Wm. S. Love, apothecary, 226 Harford Ave. – Baltimore City Directory

 1871-1872: Dr. Wm. S. Love, apothecary, 259 s. Broadway – Baltimore City Directory