'Holloway's Ointment' dispensing pot
Maker
Holloways (estab. 1837, closed 1931)
Date
Circa 1880-Circa 1890s
Description
Rolled lip ceramic vessel for Holloway's Ointment - a well known cure-all of the mid-late 1800s, for the "cure of gout and rheumatism, inveterate ulcers, sore breasts, sore head, bad legs, etc". The trademark image on all Holloways Ointments is a representation of the Greek Goddess Hygeia, the personification of health, cleanliness and hygeine. On one side is the rod of Asklepios (a snake-entwined staff), and on the other a child holding a board saying "NEVER DESPAIR". Originating in England, it also became a popular cure-all in Australia, particularly as most commoners could not afford to visit a doctor. Invented by Thomas Holloway, the ointment was created and distributed in both London and later, New York. Analyses of Holloway’s Ointment in France in the nineteenth century found that it contained ‘white wax [paraffin], yellow wax [bee’s wax], hog’s lard, and turpentine’ (The Lancet 1863), although others have also claimed lanolin as a major ingredient.
This version is clear glazed ceramic with a black printer transfer.
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