Food T & E: Glass bottle featuring Jumbo
Jumbo the Elephant (associated with)
1920 – 1940 (Date manufactured/created)
Decorative Arts
glass
14 in H
, 4 in Diameter
Large, clear glass bottle featuring an image of Jumbo, the famous African elephant whom P. T. Barnum brought to North America to tour with his circus. In the late 1800s, Jumbo's widespread popularity spawned innumerable products that used his name and image. Jumbo's name recognition has endured for over a 125 years and continues to sell products. In this case, the 14-inch tall bottle is a vintage item dating to the 1920s or 1930s, decades after Jumbo's death in 1885.
Jumbo's name is formed in raised letters on the bottle's neck, as well as on the bottom of the bottle. The letter "M" in his name appears larger than the others, which suggests a trademark form of his name. The lower portion of the bottle features a generalized image of an elephant with it's trunk raised up. Along the front bottom edge, also in raised letters, are the words “Jumbo Beverage, ENRG REG., contents 60 oz.” and on the back "Fabrique par W. Bissonette [Made by W. Bissonette]", probably a French Canadian bottle manufacturer. The glass is heavy, and most of the bottle has a dimpled surface texture making it easier to hold. There is a raised ring halfway up the neck, above a slightly indented "framing" detail surrounding Jumbo's name.
Jumbo (about 1861 - September 15, 1885) grew to be an unusually tall African elephant, about 11 1/2 feet tall at the time of his death. He was captured in Sudan when still very young, and was rather sickly while growing up. He became a main attraction at the London Zoo as the "Children's Giant Pet," over the years giving rides around the park to thousands of children. His sale from the London Zoo to Barnum and his partners prompted a great public outcry in England, but in typical Barnum fashion, Barnum used the negative publicity to his advantage. Jumbo arrived in America in April 1882, and thereafter was part of the circus, touring the United States and southern Canada. His arrival was widely promoted, as were his appearances in the shows. The public could not get enough of Jumbo, and manufacturers capitalized on this Jumbo-mania, producing many types of products with his name and image, while advertisers touted all kinds products with comparisons to the elephant's size or strength. Jumbo was killed by a train on September 15, 1885, while on tour in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. He was only a young adult elephant at age 24 or 25 years old, and his death was widely mourned. His name, however, lives on as we refer to super large items, from eggs and beverages to jet airplanes as "jumbo sized." Barnum employed a taxidermist in Rochester, New York to mount the hide and skeleton separately, to be shown for a year or two in the circus as "Double Jumbo." The mounted hide was then given to Tufts College (now Tufts University) but was lost to fire in 1975; the skeleton was given to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where the bones remain in storage today.
Jumbo's name is formed in raised letters on the bottle's neck, as well as on the bottom of the bottle. The letter "M" in his name appears larger than the others, which suggests a trademark form of his name. The lower portion of the bottle features a generalized image of an elephant with it's trunk raised up. Along the front bottom edge, also in raised letters, are the words “Jumbo Beverage, ENRG REG., contents 60 oz.” and on the back "Fabrique par W. Bissonette [Made by W. Bissonette]", probably a French Canadian bottle manufacturer. The glass is heavy, and most of the bottle has a dimpled surface texture making it easier to hold. There is a raised ring halfway up the neck, above a slightly indented "framing" detail surrounding Jumbo's name.
Jumbo (about 1861 - September 15, 1885) grew to be an unusually tall African elephant, about 11 1/2 feet tall at the time of his death. He was captured in Sudan when still very young, and was rather sickly while growing up. He became a main attraction at the London Zoo as the "Children's Giant Pet," over the years giving rides around the park to thousands of children. His sale from the London Zoo to Barnum and his partners prompted a great public outcry in England, but in typical Barnum fashion, Barnum used the negative publicity to his advantage. Jumbo arrived in America in April 1882, and thereafter was part of the circus, touring the United States and southern Canada. His arrival was widely promoted, as were his appearances in the shows. The public could not get enough of Jumbo, and manufacturers capitalized on this Jumbo-mania, producing many types of products with his name and image, while advertisers touted all kinds products with comparisons to the elephant's size or strength. Jumbo was killed by a train on September 15, 1885, while on tour in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. He was only a young adult elephant at age 24 or 25 years old, and his death was widely mourned. His name, however, lives on as we refer to super large items, from eggs and beverages to jet airplanes as "jumbo sized." Barnum employed a taxidermist in Rochester, New York to mount the hide and skeleton separately, to be shown for a year or two in the circus as "Double Jumbo." The mounted hide was then given to Tufts College (now Tufts University) but was lost to fire in 1975; the skeleton was given to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where the bones remain in storage today.
BF 1992.002.001