Dimensions: c18″ tall, 5 1/2″ in diameter

Bottle Markings: large pale green seltzer or “bar” bottle

This elaborate example of Carl Worner‘s skill shows a saloon with several patrons. Above the bar are signs for “Imported Bier” and “Wein and Liquors” and “Havana Cigars”. The spelling of “bier” and “wein” are German. A paper on the right side of the bar has a German poem: “Wer nicht webt bier, wein, weib und gesang, der bleibt ein harr sein leben gang,” which translates “He who loves not beer, wine, woman and song stays a poor man his life long.” This verse is almost identical to one he wrote in Swedish in the saloon bottle he made for Sven Mellin. A sign on a crate in the front says “Bottle Bier” (again “beer” in German). In the back of the bar is wallpaper. On the left side are stairs leading down below the bar floor, and there are two men, one at a urinal and the other seated, presumably on a toilet.

The bottle is signed on the back (see below): “Carl Warner Maker 205 S. Desplaines St..” a street in Chicago. He may have made the bottle for Frank and Sophia Bolit who had a couple of saloons in Chicago in the 1920’s and whose descendants now own the bottle. However, the bottle appears to be earlier than the Bolits owned taverns, so there is some mystery about its origin. A photograph of the Bolits dating from 1922 shows the bottle on a shelf behind the bar (see below). Used with permission of the owner.