Number six in our uncapped landfill bottle series: two matching bottles: one chipped—one melted. More de-branded glass bottles from Dead Horse Bay, but in this case we have a patent number (110034) embossed on the bottom…
A bottle designed by Edwin T. Reynolds. No mention of what the bottle was meant to contain, but the patent was assigned to “Lorr Laboratories” of Patterson, NJ.
A search for any additional patents assigned to “Lorr Laboratories” turns up this odd “container cap”—also designed by Edwin T. Reynolds. Again, no mention of the product…
Could this be the cap the went with these bottles? It was patented around the same time. What did Lorr Laboratories manufacture?
“We manufacture a polish called Dura-Gloss and only produce it to be sold in all stores for 10 cents. Our business is to furnish that, and we also furnish some brands of miscellaneous drugs.”
–from Lorr Laboratories’ testimony before on “H.R. 8367”—a bill to amend the Tariff Act of 1930 by reclassifying brushes or hair pencils for manicuring purposes. April 18, 1940
Nail polish. That art deco bottle cap design was meant to represent a fingernail! Logical to show the nail polish color on the cap, and a good way to demonstrate its effect as a fingernail color. But, for some reason, lethally sharp and claw-like in its execution.
(Dura-Gloss trademark, bottle label, additional advertising images, and competition with Cutex, after the fold…)
In the early 1950s Dura-Gloss changed their bottle design, but retained the fingernail cap concept:
Dur-Gloss was not the only company to try this idea, although they may have been the first. Northam Warren’s Cutex also came out with a similar color-identifying fingernail cap.
On left: detail from 1943 Cutex ad (via clotho98’s Flickr Photostream); on right: Cutex mmanicur kit (from Granny’s Thimble Etsy shop)
Which is interesting because during the 1940s hearings on “H.R. 8367”—(a bill to amend the Tariff Act of 1930 by reclassifying brushes or hair pencils for manicuring purposes)—Lorr Laboratories, in opposition to the bill testified that “reclassifying brushes or hair pencils for manicuring purposes” would hand Cutex a monopoly and force Dura-Gloss to import their brushes from Japan during WWII. “That source of supply of the brush is very, very doubtful.”
This testimony clearly indicates, although it does not conclusively prove, that the Cutex people, either directly or indirectly, own and control the United States Brush Co. and consequently own and control the sole source of supply in the United States of brushes satisfactory for use in applying manicuring polish.
Perhaps, however, the explanation is not so difficult if one considers that the Northam Warren Corporation, manufacturer of Cutex polish, is more interested in eliminating competition in the business of manicuring polish than it is in protecting the market for hair-pencil brushes. We therefore have the situation that if HR 8367 be enacted, Lorr Laboratories will be compelled to retire from the 10-cent in nail polishes because imported brushes would be prohibitively high and the United States Brush Co. is either unable or unwilling to sell its products to it. This situation would directly benefit Northam Warren Corporation and would give it a monopoly of the 10-cent nail-polish market. Lorr Laboratories employs 230 people and not only will the employees of this company lose their positions but the employees of practically every other company in the industry and in other industries using brushes of this type will be directly affected.
And who designed Cutex’s competing nail polish bottle & cap? Donald Deskey.
(For more about Northam Warren and Donald Deskey, see: Donald Deskey’s Odorono Jar)
Hello, I recently found a bottle matching your description in the bank of a river. Its outside is worn significantly to the point of “beach glass” but the bottom still reads patent number 110034. I was unable to find much information about this bottle until I stumbled upon your site. Thanks for the research and images!
I found this bottle with the cap, very worn but still on the bottle last week in the old Dayton, NV. dump. That dump was used from 1906 until 1954. It is in very good condition for it’s age. It cleaned up well, with no chips or cracks.
I just found the same bottle today, digging a hole to transplant a gardenia…sweet!
I have a nail polish bottle like this, same finger nail cap, the label is worn off, but I found this site with the patent #, as I was trying to date it. My bottle still has the lid with a brush and has some dried up clear brownish polish in the bottom. Thank you for the info!
Just found this bottles in an old burn site in Hauula Hawaii and googled the patent info. No label or top but bottle is in good shape. Thanks for all the info.
me and my son Josh found a bottle with the same pat’D number 110034 it is good condition on cracks but no top thanks for the information
value of the uncapped bottle? There’s a little french pink nail polish inside.
I found this buried in our back yard in really good shape
How much is the bottle worth?
jai une bouteille a vendre 50.00 $
I have a bottle of the dura gloss in perfect condition. It is the color blackberry. Even the label is perfect. It was in my great aunts home. Is it worth hanging onto?
I found a bottle like this at Dead Horse Bay in New York.
I found this bottle in a dump in Franklin, PA along with a variety of bottles from the 40s. We love collecting antiques and this site was very useful. I loved reading about the cutex takeover. What a Swindell.
Thank you so much for all of this information! We found this bottle buried in our backyard in Phoenix, AZ 4 years ago and have been looking for information ever since. Your research is very much appreciated.
I just found this bottle today in the woods by my house in Stillwater nj. :)
Thank you for the info! I just found one in the back yard of our apartment along with a Vaseline bottle from Chesebrough, NY this morning!
My son found the Dura gloss bottle in great condition, no polish inside, the cap is next to perfect but missing the inner brush, the bottle matches the design for the 1938 patent,
BUT the bottom of the bottle markings are not the same.. the markings are embossed but the only number is 2 & there is a symbol above it that looks like a castle..
WHY is it different when the bottle looks to be the same at patent 110,034
WHY does it not have a patent number?
This message goes with the post I just sent.. I just realized that the bottle he found is a Nail Polish REMOVER, because under the lid it is round, yet the lower body is the same except for the embossed bottom. The lid is in good shape, it has a longer embossed side( like a pointed nail) & a bit shorter embossed area on the opposite side leading to the tip.
Today, I found one of the bottles but with no lid and it is chipped at the top. It has dried up polish/makeup in it. Very cool.
Dec 23 2019. I found this bottle in very good condition along the banks of Cypress creek in Northwest Houston while i was searching for arrowheads. I cleaned it up and noticed the bottom patent # 110034 2-8. From nail polish bottle to bud vase it will be repurposed and a nice conversation piece.
April 17. 2020
I found two of these bottles along Wingra creek in an area that was used for a dump probably in the 1930′ – 40’s in Madison, WI.
-Thank you so much for your information. So fun to see so many others finding them in the same manner.
I dug this bottle up in backyard close to mississipi river ,glad to find out what it is still had the metal polish handle packed in the mud it’s in good shape too thank you..
I just dug up one of these bottles in my backyard and curiosity drove me here. So excited, I hope I find more like this as it is so neat!
We found this same neat little bottle while digging in a old backyard burn pile in central NC that I date to the early 40’s and I’m thankful for the coroborating information that I found here.
Thanks Scott 4/17/21
Was smoothing out mole holes so I could now and found it here in Vancouver, Washington.
I just found one today while cutting down a dead tree in our backyard. The one I found still has pink/red nail polish dried inside. So cool!
I found one in Franklin county Illinois with my 5 year old. The reason I’m researching this bottle is it has something inside it which after reading what the bottle was designed for I’m guessing the object inside my bottle is a fingernail maybe. Not sure but definitely weird. Thanks
I found one today on the bank of the Mullica River in New Jersey! An exciting find to discover, it was in perfect condition minus the cap, still had dried up pink nail polish inside! Thank you for this publication otherwise i would be left wondering.
Found this exact bottle with the patent number in the sand, while walking on the beach in Pointe-aux-Outardes, Québec, Canada. Very interesting!
2021-08-29
While putting in a new septic system my hubby found the bottle but no cap. I collect unusual bottles. Maybe some day I will come across a intact bottle to add to my collection. A lot of awesome information on here!
I just found a bottle as well. It was in Connecticut.
Good shape, no cap.
I’d love a good story about this!