Turlington’s Balsam was a concoction of 26 herbal ingredients prepared in alcohol. It was a forerunner of Friar’s Balsam and Compound Tincture of Benzoin. It was popular in Britain and in the USA. To avoid generic copies of his product Robert Turlington patented in 1754 his special bottle, in the shape of a violin case. This bottle is possibly the first example of embossed lettering on glass. He branded his bottle with his name and reference to the King’s patent. His product continued to be sold until the early 1900’s. Balsam products were used for a variety of purposes including inhalation. The example shown here is from the 1800’s. It is just 60mm tall.
