I have a site in northwestern Pa. that was used as a combined residence
and print shop between ca. 1880 and 1930. Some of the twentieth century
features (1903-1930) have yielded a curious assemblage of glass bottles
embossed "Undertakers Suppliers / Chicago." To date (I have not completed
the artifact analysis and fieldwork is wrapping-up this week), I have not
identified any "typical" print shop material culture. I have two
questions (and they may be premature once I dig into the documentary data
on the bottles):
1) Is this manufacturer familiar to anyone out there?
2) Has anyone excavated a print shop and recovered embalming fluid? I am
guessing that the bottles also may have held alcohol, but if they
contained embalming fluid, what use could it have been in printing?
Thanks, in advance, for any help.
David S. Rotenstein
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