A Victorian Mahogany Apothecary Medicine Chest, c.1850 – with Bottles and Accessories & Squire’s “Companion to the Medicine Chest”
 
An exceptionally handsome Victorian apothecary / travelling medicine chest, finely made in mahogany with a flush brass handle, rich purple velvet lining and fitted with an array of original glass bottles, most still bearing their 19th‑century chemists’ labels. This is the sort of quality chest that would have travelled with a doctor, ship’s surgeon or well‑to‑do family, bringing professional pharmacy into the drawing room or the captain’s cabin.
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Open the lid to reveal ground‑glass stoppered bottles, the larger square examples to the rear, the smaller vials in front; two lift‑out trays hold further bottles, mixing glass, measures and small tools. Among the labelled bottles are preparations such as Spirit of Mindererus, Gregory’s Powder, Opodeldoc, Essence of Ginger and Antimonial Wine, with labels from Belfast Apothecaries’ Hall, Richard D. Griffith of Portadown and London suppliers – a lovely cross‑section of late‑Victorian pharmacy. There are 16 bottles present, all empty of content with stoppers greased for ease of removal, 12 with original labels; one bottle is missing, we have this bottle but have been unable to remove the stopper and content and so it cannot be shipped, if you are buying locally and can collect, this last bottle can be provided.
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Tucked inside is the pocket handbook: “Companion to the Medicine Chest; and Directions for Sick‑Room Cookery” by Peter Squire, F.L.S., Third Edition, 1877, published by J. & A. Churchill. Squire was chemist to Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, and his guide explains the uses and doses of the very remedies once held in this chest, adding superb documentary depth.
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Condition
The mahogany case in good antique condition with an attractive mellow patina, minor scuffs and marks consistent with age and use; lid and drawer open smoothly, later key and tasselled fob present, fitting, but not turning, the lock.
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Interior velvet lining clean and unfaded for the period, with some expected compression and light wear at high‑contact points.
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Glass: all the bottles are original and all survive with matching ground stoppers nearly all with their original labels. 
 
Booklet sound but well‑used, the spine fragile and gatherings just starting at the inner hinge – perfectly readable.
 
A striking decorative object for a surgery, study, library, apothecary‑style kitchen or period interior, and a serious addition to any collection of medical or pharmaceutical antiques.
 
This is not just a box of bottles: it is a self‑contained snapshot of late‑Victorian domestic medicine, ready to sit on a shelf and tell its story.
The case measures  30 x 21 x 16cm (11.81" x 8.27" x 6.3"), (w x h x d) and weighs 6kg (13.23lbs).