Antique c1920s California Fig Syrup Medicine Bottle LABEL Art Deco San Francisco For Sale

Bottle:

• Embossed: “CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP CO. / CALIFIG / STERLING PRODUCTS (INC.) SUCCESSOR.”

• Machine-made clear glass with tooled lip, about 7" tall

• Base embossed “MADE IN USA” (post-1915 indicator).

Label:

• Reads “Syrup of Figs – Delightful Liquid Laxative” with a woman’s portrait and floral graphics.

• Price noted as 50¢ per bottle, which helps confirm early 20th-century date.

Dating:

• California Fig Syrup Co. first introduced Syrup of Figs in 1879 as a natural laxative.

• In 1919, the company became a subsidiary of Sterling Products, Inc.

• Bottle references Sterling Products as “successor,” it is post-1919, likely 1920s–30s.

• The “Made in USA” embossing is another sign of mid-20th century manufacture (earlier bottles rarely had that).

• Founded: 1879 by Charles Henry Phillips (a pharmacist from Connecticut) and a group of business partners. The company was incorporated in San Francisco, California.

• Purpose: To market a “natural” laxative syrup made from figs, senna, and other botanicals. The product was marketed as gentler than castor oil or harsh purgatives.

• Early Success: By the 1890s, Syrup of Figs was a household name in the United States and heavily advertised in newspapers and magazines. Ads often featured well-dressed women, children, and themes of refinement — selling the idea that their product was a modern, pleasant, and “civilized” way to stay regular.

• Multiple Facilities:

  • San Francisco, CA – original headquarters and bottling facility.

  • Louisville, KY – Eastern U.S. production/distribution hub.

  • New York, NY – major distribution office.

  • London, England – international branch to sell in the UK and Europe.

• 1920s Transition: In 1919, the company became part of Sterling Products, Inc., a large pharmaceutical conglomerate (which also owned Bayer Aspirin after WWI). Bottles after this date often say “Sterling Products (Inc.) Successor” — just like yours.

• Mid-20th Century: The product was still being sold through the 1940s and 1950s, later under Sterling’s name, but was eventually discontinued as regulations tightened and newer laxatives entered the market.

Your bottle has:

• Embossed lettering “MADE IN USA” on the base.

• Embossing for Sterling Products (Inc.) Successor — this indicates it was produced after 1919 when Sterling acquired the company.

• Machine-made mold seams running through the lip, indicating mass production on automatic bottle machines.

Given the date and embossing, your bottle was most likely produced at one of the large glass plants contracted by Sterling, often in the Midwest or East Coast. Common suppliers for pharmaceutical bottles of this era included:

• Owens-Illinois Glass Co. (headquartered in Toledo, OH)

• Whitall Tatum & Co. (Millville, NJ)

• Hazel-Atlas Glass Co. (Clarksburg, WV and other locations)

It’s difficult to pinpoint which factory without a specific maker’s mark (I don’t see one in your photos beyond the “MADE IN USA”), but Owens-Illinois was by far the largest manufacturer of machine-made medicine bottles in the 1920s–30s.

• Advertising & Label Art: California Fig Syrup used elegant, almost Art Nouveau advertising — your label with the woman’s portrait is a classic design.

• Pharmaceutical History: Represents the transition from 19th-century patent medicines to regulated 20th-century pharmaceuticals (it even survived the 1906 Pure Food & Drug Act).

• Embossed + Labeled Examples: Surviving with both embossing and label intact is a sweet spot for collectors — it shows both the glassmaking and the graphic history.