Here is a nice grouping of Dr. Henley's Wild Grape Root IXL Bitters in an array of western colors. The examples shown are the earliest mold variant without circled IXL logo.
Louis Gross & Co were the manufacturers and proprietors and began marketing this product in early 1868. His location was 312 Sacramento St, San Francisco. In 1869 L. Gross & Co relocated to 518 Front St, where there advertisements now used their logo with the circle around the IXL trademark.
The variant 1 & 2 molds marketed by Gross & Co from 1868 thru 1870 come in a variety of colors, and are a product of Pacific Glass Works, (an example can be seen in the glassware display exhibited at the 1869 Mechanics Institute Fair in S.F.) and these examples often exhibit great glass characteristics, such as drippy tops, seedy bubbles, whittley glass, etc.
The above bottles were on display at the 2008 Downieville Bottle Show
Looks like a "stow-away" snuck into the pic (second from the right)! What's the consensus on those Californy IXL's anyways? Eastern? Pittsburgh?? I've never dug a shard of one out here. How 'bout anyone else?
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Also, I think Louis Gross copied the bottle style of the M. Keller California Wine Bitters container. Who knows he, Henley, and even Cassin, may have all gotten the idea for the product from Keller. Sure appears like several dealers where getting into the wine and grape bitters after Keller already did it. Just some grapes for thought....
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