Jewel Bitters- A. Fortlouis & Co.

There are two versions of this rare bottle. The John Bowman variant, and this A. Fortlouis version. Both date to the 1880s, and while the Bowman name is fairly easy to pin down, the A. Fortlouis type not so much. There are at least two San Diego, California whiskey bottles with the A.Fortlouis name embossed, but Fortlouis was known to have distributed liquor from Seattle, Washington in the later 1880s. This example was found in Washington state and interestingly had a lead top, and neck covering stamped clearly " John Bowman, San Francisco, Cal." I was not able to acquire the lead foil top when I purchased the bottle. Research has raised the possibility that Bowman, and Fortlouis were in a partnership of some kind when these bitters were produced, and this new evidence could lead to this conclusion as well.

Why though, would "partners" manufacture completely different versions of the same product " Jewel Bitters"? They appear to be the same mold, and approximate age with applied tops. I have not seen advertising for either variant, but this would likely provide some clue as to what the relationship was between Boman, and Fortlouis.

The Bowman variant is very rare with perhaps 6-10 known. The A. Fortlouis is extremely rare with less than 6 known.