NJKLAGT
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2014
- Messages
- 1,118
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- Location
- Southern Ontario
- Detector(s) used
- Garrett Euro Ace 350
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
- #1
Thread Owner
Hey everyone,
I think most bottle diggers and collectors have heard of the Seven Sutherland Sisters. They were a circus sideshow/sex symbol of the late 19th/early 20th centuries, and collectively had something like 36 feet of hair. Their story was one filled with many ups and downs.
I've seen a number of these bottles on the internet before, eBay and elsewhere, but never have I seen one with base embossing. I dug this bottle on December 1st, 2014. I believe this one dates to about 1890, but maybe even a little earlier.
Anyway, the bottom is embossed, "J.H. BAILEY", and under that, "FOREIGN" - J. Henry Bailey was the husband of the fifth sister, Naomi Sutherland, and he had intimate and familial ties to Barnum and Bailey and their circus business ventures. "Bailey founded the Sutherland Sisters Corporation and applied for the company’s first trademark in 1883, for the Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower." I think that "FOREIGN" might be there as a kind of stamp for imported goods.
To me the name Bailey immediately brings the circus to mind, so I just thought this was very interesting, having never seen one with anything on the bottom before. Have any of you seen one like this before? Thanks.


I think most bottle diggers and collectors have heard of the Seven Sutherland Sisters. They were a circus sideshow/sex symbol of the late 19th/early 20th centuries, and collectively had something like 36 feet of hair. Their story was one filled with many ups and downs.
I've seen a number of these bottles on the internet before, eBay and elsewhere, but never have I seen one with base embossing. I dug this bottle on December 1st, 2014. I believe this one dates to about 1890, but maybe even a little earlier.
Anyway, the bottom is embossed, "J.H. BAILEY", and under that, "FOREIGN" - J. Henry Bailey was the husband of the fifth sister, Naomi Sutherland, and he had intimate and familial ties to Barnum and Bailey and their circus business ventures. "Bailey founded the Sutherland Sisters Corporation and applied for the company’s first trademark in 1883, for the Seven Sutherland Sisters Hair Grower." I think that "FOREIGN" might be there as a kind of stamp for imported goods.
To me the name Bailey immediately brings the circus to mind, so I just thought this was very interesting, having never seen one with anything on the bottom before. Have any of you seen one like this before? Thanks.

