rare antique american amber squat quart ale bottle manufactured for chicago bottler william h. hutchinson. the steep shoulders and narrow neck are finished with a brandy finish, or applied tapered collar with ring. on the front body "w.h.h" is embossed at the shoulder, and "never sold" is embossed just above the heel. the smooth post mold base and side seams evidence manufacture with 2-piece mold. crudities are typical of age and date of manufacture, including allover bubbles and whittling. the hutchinson family bottling works, with its various partnerships and different bottling focuses over the years, was one of two generation-spanning corporate giants among nineteenth century chicago bottling works. during the time period this bottle was manufactured in, as the civil war was ending, the hutchinson company was entering its most successful bottling period, and company partnership entered a new era as well with the departure of thomas dunn and the entry of two of william's sons into the business. in 1866 william a. hutchinson was in charge of an ill-fated one-year attempt to expand the w.h.h. bottling business into pittsburgh, pa. by 1867 both sons were back with the chicago operation, and there is no further mention of the pittsburgh expansion attempt. ale and porter bottling was only mentioned between 1865-1867, and thereafter the focus is on soda water manufacture, first at 241 randolph and then at 241/243 randolph. beginning in 1879, chicago city directories list a new partner in the company: william's son george was joined by his brother, charles g. hutchinson, and the company name became hutchinson & sons. although another son, william a. hutchinson had previously been a company partner, this was the first and only appearance of charles as a hutchinson company manager. in the early 1880's, charles is listed as an 'artist' and 'photographer' still residing in the family home at the bottling works. during that time, however, he patented a new bottle closure that radically changed the company's focus. after 1880, for their final two years in the bottling business, hutchinson & sons started using the new "hutchinson style" bottles that came into vogue as the result of charles' invention of a reusable internal rubber stopper, first patented in 1879.