hard to find late nineteenth century original and intact chicago made tall aqua glass blobtop "moxie" soda bottle. the front body is embossed, "moxie / nerve food / chicago /ill", with casewear rendering "chicago" nearly illegible. the tall slim bottle has high steep shoulders, and is finished with a short neck and applied squared collar that exhibits tooling marks. the base is smooth, and seams evidence manufacture with a two-leaf mold. crudities are typical of its age and date of manufacture, inluding minor surface wear and discoloration from having been dug. there is a series of small bubbles curving downward across the body, as well as allover seeding. moxie was an early mass-produced soft drink in the united states, that continues to be regionally popular today. the carbonated drink is flavored with gentian root extract, an extremely bitter substance which was reputed to possess medicinal properties. moxie is closely associated with the state of maine, as its creator, dr. augustin thompson was born in union, maine. moxie was invented and first produced in lowell, massachusetts. in the 1880's thompson patented the cure-all nostrum "moxie nerve food" with the claim that it was especially effective against paralysis, softening of the brain, nervousness, and insomnia. he soon distributed it from a small plant in the form of soda. its success was regional with production growing steadily into the 20th century (when the company expanded and transferred its base of operations to boston). by 1884 he was selling moxie both in bottles and in bulk as a soda fountain syrup. he marketed it as “a delicious blend of bitter and sweet, a drink to satisfy everyone’s taste.” the passage of the pure food and drugs act in 1906 had two profound effects on the company. the first was a significant “toning down” of unsubstantiated medicinal claims and the second was a rush to extol the virtues of purity, cleanliness, and the absence of evil ingredients such as alcohol, cocaine, or caffeine. moxie was now a “healthful and refreshing beverage which has a tendency to counteract the ill effect of summer heat” rather than a “food for the nerves which has been proven to cure imbecility and loss of manhood”. at any rate, moxie obtained federal registration number 1799, and began a promotional campaign based on being purer and cleaner that its competitors. one vehicle for doing so was participation in a number of then-popular food fairs and domestic science expositions. the powers-to-be at moxie decided to design a trade show booth which was a 32’ high by 10’ diameter replica of the distinctive moxie bottle, complete with label and bottle cap, with doors and windows used to purvey samples of the distinctive beverage to the clamoring public. a lawsuit was filed in 1907 by the moxie nerve food company of new england against the modox company and others, alleging that they had copied the ingredients of moxie and were using the name “modox,” which closely resembled “moxie,” and were infringing upon patents and trademarks. the suit was dismissed by the judge, who said the court could not protect the legitimate part of the plaintiff’s business in this case. in a later case in new york, the moxie nerve food company won a lawsuit against modox, which subsequently went out of business.