History of Carboys

The carboy is a recognised symbol of the pharmaceutical profession. It dates back to the 1600s when they were used to distinguish between pharmacists and apothecaries who used a pestle and mortar as their sign.

Some historians believe that they became more important during outbreaks of the plague in the 1600s. People needed to reach pharmacists quickly and literacy levels were low, the carboys were used as a guide.

The 1700s

During the 1700s carboys became a much stronger symbol of the pharmacist. The introduction of plate glass and larger windows in the 1750s increased their use. They soon became a regular part of the window decoration. Information was even published on how to make the coloured liquid that filled them. In the 1760s projecting signs that were used as the main shop advertisement were banned for being a nuisance and being dangerous. The carboys were used as another way to attract people to the pharmacy.

The 1800s and 1900s

Carboys were still popular in the 1900s, especially the swan neck examples. During this period the use of gas burners behind the carboys became widespread. This allowed them to light up the street. In 1900 a chemist shop in Dover was refitted to include a gaslight behind each of the carboys in the window. In the 1920s carboys started to go out of fashion. Pharmacies were selling more items and the windows were being used for product and packaging based displays. However the pharmacy on this exhibition's home page, from Enfield, in Middlesex, shows the decorative use of carboys in 1959, although now displayed inside the shop. Pharmacies today sometimes still have carboys on show.