LID, GOLDEN EYE OINTMENT JAR
Round white glazed ceramic lid with black design on top. Design has a floral wreath design around edge with an eye in the centre. Black lines radiate out from the eye. Text inside wreath boarder reads [GOLDEN EYE / OINTMENT].
This item was used in Yangebup.
19th century transfer ware pot of Golden Eye Ointment. First formulated in 1596 by Dr Johnson, upon his death the 'secret' recipe was passed to the Hind family, were it was passed down as a family secret. Golden eye ointment was a particularly popular product with soldiers who suffered temporary blindness from sun and sand when the British army sailed against Napoleon Bonaparte in Egypt.
The porcelain pots used for storage and transport of the ointment were introduced in 1860s, and were crafted by Mid-Lothian Pottery and Co in Portobello Edinburgh.
Golden eye ointment was discontinued in the early 1920s when it was found that the ointment was simply a mixture of clarified butter and quicksilver (mercury).
