I have 3 late 1800s early 1900s Olive Oil Bottles.  George M. Curtis Amethyst.

1. An antique "Geo. M. Curtis / Pure Olive Oil" bottle is a highly collectible piece of late 19th-century American glass history. George M. Curtis was a prominent figure associated with early California olive oil manufacturing and regional agricultural expositions during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Bottle Specifications & Characteristics

• Embossing: Typically bears the bold, clean text "GEO. M. CURTIS PURE OLIVE OIL" across the face.

• Age: Circa 1890s to early 1900s.

• Manufacturing: These are BIMAL (Blown In Mold, Applied Lip) bottles, indicating the body was blown into a mold while the top finish was finished by hand.

• Size: Often found in smaller sample or utility sizes, typically around 4 inches tall.

• Coloration: While originally manufactured using clear glass mixed with manganese (a common clarifying agent of the era), many surviving specimens have turned a light lilac, sun-colored amethyst, or deep purple. This color change is a natural reaction triggered by decades of exposure to ultraviolet sun rays.

2. Los Angeles Olive Growers Association and Sylmar.

The Los Angeles Olive Growers Association operated as an early, large-scale vertically integrated agricultural enterprise and corporate farming model in California.

Enterprise Model & Operations

• Scale and Scope: Formed in 1890 and incorporated in 1893, the association managed a massive 2,000-acre olive grove in Sylmar (part of the former Rancho ex-Mission San Fernando), recognized at the time as the largest single olive grove globally.

• Vertical Integration: The business model combined large-scale land cultivation (~200,000 trees) with on-site industrial processing, crushing, oil separation, water extraction, and maturation tanks to produce the nationally marketed Sylmar Brand pure olive oil and pickled olives.

• Labor Force: Relied heavily on a diverse, multicultural workforce, employing hundreds of field laborers—including Japanese and Latino workers—along with specialized day and night manufacturing shifts.

Corporate Evolution: After initial successes and winning gold medals at major exhibitions (such as the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair), the enterprise was sold in 1922 to Charles C. Moore and renamed the Sylmar Packing Corporation.