J. Schweppe & Co. served as the primary beverage caterer for the Great Exhibition and sponsored the Crystal Fountain located at the central meeting point of the Crystal Palace. Standing 8.25 meters tall and designed by F & C Osler—the leading British glass manufacturer of the 19th century—the fountain was crafted from four tons of pure crystal glass. From May 1 to October 11, the World’s Fair attracted a total of 6,039,205 visitors from around the globe. This amounted to a daily average of approximately 40,000 visitors, who refreshed themselves with non-alcoholic beverages from J. Schweppe & Co. and carried the memory of Osler’s Crystal Fountain with them. Recognizing the marketing potential, J. Schweppe & Co. adopted the Crystal Fountain as its visual trademark—a symbol that remains in use to this day. This advertising plaque (57 cm x 45 cm) features an allegory of the Fountain of Youth in an early Art Nouveau style dating to around 1900 (notably still retaining the apostrophe in “Schweppes’ “), marking the first instance in which the fountain motif was depicted as a brand emblem. The accompanying text reads: BY ROYAL WARRANTS OF APPOINTMENT; “SCHWEPPE’S TRADE MARK IS A FOUNTAIN”; ALWAYS ORDER SCHWEPPES’; SCHWEPPES’ MINERAL WATERS.

Incidentally: Queen Victoria almost certainly refreshed herself from a torpedo bottle—complete with that legendary “Champagne Blop.” Whether she made use of a Sodaspot glass to do so, however, remains undocumented—and an AI mystery. #spiritschweppes250

Weniger anzeigen

Since 2014, acting as a “digital digger,” I have been collecting images of those peaceful torpedo bottles—and their “fizzy fans”—from Facebook forums around the globe. I hand-pick the most beautiful photos (sometimes straightening them up a little) and gather them together as “spiritschweppes’ fizzy family” on the digital pinboard, Pinterest. https://uk.pinterest.com/spirit…/the-spirit-of-eggbottles/ Today, I am delighted to welcome the 7,777th pin to the network—a big HELLO to Wally Smith from the Facebook group “Bottle diggers and collectors” https://www.facebook.com/groups/255494017809260/ — Happy Whitsun to you, your husband, your dog, and all the collectors in Norfolk!

www.hjktext.de

Im Mai 1851 eröffnete die Great Exhibition in London ihren Crystal Palace. Ein halbes Jahr lang erlebten 6 Millionen Durstige den sagenhaft erfrischenden “Champagner-Blob” der alkoholfreien Torpedos von J.Schweppe & Co., dem alleinigen Getränke-Caterer der ersten Weltausstellung. 12 Jahre später lieferte der korsische Bestseller Vin Mariani zur Erfrischung die Stimulantien. Der Drink aus Rotwein und Kokaauszügen ließ die Menschen erstmals weltweit fliegen und hatte sogar den Segen des Papstes. 1886 schliesslich kopierte und komponierte der amerikanische Apotheker John Pemberton ein Kopfschmerzmittel aus fizzy Soda und vitalisierenden Koka-Ingredienzen. Der Rest ist Geschichte. Mit dem Rückenwind europäischer Erfolgsmarken wurde die Ikone Coca Cola nach “OK” zum bekanntesten Begriff der Welt – bis heute. 

In 1783, Jacob Schweppe patented the industrial production of soda water. With the Great Exhibition of 1851, the “torpedo” bottles of J. Schweppe Ltd. refreshed the globe. In 1883, Angelo Mariani produced a stimulating beverage containing extracts from the coca plant—the very model for John Pemberton’s Coca-Cola recipe. In 2026, the AI ​​ChatGPT draws upon both sources to forge a union of refreshment and inspiration: the vision of the “spiritschweppes fizzy family,” worldwide. #spiritschweppes250

(Industrialization & Technology: Steam engine further developed by James Watt; power for factories, railways, and ships. Railways: Revolutionized transport and trade. Steamships: Faster and more reliable overseas connections. Electricity & Communication: Electric current becomes usable; light bulb improved by Thomas Edison. Telegraph: First fast long-distance communication. Telephone: Voice transmission over long distances. Industry & Production: Assembly line work as a precursor to modern mass production. Steel production: Enabled skyscrapers, bridges, and railways. Medicine & Science: Vaccinations improved, e.g., by Louis Pasteur. The realization that microorganisms cause diseases; anesthesia made painless operations possible. Media & Culture: Photography for the first permanent images of reality. Newspapers & Mass Media: Mass distribution through improved printing technology) AI-Artwork: Marcus Nispel, #spiritschweppes250

1783. Jacob Schweppe from Witzenhausen, as entrepreneur in Switzerland, patents the Geneva system for the industrial production of soda water. Gas-tight sealed in conical-bottomed bottles, carbonated soda becomes the world’s first refreshing and safe drinking water at the first World’s Fair in 1851. #spiritschweppes250

2010. The Thomas Henry brand, featuring the portrait of its father, William Henry, successfully establishes itself in Berlin, evoking historical significance. In my marketing cabinet, I have preserved one of William Henry’s products: the once-popular Henry Antacid. (Collection John Ault) To my knowledge, no historical product by Thomas Henry himself has survived. www.hjktext.de

Water is humankind’s oldest product. Its history is incredibly creative, and its availability is more relevant today than ever. Go “digging to the roots of Coca-Cola” and talk to unique eyewitnesses. http://www.hjktext.de