A World in a Grain of Sand: Andrew Clemens’ Sand Bottles

Andrew Clemens sand bottle apothecary jar with floral roses and daisies and the name Charlie

Also see: Sand Bottle Redux: Andrew Clemens Revisited

We come across amazing objects regularly – artifacts from moments in history that give a person cold chills, artistry that is breathtaking and delicate – but there are few things that still hold me in such thrall as an Andrew Clemens sand bottle.  After encephalitis left him deaf as a young boy, Clemens, an Iowa native, attended the state school for the deaf and dumb in Council Bluffs, and perhaps it was there that he learned the focus and attention to detail that led to his later career.  He would collect colored grains of sand in the natural world, sort them by color, and with a modified fishing hook as a tool, he would place them grain by grain in clear glass stoppered pharmacy bottles.  Grain by grain.  In bottles 8, 9, 10 inches tall.  Perhaps most remarkably, this was done without any glue, adhesive or stabilizer of any sort.  He started with simple geometric designs – multicolored bands or stacked diamonds – and fairly basic printed fonts and went on to increasingly elaborate designs with steamships, eagles carrying banners, and fancy lettering in bands of color.  They are truly remarkable and based on the number that survive, it’s clear they were known to be special from the very beginning.

Little is known about Clemens, but it appears that he became increasingly isolated as he grew older, possibly as a result of his deafness, although it’s possible his fixation with his work also played a role.  He supported himself by selling these bottles, usually for just a few dollars a piece, until he died (at 37 or 42 – his date of birth is uncertain), likely from tuberculosis.  In his short life, Clemens is believed to have made hundreds of these bottles and many still survive, periodically turning up at auction.  They’re a great lesson too – there’s rarely just one of anything in the antiques marketplace and if one gets enough attention, others will start to crop up!

-Hollie Davis, Senior Editor, p4A.com

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