Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This is an amazing bottle made by Adam Selick from the Pittsburg, PA area. The bottle is dated "Dec 10 1894" on one side of a tamper proof crossbar in the wooden shaft sealing the bottle. In addition to the date there is written a notation: "No. 4," perhaps the 4th bottle by this individual or a 4th in a series or of a style or type. On the other side of the cross piece is the name "E L. ANTHONY,” possibly the name of the person the bottle was made for or who the bottle was being dedicated to by Adam Selick. There was an E.L. Anthony who lived about 15 miles from Zelienople, PA, just north of Pittsburg who was a civil war veteran and later a farmer, who continued to fight for the rights of Civil War soldiers to receive a pension fund. He may be the same Edward L. Anthony who served as a private in the Civil War in the 167th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry (Drafted Militia). Inside the bottle are 6 wooden fans. 3 of the fans have a green line drawn on the top of the fan blades and 3 have lines painted in pink. The base in the bottle is made like a "plus symbol" and there are 2 fans on two of the ends and on the other 2 ends there is a large green cross on one side and a large green tree with a pink base with 4 branches on the other side. Rising from the base near the middle are 2 columns wrapped or painted in silver. On top of these columns is a wooden cross piece with 2 more fans, one on each side. In the middle of the cross piece is a square piece of wood rising toward the top of the bottle. Mounted to the side of this piece of wood is an elongated blue bird on one side and an identical bird in reddish tint on the other. On top of the square wood is a yellow painted piece of wood with canoe shaped ends. On each end of this piece are the other 2 fans. Between the fans are a hammer and a mallet.