A show globe is a glass vessel of various shapes and sizes containing a colorful liquid. It has been a symbol of pharmacy from the 17th century England to the early 20th century in the United States. It marked the drugstore or apothecary in much the same way as the barber's pole marked tonsorial establishments in some countries. People who were illiterate needed such symbols to locate these medical practitioners.
While the mortar and pestle are still considered a symbol of pharmacy, show globes were displayed almost exclusively in English-speaking countries. The pestle was a stone grinder, used to grind bone and medicine. The mortar was a stone bowl. They almost always go together.
Read more about Show Globe: Origins and History, Coming To America, Design and Colors, Decline
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