The „Âncora“ Distillery Liqueur Labels Archive, ca. 1898 – 1980s

FÁBRICA DE LICORES „ÂNCORA“, Lisboa: [THE „ÂNCORA“ DISTILLERY LIQUEUR LABELS ARCHIVE]. Collection of ca. 260 bottle lables of various shapes and sizes as well as other printed matter. Lisbon: Self published (Litografia Nacional, Porto et al.) [ca. 1898 – 1980s].

2,3:2,3 cm to 16:10 cm (labels); 4to and small 4to (menu, flyer). Multicolour photo and halftone lithography, relief printing, offset and letterpress, loose in blank envelope.

Outstanding collection of ca. 260 gorgeous, opulently designed and elaborately printed bottle labels and vignettes as well as other printed matter of the famous Portuguese liqueur distillery »Âncora«.

Company, Products: Taken over in 1894 by Leopoldo Wagner (1850 – 1926/27), a German based former manager in the Porto wine industry, and continued by his inheritors until the 1980s, the Lisbon based Âncora liqueur distillery was one of the most reputative of its times. Many of Âncora's products, mainly liqueurs, syrups, aperitifs and cognacs, were leaders in their categories, namely absinthe. The Wagner's manufactured cherry brandy, curaçao, maraschino and a number of other fruit liqueurs, gin, punch, rum, tequila, vermouth and vodka, but also aniseed, peppermint and cocoa liqueurs among many others.

Moreover the distillery's marketing unit was famous for it's opulent posters and labels of inescapable beauty, often designed by renown contemporary artists like Narciso Morais (1892-1977). Those designs were elaborately printed by the prestigious National Lithography in Porto, in most cases executed on glossy paper as multicolour photo and halftone lithographies or in colour offset, often refined with gilt relief printing.

Present collection resembles more than 260 specimen of various shapes and sizes, all of them in mint condition. Additionally the set contains a 4to flyer presenting a number of the firms products in special gift bottles and boxes, as well as a blank menu for restaurants, a blank dunning notice and a ribbon.