Dating back to its development in 1899 by the Bovril Company at their Old Street factory in London, this antique Victorian-era stoneware jar served as an advertising vessel for "Virol." A 20th-century British nutritional supplement, Virol featured an experimental, molasses-like formula, a thick, sweet preparation composed of ox rib, calf bone marrow, egg, lemon syrup, and malt extract. The beige ceramic crock is adorned with a script and san serif typography, illuminating the product as "The Ideal Food" for "Children & Invalids." Commonly used by Victorian and early Edwardian chemists, these pots were designed with a wide mouth to facilitate the easy scooping of the dense, fortified malt extract.