Sand Art Bottles by Andrew Clemens

Self-taught Iowa folk artist Andrew Clemens (c. January 29, 1857 – May 14, 1894) created lovely sand art inside chemists’ jars. He collected naturally coloured grains of sand from an area in Pikes Peak State Park known as Pictured Rocks. He is acknowledged as the inventor and possibly the sole practitioner of his art form at that time.

His artwork sold for $5–7 at the time. A new record for a Clemens sand bottle was set on November 23, 2020, when a presentation bottle dedicated to Dr. Prosper Harvey Ellsworth sold for $275,000 in Skinner’s online American furniture and decorative arts auction. (image above)

Read more: Vintage Everyday