The SS Republic carried an enormous shipment of ink bottles designed for home, office and school use. The combined quantity of inkstands and larger master ink bottles recovered from the wreck site total nearly 2,500 containers, representing 29% of the total bottle assemblage.

Few of the examples have a manufacturer’s stamp or embossment, and all are lacking any original paper label which would have identified the ink maker. The bottles had once been sealed with a cork stopper, most of which are no longer intact. Some of the corks have since imploded into the bottle due to the pressure of sinking 1,700 feet deep.

The vast majority of inkstands recovered from the wreck site comprise 8-paneled umbrella inkstands as well as conical and square versions (the latter also known as "cottage" or "school house" inkstands). Yet, two especially distinctive clear glass examples are in the shape of an igloo and are named as such due to their unique form. These igloo-style inkstands without embossment or paper label, may represent the sole remainder of a much larger cargo of similar inkstands, or perhaps served a shipboard function for the passengers and crew.