H4260.7I

Glass liquor bottles (8); 6 matching w/etched lables, 2 others match. from saloon near Sonora, Ca. 19th C. Period or Date: 1860 (ca.); Site: New England: Description: .7c "Rum", .7a. Brandy, .7x unmarked, &.7L ccp, Caps .7b,d - stolen from gallery. From an early saloon in the Mother Lode. Six (6) are decorated with a design and cut glass names of the liquors they held.: Port, Rye, Brandy, Gin & Sherry. Two bottles are cut-glass without names. All eight have pewter tops for measuring. (On note attached to pink sheet) 4260-7 A-P acc. #'s wearing off bottles caps had never been numbered - rewrote acc. #'s on bottles and assigned acc. #'s to caps. -see attached- Florence Dwyer 1/20/78. 8 glass liquor bottles (all with silver colored metal shot glass measuring cups) 6 of the bottles are etched with names of the liquors and 2 bottles are identical w/designs cut down neck & shoulders, at base, and circles cut around center. A. "Brandy", (B. cap for brandy- stolen from gallery), C. "Rum", (D. cap for rum- stolen from gallery), E. "Port", F. cap for port, G. "Sherry", H. cap for sherry, I. "Gin", J. cap for gin, K. Rye, L. cap for rye, M. cut glass bottle - no name, N. cap for M, O. identical to 'K' (acc. # difficult to read probably 4260.7- this is the only bottle I could find in storage that is identical to "K" Florence Dwyer -1/20/78), P. cap for 'M'. From the History Information Station: Object: Three saloon bottles, one is unmarked, the others are etched,"Rum" and Brandy". History: Those who remained at home imagined, with some justification, that California was a dangerous place where brothers and sons would be corrupted by sin. Drinking was one of the sins they feared. William Swain wrote home that ,"the amount of drink is perfectly astounding. Old Alcohol in his palmiest days had not more faithful, loving subjects." In another letter he told of the Miners' Association president who became,"so drunk the other day that he went down every fifty feet in spite of all that a man half as drunk as himself could do."

Used: California | Liquor | Saloon | Sonora