Bottle 1846 - 1858

This stoneware bottle was made by Daniel Greatbatch, probably in the United States. It presents a full-length figure of a man with a top hat and formal attire, glazed in mottled shades of brown. Figural bottles were a form of novelty ceramics made for both decorative and functional purposes. They became popular during the mid-19th century, when industrial manufacturing allowed for mass production and distribution. These objects coincided with a growing middle class that had the resources to purchase consumer goods and, along with them, social status. They also coincided with a temperance movement keen to associate alcohol consumption with distinct social types. What does it mean to turn the human figure into something to be filled and emptied? What kind of politics are at work when a simple container becomes a commentary on class, taste, and social norms? Research into probate records, manufacturers’ catalogs, and advertising ephemera might help us to understand this better.