Not currently on display at the V&A

Bottle Ticket

1800-1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The history of bottle tickets provides a fascinating insight into English eating, drinking and personal habits. Contemporary gazettes begin to refer to ‘labels for bottles’ in the 1770s but it was not until the 1790s that they were established as wine or decanter labels. Their function was to identify the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. These tickets also illustrate in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials were enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs in metalware generally. Makers were quick to adapt the many technical advances of the 18th and 19th centuries.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Abalone shell, engraved
Brief description
Bottle ticket of Abalone shell, England, 1800-1900
Physical description
Bottle ticket with the word ALE. Abalone shell, circular engraved with the crest of a bull's head rising from a crown, the lettering engraved on the wreath, floral design on reverse, chain attached.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 1.25in
Marks and inscriptions
Engraved with the crest of a bull's head, arising from a crown.
Credit line
P.J. Cropper Bequest
Subjects depicted
Summary
The history of bottle tickets provides a fascinating insight into English eating, drinking and personal habits. Contemporary gazettes begin to refer to ‘labels for bottles’ in the 1770s but it was not until the 1790s that they were established as wine or decanter labels. Their function was to identify the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. These tickets also illustrate in miniature, the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials were enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect fashionable designs in metalware generally. Makers were quick to adapt the many technical advances of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Collection
Accession number
M.1424-1944

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Record createdDecember 11, 2006
Record URL
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