Not currently on display at the V&A

Bottle Ticket

1830-1831 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Bottle tickets identified the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. The pierced lettering on this silver ticket identifies the contents as rum.

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. These tickets also illustrate in miniature the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials was enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect the designs and technical advances in metalware generally.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, repoussé and chased
Brief description
Silver, London hallmarks for 1830-31, mark of James Charles Edington.
Physical description
Bottle ticket with the word RUM (pierced lettering). Silver, repousse and chased with rococo border of scrolls and shell forms; bracelet with chain attached.
Dimensions
  • Height: 1.5in
  • Diameter: 2.5in
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of James Charles Edington
  • London hallmarks for 1830-31
  • RUM
Credit line
P. J. Cropper Bequest
Subjects depicted
Summary
Bottle tickets identified the contents of a bottle or decanter, which might alternatively contain spirits, sauces, toilet waters or cordials. The pierced lettering on this silver ticket identifies the contents as rum.

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. These tickets also illustrate in miniature the skills of the silversmith over the last two hundred years. While the variety of styles and materials was enormous, silver bottle tickets tended to reflect the designs and technical advances in metalware generally.
Collection
Accession number
M.17-1944

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Record createdFebruary 7, 2005
Record URL
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