Bottle ticket, London, ca. 1775
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1775
Bottle ticket in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 10A-1905), made in London, dated ca. 1775. The museum's brief description reads: Silver, London, 1775, sponsor's mark only, MB for Margaret Binley (active 1764-1778).
Museum description: Bottle ticket (one of a pair) with the word MADEIRA. Silver, with feathered edges, oblong with cahin for suspension. The museum records it as Silver, engraved, measuring Height 0.75 in; Length 1.6875 in. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
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.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- silver
- Dimensions
- Height 0.75 in; Length 1.6875 in
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- Silver, engraved
- Place recorded
- London
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- No hallmarks; Mark: MB, possibly for Mark Bock.; MADEIRA
Identification
- Museum object name
- Bottle ticket
- Museum object number
- 10A-1905
- Museum system number
- O122859
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and date against a specialist reference.