Flask 1846 - 1862

This olive-green glass flask was made by the Granite Glass Works sometime between 1846 and 1862. Note the embossed image of three standing figures under an arch. These flasks would have contained liquor and would have circulated as commodities among the working classes. The iconography on the flask is interesting. Are the figures meant to signal fellowship? Given the historical context, it's possible they allude to contemporary labor movements, such as the rise of trade unions. In this view, the arch becomes a symbol of shared enterprise. The flask would then represent a kind of silent, everyday politics, one operating outside the formal institutions of the state. Further investigation of the Granite Glass Works archives, in conjunction with studies of 19th-century working-class culture, might allow us to speculate further on the possible interpretations of the flask as a social object.