Historical information

This olive green bottle was handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a ‘gallon’ type liquor bottle, which has the capacity of one-sixth of an imperial gallon, about 750ml. It was made around the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle was recovered from an unnamed shipwreck in the coastal water of Victoria. It is part of the John Chance Collection.

The elongated bubbles in the glass are likely from the glass being blown into a mould. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing into a long metal pipe or reed with a blob of molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another tool to finish the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be added to the top to form the mouth and lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, often held in place with tape.

Significance

Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s.

The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal water in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value.

Physical description

Bottle, dark olive green glass, tall thin Gallon type. Mouth is applied roughly, lip is straight and narrow. Body has no visible seams; tapers gently inwards to base. Concave base is deep and has a pontil mark. No inscriptions. Handmade bottle has elongated air bubbles and imperfections in glass.