pretzel shaped bottle, unknown maker from Bohemia or the United States

Artwork Overview

pretzel shaped bottle , circa 1900
Where object was made: Bohemia (Present-day Czech Republic) or United States
Material/technique: porcelain; frit
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 3 x 14.2 x 9 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 1 3/16 x 5 9/16 x 3 9/16 in
Credit line: William Bridges Thayer Memorial
Accession number: 1928.3462
On display: Stewart Gallery

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Audio Tour – Bulldog Art Tour
Audio Tour – Bulldog Art Tour
I was walking around the art museum, and as I came to the end of the tour, I saw a different piece. It wasn’t like the others around it, it was a pretzel. Around it were normal jugs and pottery, but this one caught my eye. At first I saw a harmless piece, just some average pretzel. An accurate representation of twisted bread. The more I continued to look at it, I began to question myself, something was off. I noticed that it had a hole in it. Why put a hole in a pretzel? What was it used for? As I continued to research, I found this piece's true intent. It was commonly used to smuggle alcohol. Especially after the prohibition act people found some creative ways to continue drinking alcohol. They made a very realistic flask with vivid details to be able to hide their addiction from others. The prohibition act was a law that no alcohol be sold during the early 1900, which was around when this piece was made. People didn’t care about drinking illegally because they were addicted. This world came to the point where people were willing to break the law to continue drinking away their life. Alcohol would be the turning point of their life, their families and loved ones would face the consequences. This shows how badly alcohol can change your life, one sip changed them forever. This has been Richie with another Bulldog Art Tour.