Calabash Bottle, 1865-1875

Glass factories in America began producing inexpensive, mold-formed flasks in the early 1800s. These figured glass containers were often decorated with symbols of national pride and political and cultural affiliations, which appealed to America's common man. This calabash -- a gourd-like form popular in the mid-19th century -- contains images associated with the Union (an eagle and clasping hands) and freemasonry (a square and compass).