Pocket flask
Unknown Artist
1800–1860
Medium
Blown pattern-molded glass
Dimensions
H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm)
Classification
Pocket flask
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry G. Schiff, 1980
Accession Number
1980.502.54
Art Historical Context
This charming pocket flask, crafted by an unknown American artist between 1800 and 1860, exemplifies the everyday elegance of 19th-century American glassmaking. Standing just 6 1/4 inches tall, its compact size made it perfect for slipping into a coat pocket, ideal for travelers, workers, or gentlemen enjoying a discreet sip of whiskey or rum during the young nation's expanding frontier days. The flask's medium—blown pattern-m glass—highlights innovative techniques of the era. Molten glass was blown into a ribbed or patterned mold, creating textured surfaces like swirling ribs or diamond moti...