front
(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
Contact us for information about using this image.

label levels:

This glass bottle is quite large, nearly 18" high and 16" wide. It is a demijohn, which is a very specific type of bottle used to transport wine or vinegar. It usually was encased in wicker or rushes that formed a kind of basket for the bottle with handles on either side. The bottle's glass is very rough and the quality is quite poor: although it is not very visible in this photograph, the glass has swirls of un-melted material in it. The word "demijohn" comes from a common 17th century French phrase, "Dame Jeanne," used as an affectionate term. Because of the wide use of demijohns in international trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, the word "demijohn" has entered a number of languages ranging from Portuguese to modern Arabic.

top of page