One gin bottle measuring 11 inches high by 3 1/2 inches wide. This square, mould-blown 'case bottle', has the typical tapering profile. The square shape enabled the bottles to be packed more efficiently in a case than round bottles, and the tapering profile stops them from sticking when removed from the case. They were used for gin (although undoubtedly also sometimes for other spirits or wine). Square case bottles were made in Europe from the middle of the 17th century, but the tapering form seems to have become more common in the 19th century. From the 1880s the bottles were machine made, and the rims properly finished - this examples therefore probably date to the 19th century, but pre-dating the 1880s. One gin bottle measuring 11 inches high by 3 1/2 inches wide. This square, mould-blown 'case bottle', has the typical tapering profile. The square shape enabled the bottles to be packed more efficiently in a case than round bottles, and the tapering profile stops them from sticking when removed from the case. They were used for gin (although undoubtedly also sometimes for other spirits or wine). Square case bottles were made in Europe from the middle of the 17th century, but the tapering form seems to have become more common in the 19th century. From the 1880s the bottles were machine made, and the rims properly finished - this examples therefore probably date to the 19th century, but pre-dating the 1880s. This item was found along with three candlesticks (MAS-D100039 and MAS-D100041). All of these items were recovered from the wreck of Josephine Willis, a New Zealand sail and steam propelled packet ship built in c.1840. The ship was carrying 110 people on board bound for Auckland, comprising ten First class passengers, 60 steerage and 40 crew. It sank in 1856 following a collision with Mangerton with the loss of 69 lives. NRHE and Kent HER reference numbers cited in this record refer to the wreck of Josephine Willis. A RDF representation of MAS-O100053 2017-05-29T08:46:26+01:00 2018-03-19T20:02:58+00:00 MAS-O100053 MAS-O100053 GB en-GB The Trustees of the British Museum The Trustees of the British Museum 1 http://purl.org/NET/Claros/vocab#Thumbnail Attribute as courtesy of the British Museum A thumbnail image of MAS-O100053 With finder MAS Created by MAS L M L M Identified by L M V L Identified by V L Glass Primary material of object By Attribution 3.0 The period from for the object Attribute as courtesy of the British Museum A full resolution image of MAS-O100053 1800 1856 Classification of object