Madeira Bottle

The wine in this bottle was produced in Madeira, bottled in England, and then sold in Philadelphia, the port city whose name was erased from the double cabinet. This bottle was imported by Robert Lenox, a New York merchant with connections to Philadelphia. The mention of this bottle’s movement “via Philadelphia” provides a glimpse into the circulation of goods not only across the Atlantic but also among the colonies.

Wine bottle with Madeira
Probably England; 1796
Glass (non-lead)
Inscribed “R. LENOX” (seal) and “LENOX MADEIRA. / [diamond with ‘9’] / Imported by the late Robert Lenox, / Esq. via Philadelphia, in 1796. / Bottled . . . summer of 1798. / Re-bottled . . . June, 1888”
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Special Fund for Collection Objects 1985.0055