19th Century Wine Bottle (Archaeological Find)
Files
Title:
19th Century Wine Bottle
Description:
During the 19th century, some students at Harvard could barely afford to eat as is evidenced by students’ inability to find decent and affordable food after the closure of dining halls in 1825. The excavation of this wine bottle draws attention to divide between the lower and upper class with respect to dining and drinking. Some students were members of social/dining clubs and could afford to drink expensive wines, whereas others could barely afford the Harvard dining hall. In 1807 students engaged in a rebellion against the dining services at Harvard, stating “their biscuits were bad and coffee bitter” and because of this pushback the college eventually closed their dining halls in 1825 and allowed students to dine outside the college. Image 1 depicts a satirical picture of food fights in the dining hall to emphasize the protest of dining hall conditions. While some students could afford to be part of social dining and drinking clubs such as the porcelain club, the fly club and the AD club when Harvard dining halls closed, many could not afford the cost that came with the dining hall closure. The college realized that students from less privileged backgrounds needed Harvard dining services so reopened The Harvard dining association in 1874. This narrative demonstrates how although our excavation of wine bottles may lead us to believe that students were wealthy and could afford alcoholic beverages, this may have not actually been the case. Many students struggled to find food at economical costs and therefore were probably unable to carouse and drink with their classmates. Therefore, a deep divide must have existed between those of the upper class who could were privileged enough to afford the luxury of drinking and those who were not. Some students of a lower class may have felt alienated from those that were from a more elite group because they could not afford to drink and socialize with wealthier students.
Source:
Hume, Ivor Nöel. 2001. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Page 60-70.
Harvard University. Harvard Commons Records, 1686-1829. UAI 15.250, Harvard University Archives. http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/deepLink?_collection=oasis&uniqueId=hua09011
Harvard University. The History of Food and Dining at Harvard, July 25th 2016, http://guides.library.harvard.edu/hua/Food_Dining
Date:
October 27 2016
Object Name:
19th century wine/cordial
Inventory Description:
Noel Hume’s recount of the evolution of the wine bottle allows us to conclude that this wine bottle fragment we excavated was most likely from a bottle in the 19th century. The wine bottle fragment we found has a narrow body and medium size kick up and these characteristics correspond to a 19th century wine bottle.
Peabody Number:
2016.29.302
Culture/Period:
19th century
Intrasite:
H944 Level 2
Depth:
65-75
Class 1:
Glass
Class 2:
bottle glass
Class 3:
green glass
Quantity:
10 pieces
Height (cm):
4cm
Width (cm):
6cm
Depth/Thickness (cm):
4cm
Notes:
Date found: October 27th, 2016