Tear Bottle | Silver Victorian With Blue Glass
The history of the tear bottle is captivating and poignant. Tear bottles were prevalent in ancient Rome and Egypt, when mourners would collect their tears and bury them with loved ones to show honor and devotion. Tear bottles re-appeared during the 19th century Victorian era, when tears were collected in bottles with special stoppers; the tears evaporated and once gone, the mourning period ended, but the bottle remained as a token of eternal devotion.
HISTORIC CONNECTIONS
A 19th century Inkwell, ink bottle and pen. In the 19th century students would learn to write in various ways. Some very young children were taught to write with their fingers in a box of sand. They would then progress to a slate, on which they would write with a slate pencil which could then be rubbed out and rewritten upon. They would then progress to the dip pen and inkwell as seen above, writing on paper, first on a copy book to learn how to write text correctly then on plain paper.
