Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
BE2000.1.16 |
Object Name |
Bottle, Milk |
Description |
A clear glass mould-made cylindrical milk bottle with a wider lip. "Credit View Dairy" is moulded on the front of the bottle and while the letter "D" inside a diamond is moulded on the bottom. |
Year Range from |
1919 |
Year Range to |
1930 |
Artist |
Dominion Glass Co. |
Dimensions |
H-3.976 W-2.205 inches |
History |
Before the mass availability of milk and widespread home refrigerators, milk was hand-delivered to homes across the Western world, which ensured that milk could be used without worrying about spoilage. The first home milk deliveries in the United States began in rural Vermont in 1785. When milk delivery first began, the milkmen would fill the customers' jugs. However, by the late 19th century, milk bottles had replaced the old version of milk delivery. Customers would place their order with the milkman and he would deliver it the next day to an insulated box on the front stoop and remove the empty bottles. The milkman would clean the used bottles and reuse them for the following days. The first patent for a milk container was issued in 1878, which was the Lester Milk Jar. In 1884, Henry D. Thatcher invented a milk bottle with a cap, which became very popular. Soon, more people began to create their versions, and by the 1920s designs and advertisements were etched onto the glass. Milk bottles before the 1930s were round. In 1935, slender neck bottles became normal in the UK. In the 1940s, a square squat bottle became the most popular version to date. Throughout the 1930s, milk consumption in the United States increased, peaking at an average of 744 glasses per person in 1941. This rise in milk's popularity may be due to nutritionists promoting milk as a healthy drink for both children and adults. In the 1960s, around 30 percent of milk was still delivered to homes. However, due to post-World War II suburbanization, neighbourhoods became more spread-out making the milkman's route longer, farther and ultimately less profitable. As a result, the prices skyrocketed and families relied less and less on home delivery, preferring instead to buy milk at the supermarket with their other groceries, which was becoming more feasible with a rise in car ownership and supermarkets. As such, milkmen became obsolete and the trade died out. Interestingly, in the 21st century, there has been a resurgence of home milk delivery both due to environmental awareness of the excessive use of plastics and for convenience's sake. The Credit View Dairy was located in Port Credit at 43 Lakeshore Road East and was owned and operated by Adrian Joseph Naish and Maxwell Delainey. They operated the dairy between the years 1926 and 1946. The business was later sold to Besse's Diary and later the building was taken over by Port Credit Dairy. The bottle was made by the Dominion Glass Co., which was formed by a merger with the Diamond Flint Glass Co. and the Sydenham Glass Co. on May 15, 1913. It made the official purchase of Diamond on June 12 1913, taking over all locations that had operated under the Sydenham Glass Co. The firm eventually controlled: Diamond Flint (Montreal), Canadian Glass (Montreal), Jefferson Glass (Toronto), Toronto Glass, Hamilton Glass, Sydenham Glass (Wallaceburg) and Richards Glass Co. Dominion Glass became the largest glass producer in Canada. They used the diamond-D mark, as seen on this bottle, on their wares on June 27, 1928. The Dominion glass name was used until 1976 when the company changed its name to Domglas, Ltd. In 1987, it became known as Domglas Inc. with the amalgamation of Domglas, Ltd., and Consolidated-Bathurst. The company was still in business in 1995, but the mark was no longer listed in 1996, suggesting that the company ceased operation in 1995. References: National Museum of American History https://americanhistory.si.edu/object-project/refrigerators/milk-bottles The Day the Milkman Went Away: A History of Home Milk Delivery. Drink in Milk Glass Bottles. https://drinkmilkinglassbottles.com/the-day-the-milkman-went-away-a-history-of-home-milk-delivery/ "A Guide to Early Canadian Glass" by Hilda & Kelvin Spence, 1966 (pg. 39) A History of The American Milkman, Food52 https://food52.com/blog/20229-milkmen-history Grey Roots Museum and Archives, Artefact Collection Online https://greyroots.pastperfectonline.com/ |
People |
Thorne, Jack |