Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

This early 1800s Loom built in a bottle is believed to be built between 1820 and 1850. A loom bottle very much like this one is featured in the book "Genius in a Bottle - The Art and Magic of Bottle Whimseys" by Susan D. Jones, pages 172 - 173. The loom is made from light colored wood with a great patina. It is built with 2 weaving levels. The bottom level has beige, red, blue and ivory threads being woven into a patterned cloth. Seated at the end of the loom is a porcelain girl doll. The girl has very detailed and delicate facial features. She has black hair and is wearing a red cloth top, a patterned white skirt and a yellow waist band. Her arms are made from cloth and positioned on each side of the material being woven on the loom. You can see her leg with a high top black shoe resting near the treadle. The second loom has a nearly identical scene with a similar doll dressed in the same manner. She is weaving more of a checkered pattern in the same colors. On the top of the looms is a four arm winder with white thread wrapped around it. The bottle is sealed with a wooden stopper with a wonderful crosspiece going through it. It is approximately 9 ¼ inches by 4 inches and is hand-blown with a very pronounced scar pontil and applied top.