Photograph of Decanter Set (July 2016)
Title
Photograph of Decanter Set (July 2016)
Description
John Nicholas Brown II and Anne Kinsolving Brown were young adults during the height of Prohibition, which lasted from 1920-1933. Prohibition in the United States did not, as hoped, make alcohol difficult to come by, but it did encourage a bit of creativity, and a change in how and where Americans drank.
Before Prohibition, drinking as a social activity belonged to men. Wealthy men drank together in social clubs or tucked away in back parlors, separate from women. Prohibition era restrictions moved drinking into private spaces with men and women together sipping from “cocktails,” or mixed drinks. Cocktails became fashionable during Prohibition out of necessity. Liquor distilled at home needed to be mixed with something sweet to be as drinkable as manufactured brands.
The popularity of cocktails and cocktail parties outlived Prohibition itself: John and Anne Brown enjoyed cocktails in their study after dinner. A decanter set like this one would be used for holding whiskey or brandy, both popular cocktail liquors.
Before Prohibition, drinking as a social activity belonged to men. Wealthy men drank together in social clubs or tucked away in back parlors, separate from women. Prohibition era restrictions moved drinking into private spaces with men and women together sipping from “cocktails,” or mixed drinks. Cocktails became fashionable during Prohibition out of necessity. Liquor distilled at home needed to be mixed with something sweet to be as drinkable as manufactured brands.
The popularity of cocktails and cocktail parties outlived Prohibition itself: John and Anne Brown enjoyed cocktails in their study after dinner. A decanter set like this one would be used for holding whiskey or brandy, both popular cocktail liquors.
Creator
Banks III, Jesse
Source
Digital copy created by the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage
Date
2016-07-28
Contributor
Jennifer Shook
Rights
Rights Status Not Evaluated
Citation
Banks III, Jesse, “Photograph of Decanter Set (July 2016),” Digital Tours of The Nightingale-Brown House , accessed November 2, 2025, https://cds.library.brown.edu/NBHouse/items/show/69.