Bottle-making was an important aspect of the salt-glazed stoneware industry throughout the nineteenth century. Most bottles were utilitarian containers for drinks, ink or blacking, but several firms made novelty flasks for spirits and cordials. There were two basic types: flattened bottle shapes with relief decoration on one or both sides, and three-dimensional forms including human figures, pistols and boots. The name of the vendor, such as a publican or wine and spirit merchant, could be stamped on the back so that the flask served as an advertisement.

Prominent manufacturers in the London area included Doulton & Watts and Stephen Green of Lambeth, and in Derbyshire, James Bourne, who owned factories in Belper and Denby. This flask, which may represent Princess Victoria, was made after 1833 when Bourne took over the Codnor Park bottlemaking factory. A similar example in a private collection is dated 1836.