Straus Gunst & Co. Bottle, 2025
Graphite on cotton paper
Dimensions: 15 in. x 10 in.
Framed Dimensions: 18.5 in. x 13.5 in.
All pieces are professionally framed with acid-free materials and UV-protective, anti-glare glass.
 
This piece features an embossed bottle from Richmond, VA, sold by Straus-Gunst & Co. The shape of the bottle indicates it was part of their mail-order whiskey program, which started as state-by-state prohibition took hold. Before Virginia enacted its own prohibition, Straus-Gunst & Co. regularly shipped bottles like this one to customers in states that had already gone dry. The company operated in downtown Richmond at 14th and East Cary Streets.