Scarce Anna Pottery Stoneware "Railroad Guide" Pig Flask, attributed to Wallace and Cornwall Kirkpatrick, Anna, IL, circa 1870, molded flask in the form of a reclining pig with hole at rear, incised details to face and hooves, and anatomically-correct underside, incised on one side "Latest and most Reliable / Railroad Guide/ with a little fine old Bourbon in." Remainder of pig incised with a railroad map of the Midwestern United States, including the following landmarks: St Louis, grand tower, miss Riv, Sandoval, Odin, Centralia, Carbondale, Jonesboro, mounds, Cairo, Anna, O Riv, Cincinnati, and Chicago. Surface covered in an Albany slip glaze with original black-and-white, cold-painted eyes and tusks. This flask is believed to be the first that we have offered featuring the inscription, "Railroad Guide," as opposed to the typical "Railroad and River Guide" and is likely an early iteration of this style. Provenance: A fresh-to-the-market-example, which descended in the family of the consignor. A loss to one ear, a small chip to spout, and a minor chip to bottom lip. L 8".
