The Chattanooga, TN Brewing Co., Tin Serving Tray. Circa 1910

I find this complimentary serving tray from the Chattanooga, TN Brewing Company to be very interesting.  I do not recall seeing other advertising trays which clearly detail a large part of the United States in their advertising.   I suspect the Chattanooga Brewery and the city was small enough that they wanted to ensure their customers knew where the brewery was actually being made.  Why else did the woman in the image have to point her finger on the map to illustrate the location of Chattanooga!  The taglines “Our Beers are Pure” and “Liquid Food” were important in an era when the water was not always clean in many cities, and the alcohol content in beer would help kill off any impurities.  The tray also features two early blob style quart beer bottles with foil around the neck, a design which was common around 1900, but was pretty well gone by around 1910.

The Chattanooga Brewing Company ceased operations like so many other breweries at the start of prohibition.   Unfortunately the brewery was not able to resume operations over a decade later when the 21st Amendment allowed alcohol to be sold again in 1933.