A Collection of 1930s Seltzer Bottles

Monica’s book Living With What You Love explores ways in which people celebrate their most treasured possessions, from the ordinary to the extraordinary on a daily basis. Whether you’ve got an entire collection or a single heirloom—and whether it’s worth $5 or $50,000—this column is dedicating to giving you ideas for living with whatever it is you love, by peeking into the homes of fascinating subjects.

Rob Brinson is a photographer, artist and educator. For the past 29 years, the Atlanta-based Brinson has traveled the world shooting for national magazines and on commission as a fine artist for corporations and public space art. His home, which he shares with his wife, is where he houses his treasured collections, including a quirky favorite—vintage seltzer bottles from Argentina.

Brinson acquired the selzter bottles in 1997. “The primary reason I chose them was their industrial look and the way they looked en masse,” he explains. After first encountering some in a flea market at Plaza Durrango in the San Telemo district of Buenos Aires, he was then able to find a warehouse that sold them for just $10 apiece. In his enthusiasm, he bought 40 and packed the selzter bottles in duffel bags as checked baggage on his flight back to The States. “This was pre 9/11 so things were a lot easier back then,” he says, “though Customs did check them out pretty closely!” Upon his return, Brinson installed the bottles in his bar and kitchen areas, where “they seemed strangely at home” almost immediately.