Sauce Dish 1870 - 1890

This purple and white glass sauce dish was created by Challinor, Taylor and Company, active in the late 19th century, a period of significant industrial and social change. Consider for a moment the seemingly simple object in front of you, and the cultural context which informed the creation and consumption of such an object. Glassware like this was not merely functional, it was a signifier of status and taste. The late 1800s was the gilded age, a time of increasing consumerism, but also stark class divisions. The rise of industrial manufacturing meant that decorative items became accessible to a wider range of people. This dish reflects a growing middle class who sought to emulate the lifestyles of the wealthy through the acquisition of fashionable goods. The production of glassware also involved a complex web of labor relations, often exploiting immigrant workers. This dish, therefore, represents a confluence of industrial progress, social aspiration, and economic inequality.