Hobnail Sauce Dish 1887 - 1896

Hobnail Sauce Dish was produced by Hobbs, Brockunier and Company, between 1863 and 1891, using pressed glass. As industrialization changed the landscape of the United States, glassmakers like Hobbs, Brockunier, and Company found ways to mass produce decorative wares for the home. During this era, women were considered the arbiters of domestic taste and were targeted as consumers for affordable, mass-produced goods. The pink glass might appeal to feminine sensibilities, and the hobnail pattern references handmade textiles. We can consider how class and gender intersect in this small dish, transforming something as simple as a sauce into a display of taste and refinement. It marks a moment when industrial production began to offer the trappings of upper-class life to a wider audience. Though, it could be argued that what may have been gained in accessibility, was lost in artistic expression.