Soup Plate c. 1775

Editor: This elegant collection of ceramic tableware, including a soup plate, dates back to around 1775. There's a delicacy to it that's captivating. How can we consider its production and meaning today? Curator: This dinnerware prompts a Materialist to ask, what does a matching set signify about the social relations of production and consumption in 1775? The rise of ceramic production meant matching dinnerware became attainable for a growing middle class. Who benefited from that industry, and under what labor conditions? Editor: So you are saying the plates speak to economic shifts of that era? It seems quite different from, say, handmade pottery of a rural farmer. Curator: Precisely. Think of the raw materials extracted from the earth, the factories transforming those materials, the merchants distributing the final products, and the consumers displaying their acquisitions in their homes. How does this reflect evolving notions of status, labor, and consumerism? Editor: I guess the elegance I saw initially was just a tiny fragment of a bigger story about labour. Now, the pattern on the plates makes me think of an assembly line or factory. Curator: These weren’t merely functional objects; they were symbolic of wealth and taste. The delicate, mass-produced decorative elements became markers of social aspiration and material access, reflecting a very new consumer landscape. How might viewing this plate challenge traditional high art and craft definitions? Editor: This perspective is new to me, that considering production can bring new understanding! I’ll certainly remember that. Curator: Indeed, material production, like culture and society, evolves as processes. Considering that history leads us to better insight on production and consumption overall.