Hobnail Creamer 1887 - 1896

Editor: Here we have the 'Hobnail Creamer', made of glass, crafted somewhere between 1887 and 1896, created by Hobbs, Brockunier and Company. It looks almost like some kind of strange sea creature... What do you see when you look at it? Curator: Ah, the Hobnail Creamer! Yes, it does possess an almost organic quality, doesn't it? For me, it speaks of a fascinating intersection between industrial production and artistic expression in late 19th-century America. Just imagine the artistry to get the pattern evenly and accurately spread on the piece, before you get the glass perfectly blow and smooth to make a vessel. Editor: Wow, I hadn't thought about that! It just looked… decorative. How was this hobnail effect even achieved back then? Curator: It's created with a mold – incredibly complex ones at that time. Imagine blowing molten glass into a patterned mold. These textures made the Creamer almost glow in the light. Tell me, what kind of light do you think the designer was expecting it to be displayed in? Editor: I imagine light that can catch all of the little hobnails – sunlight through a window? Curator: Precisely! Everyday elegance. This wasn't necessarily for the super-rich. More like upper-middle-class aspirations achieved through mass production. Do you see it differently now? Editor: Totally. I was stuck on it being purely decorative, but there’s so much more to it than that. Curator: Art whispers, darling. Sometimes, you just have to listen closely. This cream pitcher really has a ton of design ingenuity. And it would bring some class to whatever morning tea that it's paired with.