Tankard 18th century

Editor: Here we have an 18th-century tankard, likely made by Richard Going. The tankard is crafted from metal. Its smooth, gray surface feels reserved yet sturdy. How might we interpret this object in a broader context? Curator: That’s a wonderful point. A tankard, seemingly simple, is rife with cultural information. What might this tankard tell us about class and consumption in 18th-century society? Editor: Well, the material suggests some level of affluence. Was metal a common choice for all social classes, or was it reserved for the elite? Curator: It's interesting to think about material value but beyond this, how does it become an important carrier of ritual and custom for a society? How is status asserted and communicated in drinking rituals? Editor: That's a new perspective for me, this tankard representing ritual! It shows how an everyday item embodies so much about social hierarchies and daily lives. I never considered how objects create communities. Curator: Exactly. And what stories are missing? Whose hands crafted it? Whose labor extracted the metal from the earth? We must interrogate these silences. Editor: Thank you for widening my perspective! Considering those absences definitely brings this simple vessel into much sharper focus. Curator: Likewise! It’s crucial to constantly re-evaluate these objects, allowing them to challenge our perceptions of the past.