Persian Berries 1923

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this curious item, "Persian Berries," manufactured by Skilbeck Brothers of London in 1923. Editor: It strikes me as a memento mori of sorts, a forgotten bottle filled with brittle, dried things… the transience of organic matter. Curator: Indeed. Berries carry potent symbolic weight across cultures. They speak to abundance, but in faded form here, they evoke decay and loss. Editor: Pharmaceutical displays and curiosity cabinets were popular at that time, revealing a public fascination with collecting and studying the natural world. Curator: Right, and consider Skilbeck's location in London: how did "Persian Berries" come to be bottled and sold there? What meanings did "Persia" hold for British consumers? Editor: It's a potent reminder that even seemingly innocuous objects carry complex histories, embodying power dynamics, trade routes, and cultural imaginaries. Curator: Absolutely. It prompts us to consider the enduring human impulse to classify, preserve, and ascribe meaning to the natural world. Editor: A quiet, unassuming object that prompts larger questions about the cultural life of things.