Sugar Bowl 1884 - 1887

This is a sugar bowl, made by the Mount Washington Glass Company sometime between 1837 and 1958. At the time, sugar was both a commodity and a symbol of wealth, deeply entangled with the history of colonialism, slavery, and global trade. Consider how this object, intended for daily use, quietly embodies power structures. Who had access to sugar, and who was exploited in its production? What does it mean to hold these histories in our hands, or to sweeten our tea with them? The bowl, with its elegant form, invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between beauty, consumption, and social justice.