"Fern and Daisy Perfume Bottle No. 2661" 1870 - 1875

This is "Fern and Daisy Perfume Bottle No. 2661", made of silver by Tiffany and Company. Its amphora-like shape and surface decoration call up earlier periods of artistic production. But, the Tiffany firm wasn't simply repeating historical designs. The company emerged in the mid-19th century, against a backdrop of rapid industrialization and urbanization in the United States. As new money poured into the pockets of industrialists, they sought to elevate their social standing through acquiring the trappings of wealth and culture. Tiffany, and other firms like it, were there to meet that demand. The firm’s designers often used handcraft techniques and drew inspiration from the natural world. The perfumes it contained were central to the culture of modern hygiene that began to take hold around 1900. To fully understand this object, we need to consider the broader economic and social shifts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Only then can we truly appreciate the forces that shaped its creation and reception.