Salt Dip 1937

Ralph Atkinson made this watercolor painting titled ‘Salt Dip’ at an unknown date. Salt dips were small, open containers used for individual servings of salt, popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when pouring salt was considered impolite. The painting provides a glimpse into the dining etiquette and social customs of the time. The presence of a specific vessel for salt suggests a level of formality and attention to detail in dining practices. The formal qualities of this painting are also relevant when understood as part of a larger project of documentation and standardization. Atkinson was painting for the ‘Index of American Design’, a New Deal project that documented American decorative arts. This project suggests that authorities were hoping to define and stabilize ideas of American identity during the Great Depression. To understand this painting further, we could consult etiquette guides, household inventories, and design catalogs from the period to see how these objects were positioned in relation to ideas of American identity.