Teapot 1854 - 1865

Editor: This is a metal teapot by Thomas Danforth Boardman, dating to sometime between 1854 and 1865. It has this almost austere look to it, with the unadorned metal surface. What does this piece tell us about society at that time? Curator: That's a great observation. Consider the rise of industrialization in the mid-19th century. While this teapot presents a somewhat simplified form, its production likely relied on industrialized methods. What contradictions do you see arising between its manufactured origin and its purpose as a domestic object meant to bring people together? Editor: Well, it was made to bring people together through the act of drinking tea. Yet if its production was industrial, and focused more on profit, could the symbolism of community that tea is intended to invoke get undermined in some way? Curator: Precisely. Tea, traditionally associated with community and ritual, gets complicated by the methods of its production and commodification within capitalist society. How does that affect its meaning for different social classes? For example, who would have owned this object and how would they relate to its display of industrial production versus handcrafted quality? Editor: So perhaps what seems simple about this teapot really encapsulates bigger ideas about class and industrialization at the time. Even something like a teapot can represent the complex relationship between labor, industry, and social practices. Curator: Exactly. Seeing everyday objects through an intersectional lens like that can unlock fascinating insights. This shifts our focus from mere aesthetics to understanding lived realities. Editor: I never thought about a teapot having so much to say about the time in which it was made. Curator: Well, everything has a story. The objects that survive from an era carry so much encoded information, just waiting for someone to ask the right questions.